diff --git a/roles/zomboid/tasks/main.yml b/roles/zomboid/tasks/main.yml
index 61bca4e..cac74ce 100644
--- a/roles/zomboid/tasks/main.yml
+++ b/roles/zomboid/tasks/main.yml
@@ -51,6 +51,8 @@
       - /usr/share/zoneinfo/America/Denver:/etc/timezone:ro
       - /etc/localtime:/etc/localtime:ro
     ports:
+      # Steam query ports (8766/8767) required for public server-list visibility; harmless when private
+      - "8766-8767:8766-8767/udp"
       - "16261-16276:16261-16276/udp"
       - "27015:27015/tcp"
     network:
@@ -69,5 +71,5 @@
       PUBLIC: "{{ zomboid_public }}"
       MEMORY: "{{ zomboid_memory }}"
       SERVERPRESET: "{{ zomboid_preset }}"
-      FORCEUPDATE: "true"
+      FORCEUPDATE: "{{ zomboid_force_update }}"
       LANG: "en_US.UTF-8"
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/roles/zomboid/templates/zomboid.ini.j2 b/roles/zomboid/templates/zomboid.ini.j2
index 4062e96..508d49a 100644
--- a/roles/zomboid/templates/zomboid.ini.j2
+++ b/roles/zomboid/templates/zomboid.ini.j2
@@ -9,4 +9,7 @@ MaxPlayers={{ zomboid_max_players }}
 PVP={{ zomboid_pvp | lower }}
 PauseEmpty={{ zomboid_pause_empty | lower }}
 RCONPassword={{ zomboid_rcon_password }}
-RCONPort=27015
\ No newline at end of file
+RCONPort=27015
+# Steam networking follows the visibility mode: public servers use the Steam
+# backend (browser listing + relay), private ones fall back to plain UDP direct-connect.
+UseSteamNetworking={{ 'true' if zomboid_public|lower == 'true' else 'false' }}
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/vars.yml b/vars.yml
index c1d1150..ed09379 100755
--- a/vars.yml
+++ b/vars.yml
@@ -95,11 +95,14 @@ minecraft_plugins:
 ## same as mc.boxswapper.io / vpn.boxswapper.io). Router MUST forward UDP 16261-16276 + TCP 27015 (RCON)
 ## -> 10.10.0.46. Server ini is rendered from roles/zomboid/templates/zomboid.ini.j2 on deploy; the
 ## published UDP range (16261-16276) covers zomboid_max_players=16 (game 16261 + query 16262 + per-slot ports).
+## PUBLIC mode (zomboid_public: "true") also requires router forwards UDP 8766-8767 (Steam query) and
+## publishes them; PRIVATE mode (the original design) needs only 16261-16276 — clients direct-connect
+## (server browser never lists private servers).
 zomboid_host: zomboid.boxswapper.io
 zomboid_ip: 10.10.0.46
 zomboid_image: docker.io/danixu86/project-zomboid-dedicated-server:latest
 ## SERVERNAME becomes the config folder/file name — must NOT contain spaces or special characters.
-zomboid_servername: zomboid
+zomboid_servername: Boxswapper
 zomboid_displayname: "Boxswapper Zomboid Server"
 zomboid_admin_username: admin
 ## CHANGE THESE before first deploy — ADMINPASSWORD is mandatory on first startup (server fails to boot without it),
@@ -108,7 +111,7 @@ zomboid_admin_username: admin
 zomboid_admin_password: 9QmvIhCPOUcWeV9W
 zomboid_rcon_password: lnaScHaCnB2z8k7D
 zomboid_password: DOvNml9VCyeXlJx2
-zomboid_public: "false"
+zomboid_public: "true"
 ## Server ini is rendered from roles/zomboid/templates/zomboid.ini.j2 on every deploy —
 ## vars.yml is the source of truth for the ini, so edits to these vars re-apply on re-run.
 ## MaxPlayers must fit the published/forwarded UDP range (16261-16276 = 16 slots); raise the range
@@ -116,6 +119,9 @@ zomboid_public: "false"
 zomboid_max_players: 16
 zomboid_pvp: "true"
 zomboid_pause_empty: "true"
+## "true" makes the container re-verify the full 7.2GB Steam install on EVERY start (slow boots).
+## Leave "false" for fast boots; flip to "true" when a new PZ build drops and re-run once.
+zomboid_force_update: "false"
 zomboid_memory: 8g
-zomboid_preset: apocalypse
+zomboid_preset: Apocalypse