Last updated 05.10.2026
Short version: cookies the site needs to work are always on, and Google Analytics runs only if you click Accept. There are no advertising networks, no tracking pixels and nothing that follows you to other sites. You can change your answer at any time with Cookie settings at the bottom of every page.
1Necessary cookies
| Name | What it does | How long |
|---|---|---|
PHPSESSID | Ties your requests together within one visit. Standard session cookie | Until you close the browser |
user | Keeps you signed in. Set only after you sign in | Until you sign out |
lang | Remembers which language you chose: English, Russian, German, Chinese or Portuguese | 1 year |
UTC, UTC_ZONE | Your time zone, so times are shown on your own clock | Until you close the browser |
timeout | Stops the contact form or the sign-in from being sent twice in a row | Up to 30 seconds |
dza_consent | Remembers your answer in the cookie banner | 6 months |
The light or dark theme is not a cookie: it is kept in your browser’s local storage under dza-theme and is never sent to us. The cloud panel keeps a few interface settings there too, such as map layers and notices you have already seen.
Under Article 5(3) of the ePrivacy Directive these do not need consent, because they are strictly necessary for the service you asked for. The banner does not switch them off; only your browser can, and the site will not work properly without them.
2Analytics cookies, only with your consent
| Name | What it does | How long |
|---|---|---|
_ga | A random identifier that lets Google Analytics tell one visitor from another | 2 years |
_ga_7KHTXMKQZR | Keeps the state of your current visit for our Analytics property | 2 years |
They are set only after you click Accept. Google then receives the pages you view, how you arrived, your device and browser type, and an approximate location derived from your IP address. Google Analytics does not store the IP address itself. We turned off Google signals and ad personalization, so this data is not used for advertising. The provider is Google LLC (USA) together with Google Ireland Limited, under Google’s own privacy terms.
3Changing your mind
Click Cookie settings at the bottom of any page and choose again. If you switch to Necessary only, analytics stops at once and we delete the _ga cookies from your browser. Data Google has already received stays with Google for the retention period set in our Analytics account, at most 14 months.
Your answer is remembered for six months, after which we ask again.
4Third parties
Cloudflare sits in front of the site and may set its own cookies, such as __cf_bm, to filter bots and attacks. They are needed for security, and we do not control or read them.
When you sign in through Steam or follow our invite to Discord, you are on their sites, and they set their own cookies under their own policies.
5Blocking cookies in the browser
Any browser lets you block or delete cookies. Without the necessary ones you will not be able to stay signed in, and the site will forget your language and time zone. The server list, the wiki and the Steam lookup keep working, because none of that needs an account.
Contact
Questions about cookies: privacy@dz.arbat16.com
This is a plain-language document, not legal advice. If your situation is unusual, talk to a lawyer in your country.