Writer: Sean Garrity
Editor: Austin Lang
Reviewer: Christina Lewis
Hey, gamers, are you sick of slow peer-to-peer hosting setups? I know I am. That’s why I’ve done the dirty work of finding the best options for hosting your own game server.
There are two main avenues you can take when you’re looking for the best game server hosting. You can either:
- Sign up for a host that specializes in gaming, like Pingperfect or Shockbyte.
- Opt for a VPS from a more traditional host like Hostinger or Hostwinds.
Specialized game hosts are more expensive but have everything ready to go with the click of a button. On the other end of the spectrum, more traditional web hosts are cheaper, but you’ll need to know what you’re doing to set up your game server.
Read on to learn more about my top picks!
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Best Game Server Hosts
These hosts represent the cream of the crop for gaming. I hand-picked them because they each bring immense value to gamers who appreciate low latency and customizable gameplay.
Whether it’s support for mods, unlimited players, or high uptime, these hosts each bring something special to the table.
1. PingPerfect
PingPerfect specializes in low-ping/low latency and supports more than 250 of your favorite games, like Minecraft, 7 Days to Die, and ARK Survival Evolved.
If you’re a die-hard gamer, you may know that DDoS attacks frequently target game servers. PingPerfect knows this too and provides DDoS protection with every plan — along with offsite backups.
Here’s a more in-depth look at what I like about PingPerfect and where I think it falls short.
Pros
- High performance with SSD storage
- 25 server locations
- Intuitive game control panel
- Easy game switching
- Affordable prices
- Free built-in web hosting for community sites
Cons
- Slower support response times during peak hours
- Limited mod support on some games
Some users report that PingPerfect’s customer support is a little slow at times. However, if a speedy response is important to you, you can pay a small fee for priority support.
Overall, PingPerfect is my top pick for what it brings to the table.
2. ShockByte
ShockByte specializes in hosting Minecraft but also offers access to more than 45 other popular games, including ARK Survival Evolved, Palworld, and Rust.
Its Minecraft plans are super affordable, starting at $3.99 for one month. If you want to save money, you can buy an annual plan, which drops your monthly rate to $2. It also holds regular sales, where monthly pricing is up to 33% off.
Here are some more things I like about ShockByte and a little of what I don’t:
Pros
- Super affordable prices
- Specializes in Minecraft
- Unlimited player slots
- Supports mods and plugins
Cons
- No built-in web hosting
- Refund window is only 24 hours
- Lower plans with limited RAM may have inconsistent performance
Despite some of its drawbacks, ShockByte is a solid choice to host your game. If you choose a lower-tier plan, you may run into some performance issues. However, the host makes it easy and affordable to upgrade your plan for faster speeds.
3. Apex Hosting
Apex Hosting is another Minecraft-focused host, but don’t let that fool you; it supports other popular games like ARK, Palworld, Valheim, and Enshrouded, plus many more.
Its Minecraft plans come with a huge collection of videos, written guides, and tutorials to make your gameplay experience smooth. It also supports plugins, mods, maps, and mini-games to help you break through the monotony of vanilla Minecraft.
Here’s what you should know:
Pros
- Beginner-friendly control panel
- One-click modpack installations
- Supports Java & Bedrock editions
- Free subdomain and automatic backups included
Cons
- Limited game selection
- Higher pricing compared to others
- No free trial
If you have a bigger budget and don’t mind the limited game selection, Apex Hosting is a solid choice — particularly if you just plan to play Minecraft.
4. BisectHosting
BisectHosting offers more than 70 online games, including Minecraft, DayZ, Counter-Strike 2, Rust, Valheim, and Terraria. It includes DDoS protection and automatic backups on its plans, so you don’t have to worry about losing progress due to technical issues.
I appreciate its automatic modpack installation, which gives you easy access to hundreds of mods and modpacks for Minecraft.
Take a peek at the pros and cons of BisectHosting below:
Pros
- Affordable pricing
- Free subdomain
- Mod and plugin support
- Solid customer support with ~15-minute response time
Cons
- Cheaper plans have more limited features
- Limited game selection
- Certain server locations cost more
I like BisectHosting for Minecraft because it offers so many user-friendly features, but you might find its other game options a bit limiting compared to a host like PingPerfect. Overall, it’s still a great, affordable choice for beginners and advanced Minecraft players.
5. ScalaCube
ScalaCube is a solid game server host with about 25 games to choose from and nearly 100 other games labeled “Coming Soon!” Its bread and butter is Minecraft hosting, and the company puts a lot of effort into making its plans as scalable as possible.
When you sign up for its Minecraft plan, you’ll get unlimited traffic, unlimited slots, mod and plugin support, and automatic backups. Even with all these premium features included, it still manages to keep its pricing pretty affordable, at around $5 a month for the cheapest plan.
Let’s take a closer look at its pros and cons.
Pros
- Affordable Minecraft hosting
- Custom control panel
- Global server locations and full FTP access
- Some plans come with free web hosting for community sites
Cons
- Limited game selection compared to other hosts
- Some users complain about customer support response times being slow
- Higher pricing for premium features
I see ScalaCube as a great middle-of-the-pack game host. It knows where to focus its efforts (on Minecraft) and doesn’t add too many bells and whistles. It’s a smart choice if you want something reliable and affordable.
Best Unmanaged VPS Hosts
If you know what you’re doing when it comes to managing a server, you can save money by renting an unmanaged VPS. Here, you can install the software directly and configure the runtime environment to the requirements of your games.
The companies listed below have the cheapest unmanaged VPS plans for game server deployment.
6. Hostinger.com
Monthly Starting Price $4.49
- NVMe SSD storage and 1GB network speed
- Automatic weekly backups and Kodee AI assistant
- FREE dedicated IPv4 and IPv6 addresses
- Custom control panel for reboots and OS installs
- 1-click operating system template and API access
- HostingAdvice readers enjoy more than 50% off
- Get started on Hostinger now.
Laura Bernheim
| Setup Time | Disk Space | CPU | RAM |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 minutes | 50 GB NVMe – 400 GB NVMe | 1 – 8 cores | 4 GB – 32 GB |
Hostinger’s affordable game servers on VPS plans provide more than enough support and resources to help you jump-start your independent gaming journey and then some.
There’s no question that Hostinger is a low-cost yet powerful host. Powered by the latest AMD EPYC processors, its servers include NVMe SSD storage, up to 32 GB RAM, firewalls, and DDoS protection with a preinstalled custom control panel for settings and administration.
Leverage full root access to customize 100-plus games, from Minecraft and Palword to Valheim and Rust. If you need help getting started, Hostinger has an extensive library of VPS tutorials, knowledge base articles, and Hostinger Academy videos — not to mention its 24/7 Customer Success team and AI assistant, Kodee.
Hostinger also offers a 30-day money-back guarantee in case you find that it isn’t the right fit.
7. Hostwinds.com
Monthly Starting Price $4.99
- Managed or unmanaged, in Windows or Linux
- Cloud hosting with hourly or monthly billing
- Instant upgrades without downtime
- FREE around-the-clock monitoring
- Automatic nightly backups available
- Get started on Hostwinds now.
Laura Bernheim
| Setup Time | Disk Space | CPU | RAM |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 minutes | 30 GB SSD – 750 GB SSD | 1 – 16 cores | 1 – 96 GB |
A highlight of Hostwinds’ platform is its support for both Windows and Linux VPS hosting. But the freedom of preference doesn’t stop there.
Hostwinds has built its service to provide users with as many choices as possible. It splits up its VPS hosting plans into 10 tiers, so you can select a plan that is sure to meet your resource needs. You also have the choice to purchase these services, either managed or unmanaged.
Hostwinds allows gamers to have complete control over the code and users when managing a game server. It also provides McMyAdmin preinstalled which will support unlimited unique games.
8. InMotionHosting.com
Monthly Starting Price $4.49
- HostingAdvice readers get 68% off the first term
- FREE site migrations and 2 hours of Launch Assist
- 2 – 3 dedicated IP address options
- SSH and DDoS protection included
- Highly available servers with real-time redundancy
- Get started on InMotion now.
PJ Fancher
| Setup Time | Disk Space | CPU | RAM |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 minutes | 50 GB SSD – 460 GB SSD | 2 – 16 cores | 4 GB – 32 GB |
InMotion Hosting specializes in cloud servers for game hosting and offers high-performance VPS plans based on NVMe SSD storage hardware that is optimal for most requirements.
If you’re looking to host Minecraft, InMotion also has dedicated Minecraft server plans that include support for Java and Bedrock Editions, a game panel, unlimited plugins and mods, and a quick and easy setup.
The inclusion of cPanel and WHM with its VPS hosting allows you to run your choice of Minecraft or Steam/Valve games. But you do have to pay for cPanel as an add-on.
Fortunately, you have the flexibility to install other control panels to manage your server environment. The TCAdmin control panel includes a plugin for WHMCS that will allow you to install over 75 Steam and Valve games with a GUI. Pterodactyl and GameDash are also great options that include free tiers.
9. Bluehost.com
Monthly Starting Price $46.99
- Seamless migration from any Bluehost shared hosting plan
- Root access and easy multi-server management
- Ample RAID-1 storage and tons of bandwidth
- Each plan gets at least 3 dedicated IP addresses
- cPanel and WHM with root access
- Get started on Bluehost now.
Ryan Frankel
| Setup Time | Disk Space | CPU | RAM |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 minutes | 120 GB SSD – 240 GB SSD | 2 – 4 cores | 2 GB – 8 GB |
Powering sites since 2003, Bluehost really needs no introduction. The seasoned web host has built a massive customer base of more than two million users and is widely known for its WordPress hosting. But Bluehost’s hosting prowess isn’t limited to shared hosting. In fact, it offers a VPS solution that could easily power any game server environment.
The Bluehost platform includes much-needed cybersecurity, boasting a complete gamut of firewalls, DDoS protection, malware protection, and automated backups. You can also check out this comprehensive guide by Bluehost to learn more about how to keep your servers safe and secure.
Gamers can run Steam and Valve games using the SteamCMD framework on the VPS. Another bonus is that you can use the same server for web publishing and game hosting at Bluehost.
One downside to consider, however, is that all Bluehost VPS plans include a cPanel license that carries an enforced fee, increasing the monthly cost further.
What Is a Game Server?
Game server hosting is designed to support independent gaming titles rather than AAA games with proprietary servers that are managed by a development studio.
Most of the games run on a game server and are available on the Steam platform, which is owned by Valve. The Steam platform launched in 2002 and is a download service for PC games.
Minecraft (developed originally by Mojang) is the most popular game hosted by independent players on a game server. Microsoft purchased Minecraft for $2.5 billion in 2014.
Previous generations of Minecraft required Java to be installed on the game server, but the platform now includes cross-platform runtime capacity. Many web hosts specialize in Minecraft server hosting.
Valve produces video games that are distributed by Steam and include support for consoles or hand-held devices. Most game server titles are played on a PC, laptop, or mobile phone.
Game servers do not require a GPU card to render 3-D graphics, instead offering synchronized play for multi-user environments. The admin can install mods for some titles on the game server.
Popular Games Played with Game Server Hosting:
- Minecraft: Build virtual worlds and explore a multi-user environment
- Counter-Strike: Global Offensive: Valve and Hidden Path Entertainment
- Team Fortress 2: First-person shooter by Valve
- ARK: Survival Evolved: Independent game by Studio Wildcard
- Rust: Popular title released on Steam by Facepunch Studios
- 7 Days to Die: A horror title from The Fun Pimps launched in 2013
There are multiple ways to run a game server, depending on the title that is supported. Minecraft has its own framework that is installed with Java.
The Steam Console Client or SteamCMD can be used on a dedicated server or VPS plan to support any game released on the SteamPipe platform. SteamPipe includes dynamic LAN caching for NGINX.
The other option for running your own game server is to install a dedicated gaming control panel.
Multicraft and AMP are recommended for Minecraft. GSP-Panel, Pterodactyl, or TCAdmin can be used to support Valve, Steam, or third-party developer titles.
What’s the Difference Between Web Hosting and Game Server Hosting?
Web hosting and game server hosting are pretty similar, with a few differences worth mentioning.
Game server hosting has higher bandwidth and processing requirements than most normal websites do. For that reason, game servers are usually equipped with more RAM and bandwidth than your typical entry-level shared hosting plan.
Game servers may also come with more customization options, as gamers often like to install mods on their servers.
The primary purpose of web hosting servers is to host websites instead of games. However, with a VPS or dedicated server, you can host both.
How Much Does Game Server Hosting Cost?
The cost of a gaming server depends on the hosting provider and platform. Entry-level, unmanaged VPS plans cost between $4 to $5 a month, with some outliers like Bluehost being more expensive.
Cheap game server hosting companies like Apex Hosting, Host Havoc, and PingPerfect preinstall game panels. These will usually run anywhere from $2 to $8 a month for an entry-level plan.
| Host | Monthly Starting Price |
|---|---|
| PingPerfect | $8.99 |
| ShockByte | $3.99 |
| Apex Hosting | $7.99 |
| BisectHosting | $7.99 |
| ScalaCube | $2.00 |
| Hostinger | $4.49 |
| Hostwinds | $4.99 |
| InMotion | $4.49 |
| Bluehost | $46.99 |
In addition to already low prices, a lot of these hosts offer introductory discounts on your first month of hosting. If you want to save even more, you can get up to 33% off some hosts by committing to a yearlong plan.
However, keep in mind that the lowest price isn’t always the best. For example, ScalaCube’s cheapest plan is only $2 a month, but it comes with significantly less RAM and fewer player slots than PingPerfect’s $8.99 plan.
How Does a Game Server Work?
The Steam Console Client (SteamCMD) installs on Linux or Windows servers to provide support for SteamPipe games from Valve and independent third-party game developers.
Games like Counter-Strike: Global Offensive can be installed on dedicated servers, or VPS plans via the command line. Some Steam games allow game servers to implement mods or change rulesets.
Running a game server will give you the ability to make the environment public or private. Your game server will synchronize with the main platform to allow independent gameplay.
A game server will manage player locations, activity, scores, physics, inventory, rules, and any installed modifications. Installing a game control panel gives admins a suite of free options.
Should I Choose VPS or Dedicated Game Server Hosting?
Most gamers will be happier with the higher performance speeds available on a dedicated web server, although only large gaming communities with high bandwidth and processing requirements will notice the difference.
The main issue is a single-tenant environment on dedicated web servers vs. a multi-tenant environment on VPS plans with peak use levels.
Web server performance gradually degrades over 65% capacity and is at a high risk of failure at 95% capacity.
Hosting on VPS plans may include higher-capacity hardware than dedicated server plans, but the web traffic will always be shared with other users. For this reason, a dedicated server is best for game hosting, although VPS plans have a cheaper price.
Both VPS and dedicated server plans include tools for real-time monitoring of user traffic and hardware resource consumption. It is easier to add extra hardware resources to VPS plans without reinstalling the code.
The addition of extra hardware resources on a dedicated server plan involves physically installing new drives or memory on a server and is not possible with CPUs.
VPS and dedicated server plans with long-term contracts are the best way to get the lowest prices, but they will lock you into configurations that can become outdated or expensive to upgrade.
Make sure you know the upgrade options before signing up, or use a month-to-month billing plan for lower upfront costs on a game server.
Power Your Games With These Top Servers
VPS plans are popular for game hosting because they are cheaper than dedicated servers for the same resources. They also give you the opportunity to customize your server and install your games yourself.
On the other hand, specialized game hosts make it incredibly easy to host your own game and come with a ton of gamer-friendly features, like pre-installed games and intuitive control panels.
When you select the right hosting platform for your specific video game’s needs, you’re ensuring you get the most out of your gaming experience. Good luck and happy gaming!
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