# Best game server hosting: how to choose

> What to check before you rent a game server for any game: ping, RAM, mods, backups, sleep, support and refunds. A guide for each game, and where we fall short.

By the Wilderack Crew. Last reviewed 2026-11-14.

The right host for your group is the one that fits your game: a region near your players, enough memory, the mods your game uses and backups you can restore yourself. Here are the checks that matter for any game, a buyer’s guide for each game we host, and where we fall short.

**A note before you read:** Wilderack sells game servers, so this is a guide from a host, not a neutral review. There are no rankings or scores here, and we name no other hosts. Each check says what we do about it, and one section says where we fall short.

## What to check, for any game

### A region near your players

Ping is the time a message takes to reach the server and come back. The farther away the server, the higher everyone’s ping, and fast games feel it first. Pick a host with a location close to most of your group. Where our servers are: https://wilderack.com/features/

On Wilderack (With a catch): US East (New Jersey, near New York City) and Europe (Frankfurt, Germany) are open now. You pick the region when you create the server. The farther your players are from it, the higher their ping.

### Memory for your game, not just your group

Games need very different amounts of memory (RAM). Minecraft, Terraria, GMod and Factorio start on 2 GB, while we recommend 12 GB for Rust, Satisfactory and Windrose. A plan sold by player slots hides this, so look for the RAM. Game server RAM calculator: https://wilderack.com/tools/game-server-ram-calculator/

On Wilderack (Yes): Every plan is sold by RAM, and every plan card says how many players it suits for that game. Our free calculator works out the size for your group and mods.

### Mods the way your game does them

Every game has its own mod system: plugins on some, the Steam Workshop or a mod site on others, and none at all on a few. What matters is that a host supports the one your game uses, and makes a backup before it changes anything. Mods for each game: https://wilderack.com/best-game-server-hosting/#guides

On Wilderack (Yes): On Minecraft, mods and plugins from Modrinth, CurseForge or Hangar install in one tap. On Rust, plugins from uMod (Oxide) or Carbon install in one tap. On Project Zomboid, mods from the Steam Workshop install in one tap. On Terraria, mods from the Steam Workshop install in one tap. On GMod, mods from the Steam Workshop install in one tap. On Satisfactory, mods from ficsit.app install in one tap. On Factorio, mods from the Factorio Mod Portal install in one tap. Modpacks from Modrinth install in one tap too. So do some from CurseForge, and the panel tells you before you pay when a pack can’t run on a server. A backup is made before every mod install.

### Backups you can restore yourself

A crash, a bad mod or a griefer can wreck a world in minutes. You want to roll it back from the panel, without waiting on a ticket, and download a copy to keep. Every feature: https://wilderack.com/features/

On Wilderack (Yes): A safe copy of your world is made every 10 minutes while the server runs and each time it naps, with a copy off site every day. Restore or download any of them from Backups.

### Switching games without a new order

Groups move on to new games. A host that makes you cancel and order again, or charges to switch, makes that cost more than it should. Saving and swapping games: https://wilderack.com/features/

On Wilderack (Yes): Switch your server to another game whenever your group does, with no fee. Your old world is saved, and the address stays the same.

### Sleep that doesn’t lock friends out

A server that sleeps while nobody plays costs less to run. That only helps if a friend who wants to play can wake it without you. How each game wakes: https://wilderack.com/best-game-server-hosting/#guides

On Wilderack (With a catch): Servers nap when nobody plays, which is how we keep prices down. Minecraft, Project Zomboid, Terraria, GMod, Satisfactory, Factorio, Windrose and Romestead wake when someone joins. For Enshrouded, open your wake link first. Rust stays on around the clock, to stay on its public server list.

### Help from real people

When a server breaks, your friends are waiting. You want a person who reads your server’s logs, not a bot and not a paid support tier. Our support promise: https://wilderack.com/company/support/

On Wilderack (Yes): Real people answer by email and from your panel, with a first reply within 24 hours, every day of the year. Support is included in every plan.

### A refund if it isn’t for you

Read the refund policy before you pay. It should be short, plain and give new customers a way out. Refund policy: https://wilderack.com/legal/refunds/

On Wilderack (Yes): New to us? Ask within 7 days of your first payment for a full refund, no questions. A renewal nobody used can be refunded within 7 days too. A 3-day pass, from $1.35, is only refunded if a problem on our side stopped it.

Price matters too, as long as the plan has enough memory. Our smallest plan for each game: https://wilderack.com/cheap-game-server-hosting/

## A buyer’s guide for each game

Every game adds its own checks. Each guide goes through them for that game, with what it costs by group size.

| Guide | Mods | When nobody plays |
|---|---|---|
| [Best Minecraft server hosting: how to choose](https://wilderack.com/best-minecraft-server-hosting/) | Mods and plugins in one tap from Modrinth, CurseForge or Hangar | Naps, and wakes when someone joins |
| [Best Rust server hosting: how to choose](https://wilderack.com/best-rust-server-hosting/) | Plugins in one tap from uMod (Oxide) or Carbon | Stays on for the server list |
| [Best Enshrouded server hosting: how to choose](https://wilderack.com/best-enshrouded-server-hosting/) | No server mods | Naps, and wakes from your wake link |
| [Best Project Zomboid server hosting: how to choose](https://wilderack.com/best-project-zomboid-server-hosting/) | Mods in one tap from the Steam Workshop | Naps, and wakes when someone joins |
| [Best Terraria server hosting: how to choose](https://wilderack.com/best-terraria-server-hosting/) | Mods in one tap from the Steam Workshop | Naps, and wakes when someone joins |
| [Best Garry’s Mod server hosting: how to choose](https://wilderack.com/best-garrys-mod-server-hosting/) | Mods in one tap from the Steam Workshop | Naps, and wakes when someone joins |
| [Best Satisfactory server hosting: how to choose](https://wilderack.com/best-satisfactory-server-hosting/) | Mods in one tap from ficsit.app | Naps, and wakes when someone joins |
| [Best Factorio server hosting: how to choose](https://wilderack.com/best-factorio-server-hosting/) | Mods in one tap from the Factorio Mod Portal | Naps, and wakes when someone joins |
| [Best Windrose server hosting: how to choose](https://wilderack.com/best-windrose-server-hosting/) | No server mods | Naps, and wakes when someone joins |
| [Best Romestead server hosting: how to choose](https://wilderack.com/best-romestead-server-hosting/) | Mods by upload, in Files or over SFTP | Naps, and wakes when someone joins |

On sale now: Minecraft, Rust, Enshrouded, Project Zomboid, Terraria, Garry's Mod, Satisfactory, Factorio, Windrose and Romestead.

Coming soon, with a guide each: [Hytale](https://wilderack.com/best-hytale-server-hosting/), [Palworld](https://wilderack.com/best-palworld-server-hosting/), [Valheim](https://wilderack.com/best-valheim-server-hosting/), [ARK: Survival Ascended](https://wilderack.com/best-ark-survival-ascended-server-hosting/), [7 Days to Die](https://wilderack.com/best-7-days-to-die-server-hosting/), [FiveM](https://wilderack.com/best-fivem-server-hosting/), [Farming Simulator 25](https://wilderack.com/best-farming-simulator-25-server-hosting/), [WARDOGS](https://wilderack.com/best-wardogs-server-hosting/), [Squad](https://wilderack.com/best-squad-server-hosting/), [Arma 3](https://wilderack.com/best-arma-3-server-hosting/) and [Conan Exiles](https://wilderack.com/best-conan-exiles-server-hosting/).

## Where Wilderack falls short

- Two regions open so far: US East and Europe. Groups in Asia, Oceania or South America will have higher ping than with a host nearby.
- 10 of our 21 games can be ordered today. Hytale, Palworld, Valheim, ARK, 7 Days to Die, FiveM, FS25, WARDOGS, Squad, Arma 3 and Conan are coming soon. Each one opens once we have what its publisher asks of hosts, and its waitlist hears first.
- We are still testing whether joining wakes a sleeping Enshrouded server. Until we are sure, friends open the wake link first.
- No free plan or free trial. The cheapest way to try us is a 3-day pass, from $1.35.
- We are new, so we can’t show you years of uptime yet.

How renting a game server works: https://wilderack.com/rent-a-game-server/. What a dedicated server is: https://wilderack.com/dedicated-game-server-hosting/

## Questions and answers

### What is the best game server hosting?

The one that fits your game and your group. Check for a region near your players, enough RAM for your game, support for its mods, backups you can restore yourself and a fair refund policy. No host is the best for every game.

### How much does a game server cost?

From $6.49 a month here, for games that need little memory. Heavier games need bigger plans. Each game’s buyer’s guide lists what it costs by group size.

### Which region should I pick for my game server?

The one closest to most of your players, because distance adds ping. US East (New Jersey, near New York City) and Europe (Frankfurt, Germany) are open now.

### Is a cheap game server host worse?

Not always. A cheap plan is fine if it has enough memory for your game, backups you can restore and a fair renewal price. Too little memory is what makes a server lag.

### Can I get a refund if I don’t like it?

Yes. If you’re new to Wilderack, ask within 7 days of your first payment and we refund it in full, no questions asked.

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How we write and check our guides: https://wilderack.com/company/editorial-policy/
Corrections: support@wilderack.com