# Best Terraria server hosting: how to choose > What a good Terraria host gets right: vanilla or tModLoader, matching versions, mods and backups. What a cheap server costs, and where we fall short. By the Wilderack Crew. Last reviewed 2026-11-13. _Terraria is a trademark of Re-Logic. Wilderack is not affiliated with or endorsed by Re-Logic._ A vanilla Terraria server is light, so almost any host can run one. What sets hosts apart is choice: tModLoader for mods, admin tools, and keeping the server on the version your friends play. Here is what to check before you pay anyone, us included. **A note before you read:** Wilderack sells Terraria servers, so this is a guide from a host, not a neutral review. Every fact about Terraria links the guide it comes from, and those guides cite Re-Logic's own documentation. We name no other hosts, and one section says where we fall short. ## Three ways to run a Terraria server ### Host from your game Pick Host & Play in Multiplayer and invite friends through Steam. - Cost: Free - Friends can play without you: Only while the host plays - Who can join: Steam friends, or anyone with your IP once your router forwards the port - What you do: None, but the world closes when the host leaves ### Run the free server yourself Re-Logic’s dedicated server comes free with the game. - Cost: Free, plus a computer that stays on - Friends can play without you: While that computer is on - Who can join: Anyone with the address, once your router forwards the port - What you do: Updates, tModLoader, admin tools and backups are yours ### Rent a server A dedicated Terraria server in a data center, with a panel to run it. - Cost: $6.49 a month for Seed 2 GB, the plan we recommend - Friends can play without you: Always, napping when empty and waking when someone joins - Who can join: Join via IP, with the address and port from your server’s address card. Phones join too when their version matches - What you do: None to install. Updates, backups and DDoS protection are handled ## What to look for in a Terraria host The checks that matter for every game, from ping to refunds: https://wilderack.com/best-game-server-hosting/ ### The server type your group needs Mods need tModLoader, and a vanilla server can’t run them. Each type has its own game files and its own worlds folder. Details: https://wilderack.com/wiki/terraria/vanilla-tmodloader-tshock/ On Wilderack (With a catch): Pick vanilla or tModLoader when you create the server, and switch later in Settings. A backup is made first, and the address stays the same. TShock servers are coming soon. ### The same version as your friends The server and every player must be on the same Terraria version. tModLoader updates once a month, and runs a little behind vanilla. Details: https://wilderack.com/wiki/terraria/vanilla-tmodloader-tshock/ On Wilderack (Yes): Restart after a tModLoader update and the server takes it too, unless you pinned a version in Settings. ### Mods your friends get when they join tModLoader downloads the server’s mods for each player as they join, so nobody has to hunt for them. Details: https://wilderack.com/wiki/terraria/mods/ On Wilderack (Yes): Install tModLoader mods from the Steam Workshop in the Mods tab. The server keeps enabled.json up to date for you. ### Enough RAM for mods, not for vanilla Vanilla runs a small or medium world on 2 GB. Each tModLoader content mod adds items, enemies and textures to memory, so a big mod pack can need more than the world. Details: https://wilderack.com/wiki/terraria/performance/ On Wilderack (Yes): Plans are sold by RAM, not player slots. Seed 2 GB runs vanilla for most groups, and we recommend Seed 2 GB. ### A way to bring your world Single-player worlds are .wld files, plus a .twld file on tModLoader, and both move to a server. Details: https://wilderack.com/wiki/terraria/backups/ On Wilderack (Yes): Upload your world in Games, Bring your world, or into the Worlds folder with Files or SFTP. ### Backups you can restore yourself Terraria keeps only the save before the last one as a .bak file, so a bad mod or a lost fight with a mechanic can’t be undone for long. Details: https://wilderack.com/wiki/terraria/backups/ On Wilderack (Yes): A safe copy every time the server sleeps and every 10 minutes while it runs. Restore or download any of them. ## What a cheap Terraria server costs | Group | Plan | Monthly | 3-day pass | |---|---|---|---| | Up to 8 players | Seed 2 GB (recommended) | $6.49 | $1.35 | | Up to 12 players, modded | Sprout 4 GB | $11.99 | $2.45 | | Up to 16 players, modded | Sapling 6 GB | $17.99 | $3.65 | | Up to 24 players, modded | Grove 8 GB | $23.99 | $4.85 | Monthly plans renew at the price shown and can be canceled any time. A 3-day pass is a one-time payment that doesn't renew. Prices in US dollars + applicable taxes. Terraria is one of the cheapest games to host. Seed 2 GB runs vanilla for most groups. Mods are what change it: start tModLoader at 4 GB and add more for big content mods. ## Where Wilderack falls short - Xbox, PlayStation and Switch players can’t join a dedicated server yet. That depends on Re-Logic’s crossplay update. - TShock servers aren’t ready yet. They’re coming soon, for accounts, permissions and plugins on a vanilla game. - 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. - We are new, so we can’t show you years of uptime yet. A 3-day pass is the cheap way to try us first. ## Questions and answers ### How much RAM does a Terraria server need? 2 GB for vanilla with a small or medium world and up to about 8 players. 4 GB for a large world, a bigger group or tModLoader with a handful of mods, and 6 GB or more for big mod packs. ### Can phone players join my Terraria server? Yes, on vanilla servers, when the phone’s version matches the server’s. They join by IP like PC players. tModLoader servers are PC only. ### Do my friends need me online to play? Not on a dedicated server. The world lives on the server, so anyone can play while you are away. A Host & Play world closes when its host leaves. ## Sources - [Server](https://terraria.wiki.gg/wiki/Server), Terraria Wiki - [Terraria downloads (dedicated server)](https://terraria.org/), Re-Logic - [Starting a modded server](https://github.com/tModLoader/tModLoader/wiki/Starting-a-modded-server), tModLoader - [Terraria State of the Game, October 2026](https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/105600/view/1847920302235929), Re-Logic - [Basic tModLoader usage FAQ](https://github.com/tModLoader/tModLoader/wiki/Basic-tModLoader-Usage-FAQ), tModLoader - [Terraria 1.4.5.7 (dedicated server changes)](https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/105600/view/1841579228663704), Re-Logic - [World (file locations)](https://terraria.wiki.gg/wiki/World), Terraria Wiki Plans and prices: https://wilderack.com/terraria-server-hosting/ --- Canonical page: https://wilderack.com/best-terraria-server-hosting/ How we write and check our guides: https://wilderack.com/company/editorial-policy/ Corrections: support@wilderack.com