# Best Windrose server hosting: how to choose > What a good Windrose host gets right: RAM for your crew, direct connection, a password and backups. What a server costs, and where we fall short. By the Wilderack Crew. Last reviewed 2026-11-13. _Windrose is a trademark of Kraken Express. Wilderack is not affiliated with or endorsed by Kraken Express._ Windrose asks for a lot of memory even for a small crew, and a hosted server can be joined two ways: an invite code through Windrose’s own service, or straight to its address. That choice decides whether attack protection and wake on join work. Here is what to check before you pay anyone, us included. **A note before you read:** Wilderack sells Windrose servers, so this is a guide from a host, not a neutral review. Every fact about Windrose links the guide it comes from, and those guides cite Kraken Express's own documentation. We name no other hosts, and one section says where we fall short. ## Three ways to run a Windrose server ### Co-op from your game Host a world and give your crew the invite code. - Cost: Free - Friends can play without you: Only while the host plays - Who can join: Crewmates with the invite code - What you do: None, but the world closes when the host leaves ### Run the free server yourself The developers’ dedicated server is free, with an invite code by default. - Cost: Free, plus a computer that stays on - Friends can play without you: While that computer is on - Who can join: Crewmates with the invite code, or the address with direct connection set up - What you do: At least 8 GB of RAM for the server, and updates and backups are yours ### Rent a server A dedicated Windrose server in a data center, with a panel to run it. - Cost: From $23.99 a month, or $35.99 a month for the Grove 12 GB we recommend - Friends can play without you: Always, napping when empty and waking when someone joins - Who can join: With Direct IP in the game, using the address and port from your server’s address card - What you do: None to install. Updates, backups and DDoS protection are handled ## What to look for in a Windrose host The checks that matter for every game, from ping to refunds: https://wilderack.com/best-game-server-hosting/ ### RAM for your crew size The developers’ own hardware list asks for a lot of memory: 8 GB for 1 or 2 players, more for 3 or 4, and 16 GB for up to 10. They recommend crews of up to 4. Details: https://wilderack.com/wiki/windrose/performance/ On Wilderack (Yes): Plans are sold by RAM, following the developers’ figures. We recommend Grove 12 GB, and Grove 8 GB is enough for 1 or 2 players. ### Direct connection, not an invite code Invite-code traffic goes through Windrose’s own connection service, so a host can’t filter attacks on it, and a sleeping server never sees the join. When a server uses direct IP, invite codes don’t work. Details: https://wilderack.com/wiki/windrose/invite-codes-and-direct-connect/ On Wilderack (Yes): Every server runs in direct connection mode, behind our attack protection. Your crew joins with the address and port, and joining wakes a sleeping server. ### A password, because addresses get shared Windrose has no public server list, but anyone with the address can try it. The password lives in two settings that must agree. Details: https://wilderack.com/wiki/windrose/how-to-connect/ On Wilderack (Yes): Set it in Settings and restart. The two lines in the file only matter if you edit it by hand. ### Your single-player world on the server The easiest way to get world settings right is to make the world in the game, then move it to the server. Details: https://wilderack.com/wiki/windrose/backups/ On Wilderack (Yes): Upload your world in Games, Bring your world, or with Files or SFTP. ### Backups you can restore yourself Windrose zips each world every 10 minutes of play and can load the newest good zip if a save breaks, but those zips live on the same server. Details: https://wilderack.com/wiki/windrose/backups/ On Wilderack (Yes): A safe copy every time the server sleeps and every 10 minutes while it runs, kept apart from the server. Restore or download any of them. ## What a cheap Windrose server costs | Group | Plan | Monthly | 3-day pass | |---|---|---|---| | Up to 2 players | Grove 8 GB | $23.99 | $4.85 | | Up to 4 players | Grove 12 GB (recommended) | $35.99 | $7.25 | | Up to 8 players | World tree 16 GB | $47.99 | $9.65 | 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. Windrose is hungry for its size: Grove 8 GB is the smallest plan we sell for it and suits 1 or 2 players. For the crew of up to 4 the developers recommend, pick Grove 12 GB. ## Where Wilderack falls short - No mods. Windrose has no official mod support yet, so we don’t offer any. - Invite codes don’t work on our servers, because they run in direct connection mode. Your crew types the address and port. - The Windrose server has no documented way to send chat messages, so scheduled restarts can’t warn players in the 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 Windrose server need? 8 GB for 1 or 2 players, 12 GB for 3 or 4 and 16 GB for 5 to 8. These follow the developers’ hardware list. Windrose has no mods, so you don’t need extra for them. ### Why doesn’t my Windrose server have an invite code? It runs in direct connection mode, which keeps it behind our attack protection and lets joining wake it. The developers say invite codes don’t work when a server uses direct IP, so your crew uses the address and port. ### How many players can join a Windrose server? Up to 8. The developers recommend crews of up to 4, because boss fights and some other systems aren’t balanced for bigger groups yet. ## Sources - [Dedicated Server Guide](https://playwindrose.com/dedicated-server-guide/), Kraken Express - [FAQ and troubleshooting](https://playwindrose.com/faq), Kraken Express - [Patch notes, version 0.10.0.7 (Linux server support)](https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/3041230/view/1836506165548085), Kraken Express - [Windrose on Steam](https://store.steampowered.com/app/3041230/Windrose/), Valve - [Patch notes, version 0.10.0.6](https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/3041230/view/1832700592797492), Kraken Express - [Connectivity fixes, Direct IP added and save backup system update](https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/3041230/view/1830163047263736), Kraken Express - [Patch notes, version 0.10.0.5.120 (new save system)](https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/3041230/view/1831432155576836), Kraken Express Plans and prices: https://wilderack.com/windrose-server-hosting/ --- Canonical page: https://wilderack.com/best-windrose-server-hosting/ How we write and check our guides: https://wilderack.com/company/editorial-policy/ Corrections: support@wilderack.com