Buyer’s guide

Cheap game server hosting

A cheap game server is one sized for your group, not the smallest plan on the page. Here is what each game costs at its smallest, why some games cost more to host, and how to spend less without losing your world.

By How we check our guidesLast reviewed

The cheapest plan for each game

These are our smallest plans for every game you can order today, cheapest first, with the group each one suits. A plan that’s too small for your group isn’t cheap: it lags, and you end up paying for a bigger one anyway.

The smallest plan and starting price for each game
GameFromSmallest plan
Factorio$6.49 a monthSeed 2 GBUp to 4 players
Garry's Mod$6.49 a monthSeed 2 GBUp to 12 players
Minecraft Java Edition$6.49 a monthSeed 2 GBUp to 4 players
Terraria Vanilla$6.49 a monthSeed 2 GBUp to 8 players
Romestead$11.99 a monthSprout 4 GBUp to 4 players
Enshrouded$17.99 a monthSapling 6 GBUp to 4 players
Project Zomboid Build 42$23.99 a monthGrove 8 GBUp to 8 players
Satisfactory$23.99 a monthGrove 8 GBUp to 4 players
Windrose$23.99 a monthGrove 8 GBUp to 2 players
Rust$35.99 a monthGrove 8 GBAlways onUp to 25 players

Prices in US dollars + applicable taxes. Monthly plans renew at the price shown, and you can cancel any time. Hytale, Palworld, Valheim, ARK: Survival Ascended, 7 Days to Die, FiveM, Farming Simulator 25, WARDOGS, Squad, Arma 3 and Conan Exiles can’t be ordered yet, so they aren’t listed.

Playing Minecraft? Cheap Minecraft server hosting prices every kind of Minecraft server for every group size.

Why some games cost more to host

Memory. A server keeps its whole world in memory (RAM), and some games need far more of it. Project Zomboid, Rust and Satisfactory need the most, so their smallest plans are bigger. A small sandbox game runs happily on a fraction of that.

Staying on. Most Wilderack servers nap when nobody’s playing and wake the moment someone joins. While they sleep, the memory they free runs other people’s servers, so you only pay for your share of it. Some games, like Rust, need to stay on around the clock to stay on their public server lists. Their memory can’t be shared while they run, so they cost more to host, and their plans are priced from what they really cost. That’s why Rust costs more for the same memory.

Five ways to pay less

  1. Size the plan for your group. Every plan card says how many players it suits. Start with the one marked Recommended, or work it out with our free RAM calculator.
  2. Let it nap. Most servers sleep when nobody is on and wake when someone joins, and that saving is already in the price. You don’t pay extra for the hours nobody plays.
  3. Pay for longer. Paying every 3 months saves at least 10%, and paying yearly at least 15%, against monthly on plans that nap.
  4. Use a 3-day pass for a weekend. One payment, from $1.35, that never renews. No need for a month if you only play on Saturday.
  5. Keep one server for every game. Switch your server to another game whenever your group does, with no swap fee, instead of paying for a second one. Your old world is saved.

And your first order is 20% off, on a plan or a pass. Then the normal price. Cancel any time.

What cheap shouldn’t cost you

Saving money on a server is fine. Losing a world over it isn’t. Whoever you rent from, a cheap plan should still have:

  • Backups you can restore yourself. Ours run automatically, with an off-site copy every day.
  • DDoS protection. We filter attacks at our gateway before they reach your server.
  • The memory you pay for. Each of our servers runs in its own small virtual machine, so a busy neighbor can’t take it.
  • A renewal price you can see. Our plan cards show the normal price next to every deal.

Where we fall short

  • No free plan. The cheapest way to try us is a 3-day pass, from $1.35.
  • 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.

Not sure renting is for you at all? How renting a game server works compares it with hosting from home.

Questions

What is the cheapest game server you sell?

Factorio, from $6.49 a month for up to 4 players. A 3-day pass, from $1.35, costs less if you only want to play for a weekend.

Do cheaper plans have fewer features?

No. Every plan gets every feature: backups, DDoS protection, a free address, the full panel and free game switching. A bigger plan only gives your world more memory.

Why does a sleeping server cost less?

An empty server that keeps running still uses a machine’s memory all night. Ours nap when nobody is on and wake when someone joins, and that saving is built into our prices.

Is there a free game server?

Not from us. Most games come with free server software you can run on your own computer, and many let one player host from the game. Renting is for when friends want to play while you’re offline.

Find the plan that fits

Every plan includes backups, DDoS protection and a free address. Pick a game to see its plans.

A rare treasure appears!

Tosk found you a golden acorn: 20% off your first order. There’s no code to keep. It comes off at checkout.

Start your server

20% off your first order, plan or 3-day pass. Then the normal price. Cancel any time.