Dedicated game server hosting

Three things people mean by “dedicated server”

The word gets used for three different setups. They differ in who runs the world, and in how much work it is for you.

What each Wilderack server gets to itself

A Wilderack server is a dedicated server in the second sense, with its own share of a machine set aside for it.

• Its own small virtual machine. Each server runs in its own microVM: a small virtual machine with its own operating system kernel, on our machines in a data center. Another server can’t see into it or reach it.
• Memory that is yours while it runs. The RAM on your plan, 2 to 32 GB depending on the plan, is set aside for your server while it runs. No other server can use it until yours naps.
• CPU cores and fast storage. Each plan sets how many virtual CPU cores your server gets, from 2 to 8, and its NVMe storage, from 20 to 160 GB. A ceiling on every server stops any one of them from taking over a machine.
• The game’s own server program. Every server runs the publisher’s dedicated server program, downloaded on our machines from where the publisher puts it, like Steam or Mojang. Updates come from there too, when you choose or on a schedule you set.
• An address and protection in front. Friends join at an address like castle.tosk.gg, which reaches our gateway, never your home. Attacks are filtered there before they reach your server.

The dedicated server for each game

Every game on our list has its own dedicated server program, and that program is what a server runs. Here is where each one comes from, and its server types. 10 of our 21 games can be ordered today.

Server files are downloaded on our machines from the publisher’s own source. We aren’t affiliated with any of these publishers. See every game for plans and guides.

What you get over hosting at home

Most dedicated server programs are free, so you can run one on a computer at home. Renting one gets you these.

• Your home address stays private. Everyone who joins a server on your computer sees your home IP address. With us they only ever see the server’s address.
• No router settings. At home you forward a port on your router so friends can reach you, and some internet providers don’t allow it at all. Here there’s nothing to open.
• An address that doesn’t change. Most home IP addresses change now and then, and friends need the new one each time. Your server’s address stays the same.
• Your computer stays yours. A server at home takes memory and processor time from the computer you play on, and it has to stay on for anyone to play.
• Backups and updates handled. 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. Game updates run when you choose, or on a schedule you set.

Hosting at home does win on two things. It’s free if you have a spare computer, and you control everything on it, down to the operating system.

New to renting? How renting a game server works goes through it step by step.

When renting a whole machine makes more sense

A game server plan suits most groups. A whole machine can be the better pick when:

• You run a big community. Many servers at once, with someone on your team who is happy running Linux, can cost less on one machine than as separate plans.
• One server needs more than our biggest plan. Our biggest plan is World tree 32 GB, with 8 virtual CPU cores. A huge modded world or a very big group can outgrow it.
• You need more than a game server. We host game servers only. A website, a Discord bot or a voice server needs a home somewhere else.
• You want the whole computer. Root access, your own operating system and your own tools need a machine of your own. Our servers give you the panel, the console, the files and SFTP, but no shell.
• You need a place we aren’t. Two regions open so far: US East and Europe. A machine near your players can give them lower ping.

Remember what comes with a whole machine: the security updates, the backups, the game updates and protection from attacks are yours to sort out, and you pay for it around the clock, even when nobody plays.

For one group and one world, a plan is usually cheaper. Our plans go from $6.49 a month on Seed 2 GB, and cheap game server hosting shows the smallest plan for each game.

Addresses and ports

Every server shares its region’s internet addresses with other servers and gets a port of its own, which friends type after the address. Minecraft Java players need no port at all.