Gaming VPS: your friends together, ping low

What is a gaming VPS?

A gaming VPS is a virtual server on which you run a game's dedicated-server software. Instead of hosting on one player's computer and kicking everyone out when it shuts down, the server stays on around the clock and anyone can join whenever they like. Minecraft, CS2, Rust, Valheim, FiveM and many other games ship a dedicated server that runs on Linux or Windows.

The main benefit is control. You choose which version runs, which mods and plugins are installed, who is admin and what the rules are. You build your own community.

Versus a ready-made game server

Ready-made game hosting is usually simple but limited. On a VPS root is yours and you can install anything, at the price of a little setup work. If you prefer a hassle-free game server, CloudSnap game servers are coming soon; see them here.

Ping: the number players feel

In online games, ping is everything. High ping means shots register late, jumps arrive late and enemies teleport. Ping depends on the network distance between players and the server, so your most important decision is the location.

If your players live in one region, take a location near it. If they are scattered, take the location that lowers the average. With a few test servers you can measure ping from several places and keep the best.

What a plan needs

Every game is different. Minecraft likes RAM and one fast core, and eats more as mods and players grow. CS2 and shooters want a processor that is quick on every tick. FiveM and role-play servers need more as you add scripts. Rust and ARK take more memory as the world grows.

The recommended plans on this page carry at least two cores and four gigabytes of RAM, enough to start many games. If your community grows you can raise resources. See every plan and choose for your game.

Disk and traffic

Worlds, backups and mods take space. If your game needs big downloads, a download server can hold the files. Many players make traffic; check each plan's allowance in the list.

Mods, plugins and full freedom

Because root is yours, any mod you want can be installed. Run any version of the game, hand the server to a management panel such as Pterodactyl or Docker and take automatic backups. For FiveM and MTA you can write your own scripts and load them without limits.

That freedom comes with responsibility: try a new mod on a test server before adding it to the main one, and always keep a backup of the world.

Attacks and stability

Game servers are sometimes targeted by DDoS because some players like knocking rivals offline. CloudSnap DDoS protection is on its way for exactly that and will be offered beside game servers. Until then a few simple things help: give the server address only to people you trust, close unused ports and set up the firewall properly.

Growing the community

Communities usually start small and suddenly grow. With a cloud server you do not pay for peak population from day one. Start with a suitable plan and raise RAM and CPU once the crowd arrives. If the server hangs, restart it from the Telegram bot; if you want a fresh start, a rebuild takes minutes.

To begin, look at CloudSnap cloud servers, install your game and invite your friends.