10 Top Game Server Hosting Providers (Selected by Gamers) Two major issues must be solved if you want to host game servers with your friends or for your gaming community.
First and foremost, you want game server hosting that offers the stability and performance necessary to run your game server successfully.
Second, you want to save money on a dedicated server that works.
Let’s face it: the last thing you want is for everyone to be whining about how they are lagging and their shots aren’t falling. No one will play on that server, and no one will return, resulting in a dead server.
Here is where we come in.
We’ve been hosting game servers for Internet and LAN parties for over 20 years, so we know what to look for in a good server.
We now run one of the world’s most popular CSGO servers, so we know what we’re discussing.
Now, it’s time to go further into gaming servers.
Several hosting firms offer them varied pricing ranges and features for rent.
But how can you determine which one is best?
So, if we’re talking about websites for running games, what’s so hard about finding one with consistent uptime each month?
10 Best Game Server Hosting Companies
So, before choosing any certain host, read reviews from genuine server owners (like us) who may have had some troubles while establishing a successful online gaming community employing said service provider.
Let’s look at the top 10 game server hosting companies.
1. Shockbyte
If you’ve ever played Minecraft, you’ve undoubtedly heard about Shockbyte. For Minecraft servers, they are the go-to game server hosting company.
They have a 4.6-star rating on Trustpilot after 6,000 reviews, and for a good reason.
Shockbyte game servers have a reputation for being one of the greatest game server hosting businesses on the planet, and their exceptional technical support is a big part of it.
Their customizable packages include features for those who want them, such as mod packs that eliminate the need to manually download modifications, as well as other great bonuses, such as scheduled chores or statistic programs!
They employ Multicraft CP, one of the most user-friendly Minecraft Control Panels available today, albeit it has been substantially changed for Shockbyte’s website.
Their game server hosting packages start at $2.50 per month for a Minecraft game server, which is reasonable, but you must pay extra for a dedicated IP or server location.
No matter the game server you use, Shockbyte support personnel are always happy to assist if you get stuck. They have expert game server support specialists on standby if you ever need assistance.
They also offer a very useful blog with instructions and content on performing virtually anything related to Minecraft.
Regarding DDoS protection, Shockbyte relies on the OVH network for most of its offers. Regarding DDoS-protected servers, OVH is one of the leaders; nonetheless, there are some routing issues with OVH in Southeast Asia. This means that, depending on your ISP, your ping may be higher than that of other game hosting firms on a separate network.
Even if you cannot rent a dedicated server, they are still a great choice for people looking to get their Minecraft server up and running. Remember to read our whole Shockbyte Review.
Recommended For These Games
- Minecraft
- Satisfactory
- Factorio
- Valheim
Pros
- Cheap, affordable server packages
- Quality customer service
- Customized game servers with features of your choosing
- Excellent track record as one of the best providers
- Dedicated DDOS protection
Cons
- You are expected to perform your own server backups. If something goes wrong, it’s all on you
- Asia Pacific regions are more expensive
- Dedicated IP is only available through support tickets
2. Streamline Servers
We immediately recommend the finest game server hosting: good pricing, hardware, and a long history.
Streamline Servers, founded in 2007, is the go-to game server hosting company for any serious gaming community looking to save time and focus on what’s truly important – gaining players!
When you start a server using Streamline, it is usually an immediate server configuration instead of a dedicated server. This is due in part to their software and hardware.
Streamlines’ game server hosting services are all run on dedicated servers with i7 CPUs and SSD storage.
In 2015, we utilized Streamline Servers as our Ark game server host, and their hardware performed beautifully. In addition, one of the local gaming groups here uses Streamline for their 64-slot CSGO server, which performs well.
You can rely on Streamline for DDoS protection while hosting games. They are supported by Corero DDoS protection and can neutralize most DDoS assaults worldwide without taking your gaming server offline or interfering with your players’ gameplay sessions.
Their finest game server hosting packages start at $2.50 per month, but they provide a 20% discount to game server administrators who decide to buy a year in advance.
If needed, you may buy game server modifications like more slots and subdomains from Streamline’s website using their simple ordering system and add them to your existing running game servers to make them operate as an all-in-one package.
While you can host a single gaming server, you may wish to host many games at times.
You’re in luck since Streamline offers dedicated server solutions for rent. The benefit of dedicated hosting is that you may start and stop game servers whenever you want. These start at $80 per month.
Dedicated servers are great for friends who may not always play the same games together or want the freedom to start game servers whenever they want.
One of the additional advantages of hosting a dedicated server with Streamline over another server company, such as Hetzner, is that you get outstanding DDoS protection to help keep your server lag-free.
Streamline is a good place to start if this is your first time hosting a game server.
Streamline also offers fantastic customer service representatives to respond to game server hosting support queries anytime you want game server assistance.
Recommended For These Games
- ARK
- ARMA
- Rust
- Hell Let Loose
Pros
- Streamline Servers are the best hosting company for any serious gamer
- You get a wide variety of fully-loaded gaming packages to choose from
- They have a discount if you’re more than 1 year invested in your service
- Get subdomains and extra slots included on their website
- Servers are located all around the world
Cons
- Limited automation for notifications (e.g. bandwidth running out)
- Dated (But reliable) game dashboard
3. Host Havoc
It is an Ottawa-based game server hosting company. Host Havoc has become one of North America’s premier game-hosting firms since its inception in 2013.
Host Havoc began as an ambitious business seeking to deliver great online services to people worldwide at reasonable prices–with unrivaled customer service that never sleeps!
They have highly experienced professional personnel stationed worldwide to maintain their tried-and-true 24/7 support operation and deliver dependable service with lightning-fast response times for all your hosting requirements.
They offer game server instances, web hosting, Intel and Ryzen VPS hosting, and dedicated servers. You can run your whole gaming community from Host Havoc with one simple charge.
They offer a diverse array of games, including the conventional CSGO, Minecraft, and 7 Days to Die, as well as some more esoteric titles like Hytale and Dark Light.
Like the other game server hosting platforms described above, Host Havoc provides excellent DDoS protection.
The one thing we don’t like about Host Havoc is that all their servers, other than Minecraft, are hosted on Windows. This is fine in certain games, but for competitive play in CSGO, you want Linux for the greatest possible hit reg.
They also only have a narrow range of server locations in the United States.
If you’re not a professional player, these issues won’t matter to you. Host Havoc game servers are for you if you want to start a multiplayer game with a few friends and reside in the United States.
Recommended For These Games
- Minecraft
- ECO
- Gmod
Pros
- Emergency support for your every need
- Highly experienced customer service staff to serve you all day, every day
- World-class hardware and software infrastructure for ultimate performance
- Super affordable rates with no hidden fees or discounts
Cons
- Less reliable (But newer) control panel
- Mostly USA focused
- Only Windows for FPS games, not Centos
4. Game Server Kings
If you’re the sort of person who isn’t technically savvy, doesn’t care what dedicated server hosting is, and wants to play games with your friends, Game Server Kings (GSK) is a great alternative.
Game Server Kings was founded by gamers who were not interested in hosting the big games that all other hosting firms do, instead focusing on niche-specific games and Discord bots.
Even on their most basic Discord bot subscription, they offer four distinct database formats, which was a great touch.
Although their website states that they can assist you if a game server is not mentioned, when we contacted support, they said that it was not accessible at this time. It would make them a more personable host if they did offer it.
When it comes to hosting games, these guys are Rust specialists, and it shows. Some of the world’s largest Rust networks are hosted on their hardware.
Their finest game server hosting packages start at $5 per game server; however, if you need a few game slots, they do offer a lower package.
Game Server Kings also offers great customer service support agents available to respond to your game server hosting support inquiries anytime you need assistance with any kind of issue.
The main issue with GSK is that they employ highly obsolete TC Admin software, making server management difficult.
Overall, GSK is a great server host if you aren’t interested in a dedicated gaming server and simply want to get up and running as soon as possible.
Recommended For These Games
- Rust
Pros
- World-class customer support
- Industry-best prices
- That personal gamer experience
- A wide selection of products for gamers
Cons
Only a 24-hour money-back guarantee
5. OVH Cloud
OVH is one of the top server providers in the world. Their dedicated servers are offered in 27 data centers across North America, Europe, the Middle East, and Asia.
OVH provides an exceptional service that is a great alternative to conventional dedicated game server hosting. However, you must be proactive and self-sufficient while utilizing this platform since things may go wrong anytime that other people in the company couldn’t simply repair. You are completely on your own.
We only recommend utilizing OVH if you have experience with Linux or Windows servers and are technically savvy. This is NOT a beginner’s level.
For people who need to run many games on the same hosting server, OVH dedicated servers are a great choice.
Prices for dedicated servers start at $96 per month. However, remember that numerous game servers may run simultaneously with a setup like this. That means if you run numerous servers, it may be a cheaper alternative for you.
You also receive full KVM access to the dedicated server, which allows you to easily adjust the boost clock in the bios settings, change the boot sequence, and even install another operating system.
On top of this, OVH’s dedicated hosting includes the GAME firewall, making it the perfect host for games. This means their DDoS protection is great without requiring much interaction from your end.
This is the end of the good things I have to say about OVH.
The first thing to mention is their support. It’s horrible, and their wait times are much worse. Some people have noticed outages lasting up to four days on their tickets. Even if you receive a ticket, the response time is at least 24 hours for some inexplicable reason.
There have also been reports of customers with 40 dedicated servers being advised that their issues are not worth repairing. If they can’t repair an issue for a client with this many servers, how would they treat you with only one?
The control panel is the last nail in the coffin. It’s sluggish and out of date. Even with the most recent upgrade, it remains a pig in lipstick. It remains a pig.
OVH is better suited for sophisticated users since there is nothing about this platform that is user-friendly for beginners. Even when it comes to support, you’re on your own unless you can wait 24 hours between customer service responses.
Even with all of the disadvantages, there is no disputing that this is the cheapest option to access a DDoS-protected server. They also have every major server location imaginable. Just ensure you have a backup hosting service if things go wrong.
Recommended For These Games
- Anything
Pros
- 27 Data Centers in North America, Europe, and Asia
- Dedicated Game Servers start at $96 per month
- Full control over the dedicated server as well as free KVM
Cons
- The backend client area is slow
- Better suited for advanced users who know what they are doing
- Support is slow (24-hour reply times) unless you call them
6. Vultr
If you want to save money over an OVH-dedicated gaming server, Vultr VPS hosting is the way to go.
Their cost begins at $5 a month, and you have no obligation. Rent a server as needed, with no long-term commitment!
In addition, unlike OVH, the Vultr control panel is exceedingly simple for a novice user to use, and the support is great.
Vultr’s basic control panel software provides easy maintenance and includes a tidy interface and a powerful API so you can manage things outside if desired.
Vultr VPSs provide ultra-low latency in games like CSGO, which makes them perfect for competitive games.
The strength of Vultr’s game server hosting options enables you to immediately install high-quality game servers with a single click.
Because Vultr offers servers in data centers worldwide, you may install your virtual private server in numerous locations.
Vultr is a server hosting company that offers fast and dependable servers. To achieve 100% SLA with their customers, they offer enterprise-grade hardware and the newest generation Intel CPUs.
The ability to connect your apps through isolated private networks, facilitate IPv6 network access, and provide dedicated IPs per VM are just a few of the features offered by this service provider; adding on top of these features, an option to choose custom ISO images makes it all seem even better!
Vultr has two primary issues.
The first characteristic is that it is a self-managed hosting service. As a result, most games will have to be installed manually using something like Pterodactyl or LGSM. It’s worth mentioning that they do offer one-click downloads for games like Minecraft, but you’ll still need some understanding to access server files.
The second point is that their DDoS service is simply a NULL route. This means that if your server is attacked, you will lose connectivity to it.
They charge you an additional $10 monthly for this luxury; otherwise, your service may be canceled.
The great thing about Vultr is that if you use my link, you can earn $100 USD in free credit to utilize on the platform and start your server for free!
You can read our entire review here for a more in-depth look at Vultr.
Recommended For These Games
- Anything
Pros
- All-inclusive pricing
- Ultra-low latency in games such as CSGO
- Deploy high-quality game servers with a single click
Cons
- Monthly bandwidth quota limit
- No real DDoS protection
7. Nodecraft
You may choose from a range of game genres with Nodecraft, a game server hosting service. They offer game server hosting for Minecraft, Garry’s Mod, Rust, and many more PC games on the platform of your choice.
There is never any downtime at Nodecraft because of the wide range of data centers from which to choose and the excellent amount of professional support personnel. They are mostly focused on the United States and Australia, although they also have locations around Europe.
The ability to “Save and swap” game instances distinguishes Nodecraft from other rental services. This means you have the benefit of dedicated game server hosting, which allows you to pick and pick whatever games you wish to play if your current game server becomes boring.
This is a fantastic feature if you like multiplayer gaming with friends but only want to be purchasing new plans sometimes.
Nodecraft employs a more contemporary control panel built on the foundations of AMP, a game-hosting panel.
While we dislike AMP as a control panel, Nodecraft has extensively tweaked its version to make it usable.
With NodePanel 2, you may create a unique gaming experience by adjusting parameters such as backups and FTP login ease for any of the Nodecraft platform’s supported games.
The finest part about it all? It simply takes a few clicks to get started with online gaming!
Nodecraft is an experienced game-hosting company with great server hardware and an in-house customer support staff.
Recommended For These Games
- 7 Days To Die
- Satisfactory
Pros
- A broad range of game server hosting options
- Dedicated staff to give you the customer best experience
- Plenty of plans for a variety of budgets
- Data centers are up and running 24/7, 365 days a year
Cons
- Server capacity issues for some customers
8. Apex Hosting
If you’ve ever done a Google search for anything Minecraft or online gaming, you’ve probably come across the Apex Hosting website.
Apex Hosting is primarily focused on one game, and just one game, Minecraft.
While they offer additional services, all their content and one-click installations are geared toward Minecraft. They offer over 15 pages of rent mod packs that you may quickly install, relevant to one-click mod pack installers.
This is great if you don’t want to learn how to set up a certain customized game host and simply want to play.
Apex game server hosting is perfect if you must host game servers that demand uptime, a high-speed Internet connection (more than 100Mb/s), and RAM (more than 16GB).
Apex Hosting provides a low-cost option for hosting Minecraft servers. However, their prices are still higher than those of other server providers. However, if you are unhappy with their service, you get additional perks, such as a 7-day money-back guarantee.
They have data centers worldwide and a vast knowledge library covering every facet of several games.
Apex’s downfall is its client service. There have been reports of support personnel blocking people just for entering the word “dumb” into the support chat box. Instead of sending the message, simply write it. This means the person might go up to 72 hours without support.
Since then, I have been trying to determine whether or not they have rectified these issues since no one I have talked with has had a problem with this game hosting company.
Recommended For These Games
- Minecraft
Pros
- Gaming servers are fast and powerful
- Highly customizable for your needs
- Provides a low-priced solution to running Minecraft servers
- The only company that still lets you manage your server in real-time
- Dedicated server offerings
- Multicraft control panel
Cons
- Poor customer service sometimes
9. PebbleHost
PebbleHost is the last hosting service we will look at. These guys are once again focused on the Minecraft hosting world.
PebbleHost is a notable participant in the already saturated game and voice hosting industries, yet they have still managed to set themselves apart as a host. Their servers are inexpensively accessible to people from all around the world.
PebbleHost is a company that offers a fast, smooth, and dependable gaming experience at a low service fee.
The dedicated game server hosting is one of the reasons we enjoy PebbleHost so much. They provide dedicated servers in data centers starting at $19.99 per month. Normally, gaming servers cost at least $49.99 monthly, so this is a welcome sight.
Not only that, but they also offer DDoS protection, 99.9% uptime, 24/7 support, and more.
PebbleHost’s user-friendly management interface and robust features make it an excellent server hosting choice. From your home, you can quickly set up, start, restart, or even halt servers!
You may also use the console to run additional simple commands such as track use, manage plugins, and enjoy full FTP access effortlessly.
When searching for a low-cost hosting company, surpassing the costs and features Pebblehost has to offer is hard.
You may enjoy amazing server hardware at any location of your choosing and a skilled customer help staff available 24 /7 to assist you if anything goes wrong with your account or website.
Pros
- Huge range of server locations for your convenience
- Highly experienced staff to help you 24/7
- Affordable costs that are sure to save your wallet and time
Cons
- Long support waiting times
- Hard to cancel an account
10. ScalaCube
When deploying our server, we encountered a little issue requiring us to reload the game server instance. A part of that, their control panel is simple to use, allowing you to update files, set administrators on your server, and more.
This is convenient since you don’t have to go into the console to accomplish everything when you first start off.
They feature everything you’d anticipate, such as robust DDoS protection and locations in North America, the United Kingdom, Europe, and Australia.
ScalaCube is a top game hosting company if you want to start a Minecraft multiplayer server.
Pros
- Get your server hosted in minutes,
- The power of a Dedicated Server,
- Unlimited technical support,
- Curated game selection.
Cons
- Features are very niche to Minecraft.
What to look for when looking for game server hosting
Other factors to consider when purchasing dedicated game server hosting include low prices (important because if you pay more per month, you end up with very small profit margins), security, how good of a reputation they have, and their customer support service, which is especially important for troubleshooting game issues and patching your server software.
Customer Support
When looking for game server hosting, customer support service is one thing to pay attention to.
Their operating hours should be 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and all of the game servers in their game server hosting packages should be covered by a game server hosting client area where you can purchase game server hosting time, renew game server hosting accounts, and even manage game server plugins and other modifications from within your account area at any time.
Suppose you are seeking a reliable company that will not vanish on you after 30 days with no goods delivered unless it is mentioned explicitly upfront. In that case, you should also check how long they have been in business.
This is one of those circumstances when avoiding them if they have been present for a few months is advisable.
Before making a final selection, speaking with some of their current clientele is a good idea.
Server Quality
It would help if you chose game server hosting packages that use the finest game servers accessible. You want game servers that will only go offline if there is a true emergency and that are often patched to maintain optimal security, uptime, and gaming quality.
The game servers should also have a limited number of game servers installed so that your players may have a clean game experience every time they connect to the game server from anywhere in the world.
Some game server providers are notorious for overselling their servers; unfortunately, you won’t know whether this is the case until after you’ve paid. Some game server providers will be happy to switch you to a less busy server if this is the case.
Game servers tend to create technical issues, so it’s best to ignore them for the time being while you focus on other parts of running your games, such as developing popular game websites or advertising your new game server on social networking sites, or even TV advertisements if feasible.
However, if you want to game mod your game servers, a game server hosting company may supply various game mods for game servers that you can choose and install yourself or with the assistance of their customer support service.
We also know of a few “micro hosts” that claim to be running on a dedicated game server but are running on a VPS-based server. This raises a big red flag.
You can be certain that everyone on this list is truthful about their server kinds.
Price
The monthly cost is important since it decides how lucrative your game will be in the long run.
The game server hosting packages must be affordable so that you can pay for them every month without having constant financial issues or worrying too much about where to get money from next because if you do, you won’t be able to focus on marketing your games properly, which means no new game players or even low traffic coming to your sites.
You want your game servers hosted someplace with reasonable pricing, but avoid being tricked by game server hosting that offers many game servers for a low price.
The game servers may be shared with other game communities, and game servers may suddenly go offline without notice, which is not the greatest thing to happen when game servers must always be available during game promotion times.
Features
The game servers you choose should also offer features like stats tracking, website uptime monitoring, and, most importantly, quick game server hosting support through email or ticket system.
You don’t want too many emails from disgruntled players who cannot connect to your game server because it has gone down again. If you’re utilizing inexpensive game modifications, you won’t want a host support notice blaming you for server support failures related to game mods.
Conclusion
Can’t decide on a good hosting provider?
Streamline Servers is one of the greatest solutions for the best game server hosting that will do it all and save you money. We personally know of a few communities (including ours) that utilize Streamline and are among the top ten CSGO servers in the world!
For the best-dedicated game server, then you can’t go past OVH
Alternatively, OVH offers some great server costs as well, but they are geared more towards organizations with several servers rather than individuals who just want a single hosting service. If you’re a techie and wish to run a dedicated game server, OVH is the right choice.
If you want the complete freedom that self-hosting a game server offers but don’t want to spend a lot of money, Vultr is our top pick for the finest game server hosting.
