The Tool Desk
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What a 24/7 game server actually requires
A persistent server is not the same thing as leaving the game running on your desktop. A dedicated server is a separate program that listens for player connections, simulates the world and saves its data without rendering graphics or accepting local keyboard input. The host must remain powered, connected to the Internet and able to restart the process after a crash or reboot.
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| Approach | Strengths | Trade-offs | Best fit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spare or low-power computer at home | One-time hardware cost, complete local control and usually low latency for people nearby | Uses electricity, depends on your home Internet and power, and exposes a device on your home network | Small private groups and anyone with suitable spare hardware |
| Virtual machine or second host at home | Isolation, snapshots and the ability to run several services on one physical machine | The physical host, router and Internet connection still have to stay online; administration is more complex | People who already operate a home server |
| VPS or rented dedicated server | Datacenter power, generally strong connectivity and remote administration | Recurring charges, provider resource limits and less physical control | Groups that need dependable public access or cannot maintain hardware at home |
The game determines whether any of these choices will work. Some titles ship an official dedicated-server binary; others only support a listen server created inside the game; a few permit community server software with separate licensing or authentication rules. Confirm this before buying hardware or a hosting plan.
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First confirm that the game supports a dedicated server
Look for the game’s server package
Check the publisher’s current documentation, server-download page or distribution tool for a package explicitly described as a dedicated server. A dedicated build normally runs without the full graphical client and has its own configuration and save directory. If the documentation only explains “host and play” from the game client, shutting down that client will also shut down the world.
Steam’s Source Dedicated Server documentation describes a separate server workflow and states: “You do not need to register any games to your server account in order to host games.” The account used by the server is therefore separate from the account used to play. The same documentation shows a player range of 1–32 and a default UDP port of 27015 for the relevant Source server; those values are not universal defaults for every Steam title.
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Some games require a server login token, a separate application ID or a publisher account. Garry’s Mod documentation, for example, covers installing with SteamCMD, running app_update with validation, launching the server and configuring a game-server login token. Mods may change memory use, CPU load, ports or the required server build. Record the exact game version and mod list before troubleshooting a connection problem.
Choose the host by workload, not by hardware fashion
CPU performance
World simulation, AI and tick processing often depend heavily on one or two fast CPU cores. A machine with many slow cores can perform worse than one with fewer modern cores. Look for the game’s recommended CPU and leave headroom for operating-system tasks, monitoring and backups. A heavily modded world or a high player count can require substantially more CPU than the minimum.
Memory
Allocate enough RAM for the server process, the operating system and any other services on the host. Do not treat a published minimum as a target for a busy community server. Monitor actual usage while the expected number of players explores, generates terrain or loads large mods; sustained swapping to disk causes lag and can make a server appear offline.
Storage and durability
Use reliable storage with room for saves, logs, updates and backups. World files should not live on a nearly full disk or on removable media that can disconnect. A second disk or an off-host backup protects against corruption and hardware failure; a snapshot on the same physical disk does not protect against that disk failing.
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- 2 USB 3.0 ports; 2 USB 2.0 ports.
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Upload bandwidth and latency
Players send actions to the server and receive world updates from it, so the host’s upstream capacity matters. Measure upload bandwidth at the busiest time in your household, not only the advertised broadband rate. A server geographically close to most players usually gives lower latency, while a datacenter in another region may be slower despite having a faster connection.
Use the game’s published requirements as a baseline
Requirements vary by edition and operating system. Minecraft’s official Bedrock Dedicated Server documentation, accessed October 15, 2026, lists the following baseline:
| Requirement | Published baseline | Qualification |
|---|---|---|
| CPU | Intel Core i3-3210, AMD A8-7600 APU or equivalent | Minimum listed for the Bedrock dedicated server; larger worlds and more players need more capacity |
| RAM | 4 GB | Minimum listed; mods, view distance and player count can increase demand |
| Storage | 180 MB to 1 GB available | Published range for the server package and its basic data; world growth and backups require additional space |
| Linux | Ubuntu 22.04 LTS or later | Applies to the documented Linux support |
| Windows | Windows 10 version 10.0.15063 or later, or Windows Server 2016 or later | Applies to the documented Windows support |
| Network | Broadband Internet connection | The documentation does not define a universal upload speed for every player count |
These figures illustrate why a low-power host can work for a small, lightly loaded server, but they do not guarantee a particular simulation distance, mod pack or player count.
Set up a home server step by step
1. Prepare a supported operating system
Install the operating system and all current security updates. Create a dedicated, non-administrator account for the game server. Keep the server files in a directory with permissions limited to that account; do not run an Internet-facing process as the operating system’s root or administrator account unless the game’s documentation leaves no alternative.
2. Install the official server files
Download the server package from the game’s official source or use the distribution tool specified by its documentation. Accept any license file the first time the server starts, then stop it and edit the generated configuration. Keep a copy of the original configuration so you can identify which settings you changed.
For Steam-based servers that use SteamCMD, the repeatable pattern is to authenticate as the server account, select the installation directory, run the game’s application update command with validation when instructed, and launch the documented executable with its required parameters. The exact application ID, branch and launch arguments differ by title; copying another game’s command can install the wrong files.
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3. Give the host a stable local address
Reserve an address for the server in your router’s DHCP settings, or configure a static address according to your operating system and network design. A changing local address would make a port-forwarding rule point at the wrong computer after a reboot.
4. Configure the game and firewall
Set the world name, maximum players, difficulty, save location, mod list and authentication options in the game’s configuration. Then allow only the documented server port and protocol through the host firewall. If the game requires both TCP and UDP, create separate rules or the combined rule specified by its documentation rather than opening every port.
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5. Forward the required port
In the router, forward the game’s documented external port to the server’s reserved local address. Bohemia Interactive’s Arma Reforger hosting documentation states: “For a hosted server to be visible from outside the local network (e.g from internet), Port Forwarding must be used.” That requirement applies to a typical directly reachable home server, but some Internet providers place customers behind carrier-grade NAT, where ordinary forwarding cannot work.
Test from a device on a different network, such as a phone using mobile data. Testing from inside your own LAN can succeed even when the public route is misconfigured because some routers do not support NAT loopback.
6. Share the correct endpoint
Give friends the public IP address or a properly configured dynamic-DNS hostname and the game’s port when the client requires one. Never publish the router’s administration address, SSH port or remote-desktop port as the game endpoint.
Run the server automatically after reboots and crashes
Linux with systemd
On a Linux host, a systemd service can start the server at boot, restart it after an unexpected exit and place logs in the system journal. A generic unit looks like this; replace the paths and command with the game’s documented launch command:
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[Unit]
Description=Dedicated game server
After=network-online.target
Wants=network-online.target
[Service]
User=gameserver
WorkingDirectory=/srv/game
ExecStart=/srv/game/start-server.sh
Restart=on-failure
RestartSec=10
[Install]
WantedBy=multi-user.targetSave it as a service file under /etc/systemd/system/, run systemctl daemon-reload, enable it with systemctl enable --now your-game.service, and inspect journalctl -u your-game.service when it fails. Use the game’s own graceful shutdown mechanism before stopping the service so the world is written safely.
Windows with Task Scheduler or a service wrapper
Configure a task to run at system startup under the dedicated server account, set “Restart the task if it fails,” and redirect standard output and error to dated log files. If the server supports running as a Windows service, use the vendor’s documented service method instead. Disable automatic sleep and hibernation on the host, but keep display power-off enabled; a headless server does not need a monitor.
Keep logs useful
Set a rotation policy so logs cannot consume the disk. Record startup time, server version, player count, save events and crash messages. A short history makes it possible to distinguish a network outage from a process crash or a failed update.
Automate updates without destroying the world
- Announce a maintenance window and prevent new connections.
- Stop the server through its documented console command or service manager.
- Copy world, configuration, permission and mod files to another disk or host. Keep several dated generations rather than overwriting one backup.
- Run the game’s official update and validation procedure. SteamCMD’s
app_updateworkflow can be scripted for games that support it. - Start the server and watch the log for migration errors, missing mods or an incompatible protocol.
- Connect with a test account before telling the whole group that maintenance is complete.
Do not update automatically at the moment a new build appears if the game’s mod ecosystem usually lags behind. A delayed, tested update is safer than converting a live world and discovering that its plugins cannot load.
Home server security and resilience
- Open only the game port and only the protocol it needs. Do not expose SSH, RCON, remote desktop or a control panel to the entire Internet.
- Require authentication for RCON and administration, use a long unique password and restrict management access to a VPN or trusted addresses where possible.
- Patch the operating system and server software on a schedule, after taking a backup.
- Run the game under a separate account with no unnecessary file permissions.
- Back up saves off the host. A second copy elsewhere is what protects against disk failure, theft, ransomware or a mistaken deletion.
- Consider a small UPS for the server and router. It cannot fix a neighborhood outage, but it can prevent corruption during short power interruptions and allow a clean shutdown.
Residential Internet service may block inbound traffic, use carrier-grade NAT or change the public IP address. If port forwarding never becomes reachable despite correct local rules, ask the provider whether you have a public IPv4 address, use an IPv6 configuration supported by the game, or move the endpoint to a VPS.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.When a Raspberry Pi is appropriate
A Raspberry Pi 4 Model B is discussed as a Minecraft host in a 2022 community guide, but that account is anecdotal and workload-dependent. It is not evidence that every game server will run acceptably on a Pi. Many Steam server binaries target x86-64, whereas Raspberry Pi hardware uses ARM; verify that the specific dedicated-server build supports ARM or that a compatible translation layer is officially supported.
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A Pi can be sensible for a lightweight, compatible server with a small private player group, wired Ethernet, reliable storage and careful temperature management. It is a poor purchase when the game has no ARM build, relies on demanding mods, needs high single-thread performance or must support a large public population. Test the actual world and expected player count before committing.
VPS versus a dedicated physical server
VPS
A virtual private server gives you an isolated operating-system instance on a datacenter machine. Minecraft Education support notes that a dedicated server can be hosted in the cloud using a VPS provider such as Microsoft Azure or Amazon Web Services. A VPS is usually the simplest remote option: choose a supported Linux image, install the server, open the provider security-group rule and the host firewall, then connect through the public address.
Check whether the plan supplies dedicated or burstable CPU, how much RAM is guaranteed, the included storage and transfer allowance, backup options, region and restrictions on game servers. A low-cost burstable instance may throttle during busy simulation even when its advertised vCPU count looks sufficient.
Rented dedicated server
A physical dedicated server reserves the machine’s CPU and memory for you. It costs more and requires more administration, but removes contention from neighboring virtual machines and gives predictable capacity for a larger population or demanding mod set. You still have to patch the operating system, configure firewalls and maintain backups unless the contract includes those services.
Cost comparison
Current comparable hosting prices, uptime guarantees and electricity rates are not established here, so a precise monthly-cost table would be misleading. For a home host, estimate electricity from the machine’s measured wattage, hours powered and your local tariff. For a VPS or dedicated server, include the recurring rental, storage, backup, transfer overage and any additional public IP charges. Compare the total with the value of avoiding home-network maintenance, not only the headline server fee.
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Troubleshoot the most common failures
Friends cannot see the server
- Confirm the server process is listening on the documented port with the game’s own status command or the operating system’s socket tools.
- Verify the host firewall and router rule use the same TCP or UDP protocol required by the game.
- Check that the forwarding target still has the reserved LAN address.
- Test from an external network and verify that the Internet provider is not using carrier-grade NAT.
- Ensure the server is bound to the correct network interface rather than only to
127.0.0.1.
The server starts, then stops
Read the service log for a missing license acceptance, wrong executable path, unavailable mod, invalid configuration or insufficient memory. Run the launch command manually as the dedicated account once; this often reveals an error hidden by a graphical shortcut. If the process is killed by the operating system, check memory pressure and disk space.
Players experience lag or rubber-banding
Measure tick time, CPU saturation, memory pressure and upload utilization while players are active. Reduce simulation distance or mod complexity, move the host to a wired connection and stop unrelated workloads. A geographically distant VPS can add latency even when CPU usage is low; select a region near the majority of players.
An update breaks the world
Stop the server, preserve the broken state for diagnosis, then restore the last known-good world and configuration backup. Confirm that the server binary, client versions and mods are compatible before reopening access. Keep a documented rollback command so recovery does not depend on memory during an outage.
A practical decision checklist
- Use a spare home computer when the game has a supported build, the player group is small, your upload connection accepts inbound traffic and you value low local latency over hands-off uptime.
- Use a virtual machine when you already operate a capable always-on host and want snapshots or isolation between several services.
- Use a VPS when friends are distributed geographically, your ISP blocks inbound hosting, or you need a public endpoint without maintaining hardware at home.
- Use a dedicated physical server when measured CPU, memory or mod requirements exceed a VPS plan’s guaranteed capacity and the recurring cost is justified.
- Avoid buying a Raspberry Pi first unless the game’s server binary supports ARM and a realistic test workload fits its CPU, memory and storage limits.
Keeping the gaming PC off
Once the dedicated process is installed on the separate host, configured to listen on the right interface and port, and managed by an automatic service, the gaming PC is no longer part of the server’s uptime chain. Friends connect to the home host’s public address or the VPS address, while you can power the gaming desktop off, update it independently or use it for an entirely different task. The server’s reliability then depends on the chosen host, network path, backups and maintenance routine rather than on whether your main PC is awake.
Quick Recap
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