HostAdvice experts performed an independent study on the Best VPS providers for all types of users. The list of the top 8 best VPS hosting for game servers was made by our experts, who while working on this page performed a research on this topic. The research is based on thousands of independent user reviews, tests, and surveys, and all tests were conducted separately on all the leading gaming VPS providers. However, if you want to cut to the chase and don’t want to read the whole article, here is our selection of the top 8 best VPS for Gaming.
Short on Time? Check Our Top 8 VPS for Gaming
- Hostinger – #1 VPS for Game Servers Worldwide
- Apex Hosting – Best Gaming VPS Server With High-Performance Hardware
- Zap-Hosting – Best VPS for Smooth Gaming Experience With No Downtime
- RoxServers – Top Gaming VPS Server With Enhanced Security
- ScalaCube – Best VPS for Gaming for Custom Configurations
- PingPerfect – Top Gaming VPS With 24/7 Expert Support
- Host Havoc – Best Cheap Gaming VPS Hosting
- Nodecraft – Fastest VPS for Gaming Without Latency
How Do We Rank and How You Should Choose Your VPS for Gaming?
- CPU Power and Memory13%
- Server Uptime15%
- Full Root Access8%
- Security11%
- Customer Support10%
- Type of Hosting Service7%
- Extra Features6%
- User Reviews30%
When we are ranking the best hosting providers, we test specifically for each category. Our experts develop a list of relevant factors for the category we are ranking, and they perform independent performance tests on every provider that qualifies in that specific category. Also, they consider thousands of real, independent user reviews when we rank.
Here are the factors that we tested and that you need to take into consideration when ranking and choosing the best VPS for Gaming:
- CPU Power and Memory (13%): CPU (Central Processing Unit) with a minimum 2.5Ghz clock speed, 8GB RAM (but 16GB and up is better), 1TB SSD with high read and write speeds, 64-bit Linux or Windows OS.
- Server Uptime (15%): Uptime of 99.95% or above, enterprise-grade hardware, SSD Storage, Cloudflare CDN, etc.
- Full Root Access (8%): Does the provider allow you to customize your game? Does the provider allow you to have complete control over your server and its resources?
- Security (11%): Does the Gaming VPS provider offer additional security features like DDoS protection, encrypting root tools, a VPN, daily backups, disaster recovery options, dedicated IP addresses, malware scans, etc.?
- Customer Support (10%): the technical knowledge and availability behind the support behind the VPS plan – preferably 24/7 support via live chat, phone, & email, guides, and tutorials.
- Type of Hosting Service (7%): Does the provider offer both fully-managed and unmanaged VPS services? Will the provider’s team help you configure the network ports of your VPS game server?
- Extra Features (6%): multiple data center & server locations, enterprise-grade hardware, scalable resources, free automatic security patches, free CDN, etc.
- User Reviews (30%): Real-life reviews and experiences from independent users. First-hand feedback and opinions on a provider’s quality and reliability.
What Is VPS for Gaming, and Who Is It For?
Virtual Private Server (VPS) for Gaming is a hosting solution that you can get to host your own game server. The best VPS for game servers sit between shared and dedicated hosting and are an excellent way to host a game server for multiplayer and single-player games. They offer enhanced performance, security, etc., compared to shared hosting, but less so compared to dedicated hosting.
A VPS for Gaming allows users to have full root access to their game servers so that they can customize their games. Also, it allows users to choose the operating system they prefer, which is excellent for gamers since they can select the operating system that fits best with their game.
VPS for Gaming is best for users who want:
- To host gaming sessions for the games of their choice with their own rules;
- To host the connection of other players, to decrease lag;
- To create games that won’t experience dropped connections;
- Root access to set up, manage, and customize their game servers however they want;
- To use the best enterprise-grade hardware for an affordable price;
- To have more privacy and control over their games;
- To set up matches for other players with no lag;
- To create mods and other similar things without the game publisher;
- And more.
The Best VPS for Gaming of 2022 (Bought and Tested):
With Hostinger, you will get the overall best VPS for game servers. It offers excellent VPS hosting plans and specialized Minecraft Server hosting plans.
- Overall Score: 4.6
- Performance: 4.6
- Security: 4.7
- Support: 4.7
- Features: 4.6
- Pricing: 4.6
Hostinger offers simple, fast, and reliable VPS hosting plans that you can use to host your game server. It also allows users to have full root access to their servers, customize them as much as they want, and track all their resources in real-time.
Research Findings:
Performance: a 99.9% uptime, 100 Mb/s Network, the latest Intel Xeon processors, NVMe SSD storage, CentOS, Ubuntu, Fedora, Debian, and Suse operating systems, scalable resources, data centers in Lithuania, Singapore, the USA, the UK, and the Netherlands, and more!
Security: dedicated IP addresses, IPv4 & IPv6 support, manual live server snapshots, automated backups, the ability to restore your website within minutes, BitNinja full-stack server protection, built-in advanced DDoS protection, and more!
Support: 24/7/365 support via live chat, email support, an extensive knowledge base, tutorials, blogs, and Hostinger Academy.
Features: Hostinger offers Network File System (NFS) support, a user-friendly control panel, a 30-day money-back guarantee, WordPress acceleration, up to 16GB of RAM, up to 250GB SSD storage, up to 12TB of bandwidth, and more!
Pricing: Hostinger offers eight VPS hosting plans that you can use for your game servers, starting at $1.99/month for one vCPU Core, 1GB RAM, 20GB SSD storage, and 1TB bandwidth.
Pros & Cons
Pros:
- Excellent prices that offer great value for money;
- Multiple data centers in three continents;
Cons:
- It does not offer unlimited storage (but still provides enough for running a game server);
Hostinger offers one of the best VPS for Gaming on the market. It also offers an extended 30-day money-back guarantee to all users. So, you can try it out risk-free for 30 days and see how you like it!
Apex Hosting is a hosting provider offering specialized VPS gaming hosting plans. All of its servers run on high-performance hardware that includes only the latest and most powerful hardware available on the market!
- Overall Score: 4.6
- Performance: 4.0
- Security: 4.0
- Support: 5.0
- Features: 5.0
- Pricing: 5.0
If you look at its website, you might think that Apex Hosting only offers hosting plans suitable for Minecraft. However, that is not true at all. Namely, its VPS hosting plans also support games like Ark, Rust, CS: GO, Valheim, Conan, Project Zomboid, and more!
Research Findings:
Performance: Apex Hosting offers a 99.9% uptime, servers in multiple worldwide locations that cover five continents, it can run your gaming server at a high TPS (Ticks Per Second), allows you to manage files, edit configurations, change server versions, and more!
Security: The provider offers advanced DDoS protection that can handle attacks up to 300gbps, performance monitoring, SSL certificates, automatic backups, and more!
Support: Apex Hosting provides 24/7 customer support via live chat. It also has a ticketing system that provides server & account support, a discord server where you can talk to other users & staff, and fast response times.
Features: With Apex Hosting, you will be able to set up and launch your server in five minutes, use the latest hardware to host all kinds of games, get a custom sub-domain, and an easy-to-use control panel with video guides, and more!
Pricing: The price that you will pay for an Apex Hosting VPS plan depends on the game you want to host. Its prices start at $4.49/month for a CS: GO VPS with 1GB RAM.
Pros & Cons
Pros:
- Numerous server locations all over the world;
- Reliable uptime and instant setup;
Cons:
- Higher prices on renewal (but not by a lot);
If you’re looking for the best VPS for Gaming that offers high-performance hardware and has data centers worldwide, then Apex Hosting is for you! So, head over to Apex Hosting and try out its plans today.
Zap-Hosting is a German web hosting provider that offers excellent VPS game servers. With its VPS game servers, users will get a smooth gaming experience with no downtime and be able to enjoy continuous gameplay with no interruptions.
- Overall Score: 4.6
- Performance: 4.6
- Security: 4.7
- Support: 4.6
- Features: 4.6
- Pricing: 4.6
Zap-Hosting offers specialized hosting plans for all kinds of games. Its hosting plans include Valheim, V Rising, Valheim BepInEx, FiveM, Windows VPS for LS22, Valheim Plus, Myth of Empires, V Rising BepInEx, and more!
Research Findings:
Performance: Zap-Hosting offers excellent performance, high-speed SSD storage, KVM root servers, Linux, Windows, and FreeBSD VPS operating systems, and servers that run on Intel Xeon processors. It has five data centers that cover both Europe and the USA.
Security: With Zap-Hosting, you will get DDoS protection + manager and other top-tier security features and tools.
Support: You can contact the provider via email, Facebook, Twitter, Discord, and more. You can also follow it on Twitch and watch informative live streams there.
Features: Traffic Flatrate (Fair Use), rDNS records, Plesk, Game server via click, Voice server via click, remote desktop, DDR4 REG ECC RAM, Intel Xeon-E5 six-core processors, automated setups, and more!
Pricing: Zap-Hosting offers various VPS hosting plans (Linux VPS, Windows VPS, and FreeBSD VPS) and game servers. Its prices start at $8.37/month for Linux VPS with two CPU Cores, 25GB disk space, one IP address, and up to 500 Mbit/s up/down bandwidth.
Pros & Cons
Pros:
- Offers specialized game servers for all kinds of games;
- Users can get full root access to their servers;
Cons:
- You have to pay extra for 8GB RAM (but it is still affordable)
If you are looking for a provider that offers a smooth gaming experience and minimal interruptions, then Zap-Hosting is for you! It offers all kinds of VPS for Gaming with excellent performance and top-tier hardware. So, head over to Zap-Hosting and get your low-latency game server today!
RoxServers is a reliable hosting provider that has been around since 2009. It is an excellent provider for gamers who need specialized game servers with enhanced security and support for all kinds of games!
- Overall Score: 4.5
- Performance: 4.0
- Security: 4.5
- Support: 4.5
- Features: 5.0
- Pricing: 4.5
With RoxServers, you can run a highly-secure Gaming VPS server for many games. Some of the most popular ones include Ark Survival Evolved, Atlas, Cube World, Don’t Starve Together, Eco, Hurtworld, Minecraft, Rust, Terraria, Space Engineers, Unturned, and more.
Research Findings:
Performance: RoxServers offers VPS for Gaming that includes a 4.7GHZ CPU with an Intel i7-6700K Overclocked processor, an uptime of 99.99%, 64 & 128 tick rates, fast-paced SSD Storage, servers in France that cover Europe, and servers in Canada that cover North America.
Security: With RoxServers, you will get strong Game Pro DDoS protection, guaranteed server quality, daily backups, and more. You can also check its Network Status at all times and see if the provider is experiencing any issues that you need to know about.
Support: You can contact the provider’s team by submitting a support ticket and via social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter. It also has an extensive knowledge base and online forums where you can find articles, tutorials, and more!
Features: RoxServers offers a powerful control panel via which you can modify settings, change server locations, manage files, and more. It also offers FTB access, open mods, free add-ons, a one-click installer, high-performance hardware, and more!
Pricing: RoxServers offers four Gaming VPS plans, starting at $6.33/month for one 4.7GHZ CPU Core, 1GB RAM/1GB Swap, 10GB SSD Storage, and 20Mbps bandwidth.
Pros & Cons
Pros:
- Customer support seven days a week;
- Unmetered traffic in all VPS plans;
Cons:
- It allows users to have only up to three IPv4 addresses (which is still enough for most users)
RoxServers is a reliable VPS hosting provider for game servers. It offers enhanced security with excellent Game Pro DDoS protection and excellent features. So, go over to RoxServers and get your secure gaming server within minutes today!
If you are looking for a provider that offers multiple VPS hosting options for numerous popular games, then ScalaCube is the right choice for you. With ScalaCube, you can customize your Gaming server’s configurations and create a server specifically tailored to your needs!
- Overall Score: 4.3
- Performance: 4.3
- Security: 4.4
- Support: 4.3
- Features: 4.4
- Pricing: 4.1
ScalaCube offers specialized game server hosting that covers numerous games, including Minecraft, Minecraft: PE, Hytale, Project Zomboid, ARK: Survival Evolved, Rust, and Valheim. You can also make your own server easily with ScalaCube.
Research Findings:
Performance: ScalaCube offers a 99.9% uptime, the ability to choose between HDD and SSD Storage for your server, unlimited traffic, servers in Australia, Asia, the UK, Europe & North America, no lag, and the ability to install an unlimited number of game servers on one VPS server, and more.
Security: With ScalaCube, you will get excellent DDoS protection, automated backups, and numerous other robust security features.
Support: You can create a ticket and submit your question or issue via the Support section of your control panel. ScalaCube will also create your server within minutes according to your custom specifications, and you will be able to deploy it right away!
Features: one-click installs for more than 1,000 Minecraft modpacks, free domain, free MySQL, full file access, full FTP access, mod support for all games, an easy-to-use control panel, Epic Games support, the ability to modify server settings, and more!
Pricing: The price that you will pay for your ScalaCube VPS game server depends on the game you choose. The provider offers free plans for certain games, and its lowest plan starts at $2.50/month for a Minecraft server with ten slots, 768MB RAM, 10GB SSD Storage, and 3.4GHZ CPU.
Pros & Cons
Pros:
- It offers free plans;
- 24/7 customer service;
Cons:
- The provider does not have a live chat or phone support (but it is available 24/7 and answers tickets at all times)
If you want to create a custom game server and be able to add an unlimited number of servers on one VPS server, ScalaCube is what you need! It is an excellent provider that offers specialized VPS for game servers. It also offers free plans, so head over to its website and try it out risk-free today!
If you are looking for one of the best VPS for Gaming that offers excellent support, PingPerfect is a perfect choice for you. The provider provides 24/7 expert support for various support departments, three different support levels, and more!
- Overall Score: 4.5
- Performance: 5.0
- Security: 4.0
- Support: 4.0
- Features: 5.0
- Pricing: 4.5
PingPerfect is a reliable VPS hosting provider that offers excellent performance, availability, and customer support. It allows users to choose from over 170 different game servers and provides expert support at all times for all of them!
Research Findings:
Performance: PingPerfect’s servers are hosted on high-quality hardware that uses the latest CPU and storage solutions. You can choose to host your server from numerous locations which cover Europe, the USA, Canada, South Africa, Asia, Australia, and more.
Security: PingPerfect has its own in-house DDoS protection that minimizes interruptions to your servers, has an in-house Backup System that protects your data, and more robust security features and measures.
Support: 24/7/365 expert support with three tiers available: normal, platinum setup, and platinum support; 24/7 live chat and ticket support; phone support, email support, specialized support for pre-sales, billing, game servers, backups, etc.; a knowledge base, online forums, and more!
Features: instant server setup, 48-hour free trial, free plans, full server access, cPanel access, Softaculous, one-click WordPress installer, easy-to-use game panel, full access to FTP, full access to File Browser protocols, game switching, free debranding, and more!
Pricing: PingPerfect’s prices depend on the game that you want to run. For instance, its Minecraft servers start at $3.38/month for SSD-powered storage, normal support, and normal CPU priority. If you want to get 3GB RAM, you will have to pay an extra $16.90/month.
Pros & Cons
Pros:
- 48-hour free trial;
- Game servers for more than 170 games;
- Excellent support;
Cons:
- You have to pay extra to get certain necessary features (but the extra prices are not high at all)
PingPerfect is an excellent VPS for Gaming that offers round-the-clock expert support and supports more than 170 different games. It also allows users to try out its services for free for 48 hours. So, you can try out PingPerfect for free and see if you like its service before committing to a paid plan!
If you are looking for ultra-cheap Gaming VPS hosting that offers super-fast processors and instant setup, then Host Havoc is for you. You can choose from 30 different games with the provider and add every mod that is available in the Steam workshop.
- Overall Score: 4.8
- Performance: 4.8
- Security: 4.5
- Support: 4.5
- Features: 5.0
- Pricing: 5.0
Host Havoc is an excellent Gaming VPS provider that allows you to run many different games for cheap prices. Some of the games include ARK: Survival Evolved, Arma 3 (+ Mods), CS: GO, DayZ, Hytale, Minecraft, Valheim, etc.
Research Findings:
Performance: a 99.9% uptime, NVMe SSD Storage, high-performance hardware, KVM virtualization, ten global data center locations, Xeon E-series CPUs with 64GB-128GB DDR4 RAM @ 2667MHz, Ryzen 3900x/3950X/5900x/5950X CPUs with 128GB DDR4 RAM @ 3200MHz, and more!
Security: Host Havoc offers daily backups, free DDoS protection optimized for Gaming, dedicated IPv4 addresses, and more!
Support: 24/7/365 customer support with an average ticket response time of under ten minutes, a ticketing system via which you can ask questions & report issues, an extensive knowledge base, and more!
Features: complete control over your server, easy configuration, Steam workshop availability, the ability to switch games at any time, advanced settings, full FTP access, APIs like Oxide, ARK API, etc., three-day money-back guarantee, over 40Gbps DDoS protection, and more!
Pricing: It offers nine Intel and seven Ryzen VPS hosting plans. Its Intel VPS hosting plans start at $8/month for one vCPU Core @ 4.0+GHZ, 1,024MB DDR4 RAM, 15GB NVMe SSD, and 250Mbps unmetered bandwidth.
Pros & Cons
Pros:
- Super low and affordable prices;
- Excellent performance;
- Top-notch hardware;
Cons:
- It does not offer live chat or phone support (but its fast ticket response time makes up for it)
Host Havoc offers excellent performance and features for ultra-low prices. It has one of the best VPS hosting for game servers, especially when you consider its extremely affordable prices. You can try out its services risk-free for three days before you commit to a certain plan!
If you need a fast VPS for your gaming server with no latency, Nodecraft is here to provide you with what you need! With it, you can create your own Gaming server or choose from its excellent feature-packed pricing plans instead.
- Overall Score: 4.3
- Performance: 4.4
- Security: 4.3
- Support: 4.3
- Features: 4.4
- Pricing: 4.1
Nodecraft is one of the most popular Minecraft hosting providers. However, it also allows you to host servers for games like Terraria, 7 Days to Die, Garry’s Mod, Rust, Valheim, V Rising, Don’t Starve Together, Satisfactory, Factorio, and more!
Research Findings:
Performance: a 99.9% uptime, blazing-fast hardware with an Intel Xeon E-2174G processor, 3.8+GHZ CPU, ECC RAM, enterprise-grade SSD Storage, enterprise-grade hard disk, high-performance network, no latency gaming thanks to its multiple data center location that cover five continents, and more!
Security: DDoS protection, generators backed with enterprise-class UPS technology, advanced security measures, cloud backups, 45+ day storage, redundant off-site storage, fast restore, cloud storage powered by Backblaze, AWS, and Cloudflare.
Support: Customer support is available via live chat and phone from 06:30 pm to 3 am every day; an extensive knowledge base, FAQs, and more!
Features: game swapping, real-time console, secure FTP login, real-time stats, interactive GUI, one-click mod pack installer, the ability to automate tasks, instant file manager, unified access to your server, supports 30 different games, and more!
Pricing: You can build your own server with Nodecraft, starting at $25.99/month for 8GB RAM, 40GB SSD Storage, and 80GB cloud backups. It also offers four regular pricing plans that start at $6.49/month for 2GB RAM, 10GB SSD Storage, and 20GB cloud backups.
Pros & Cons
Pros:
- Fast performance without latency;
- Enterprise-grade hardware;
Cons:
- Its prices are higher on renewal (but still worth the price nonetheless)
Nodecraft offers enterprise-grade hardware and has data centers all over the world that allow it to provide a fast gaming experience with no latency! You can try the provider for one month for free with its SUMMER PASS. So, hurry up if you want to try Nodecraft for free to see how you like it!
VPS for Gaming Pros and Cons
Now, I will cover some advantages and disadvantages you can experience by hosting your game server with a VPS.
Pros
- Excellent Value for Money – you will get to use some of the best enterprise-level hardware for a fraction of the price.
- Full Root Access – you can get full root access to your VPS gaming server and customize your server as much as you want.
- Dedicated (Private) Resources – you will get more power and dedicated (private) resources that only you will have access to and be able to use.
- Enhanced Security – since each user gets private resources from their VPS provider, they will also get better privacy and security with it.
Cons
- Cheat Prevention – if you intend to use your VPS gaming server to host a game that everyone can play and is available to a wider public, stopping players from cheating can be difficult and almost impossible to do.
- More Limited Resources Compared to Dedicated Servers – by hosting your game on a VPS server, you will get much more resources and enhanced features than with shared hosting, but much more limited resources and features compared to dedicated hosting.
Should You Get Managed or Unmanaged VPS for Gaming
When deciding whether managed or unmanaged VPS hosting is best for you and your game server, you should take into account the following factors:
- Do You Need Help From Tech Experts? – if you don’t possess advanced tech knowledge and don’t know how to set up, manage, and maintain a gaming server, you should consider going for managed instead of unmanaged VPS for Gaming. With a managed VPS plan, your provider will take care of all the technical tasks for you and monitor your server daily.
- Budget – if you are on a tighter budget but need a powerful hosting solution for your game server, you should go for an unmanaged VPS plan. Those plans are much cheaper than managed plans. However, if you need someone to help you set up your server and other similar tasks, getting a managed VPS plan is much more cost-effective than hiring additional IT staff.
- Scalability – if you go for an unmanaged VPS for your game server, you will have to monitor your server constantly and decide when to scale them. Some users prefer doing that by themselves. But for those who don’t, a managed VPS plan is a better choice since they won’t have to monitor their servers by themselves every day. Also, your managed VPS hosting provider will advise you on scaling your resources up or down.
- Customization – you will get full control and root access over your game server with an unmanaged VPS plan. Thus, you will be able to customize your server as much as you want without your provider interfering.
VPS for Gaming Requirements
A Gaming server needs:
- Strong and Uninterrupted Internet Connection – to play a game online, you need to have access to the Internet and a strong connection at all times. That way, you won’t lose any critical gaming data and won’t experience frequent disconnections.
- Enough Storage and Memory – if you host a game and plan to have 50-100 players, you will need at least 240GB of storage and 32GB of RAM. However, most gamers believe that 1TB of storage is the safest bet.
- High Computing Power – a game server must have high computing power to be able to handle multiple players playing the game at the same time. A CPU with a 2.5Ghz clock speed is considered the minimal gaming server requirement.
- A Fast Processor – a quick processor, will allow you to host games with minimal lag, stalls, and disconnects. A processor with four cores, eight threads, and a 3.80GHZ clock speed is considered a great choice for a gaming server.
Best VPS for Gaming Services: Summary
A Virtual Private Server (VPS) is an excellent fit for any gaming server. It offers scalable resources, excellent performance, and full root access, which allows users to customize their games as much as they want.
You can host all kinds of games with a VPS and experience little to no lag while doing so. Also, you can use VPS for Gaming to create mods, host matches, and many other gaming-related things!