VMHeaven

Gaming VPS Run your own game server, sized for the game

A gaming VPS is a virtual server you rent to host a dedicated game server for your group: always on, with its own IP address and full control over mods and settings. Choose the line by what your server runs out of first: Standard KVM gives more RAM for each euro, which Palworld, ARK or Rust need before anything else, while Hi-CPU KVM's fewer, stronger AMD EPYC vCores suit servers held back by one busy thread. Both start at €4.99 a month in Amsterdam. The table below sizes RAM per game from what each developer publishes, and every server sits behind always-on DDoS mitigation at no extra cost.

  • Intel or AMD EPYC · ECC
  • Always-on DDoS protection
  • Linux or Windows Server
  • Full root or Administrator

From€4.99/mo

Size your server

Game server VPS

Standard KVM or Hi-CPU KVM

CPU
Intel or AMD EPYC · ECC
vCores
1 to 32 per plan
RAM
2 GB to 64 GB
System
Ubuntu · Debian · Windows Server
DDoS mitigation
Always on, no extra cost
IP address
Your own IPv4
AmsterdamStandard KVM In stockHi-CPU KVM In stock

01Sizing

How much RAM does my game server need?

What each developer or official wiki publishes for its dedicated server, and the smallest plan on each line with enough RAM to start. More players, older worlds and mods need more.

GameServer runs onPublished guidanceDefault portStandard KVMHi-CPU KVM
Minecraft: Java EditionLinux · WindowsNo figure from Mojang. A small vanilla world starts on 2–4 GB for Java; plugins and modpacks need more. Needs the Java version its release asks for.25565/TCP2 vCores · 4 GB€4.99/moIn stock2 vCores · 4 GB€9.99/moIn stock
PalworldLinux · Windows16 GB, with 32 GB or more recommended; 8 GB boots but risks out-of-memory crashes. 4 cores or more.8211/UDP8 vCores · 16 GB€19.99/moIn stock8 vCores · 16 GB€39.99/moIn stock
ValheimLinux · WindowsNo figure from Iron Gate.2456–24572 vCores · 4 GB€4.99/moIn stock2 vCores · 4 GB€9.99/moIn stock
RustLinux · Windows12 GB of free RAM; larger maps use more.28015/UDP · query 28016/UDP · RCON 28015/TCP8 vCores · 16 GB€19.99/moIn stock8 vCores · 16 GB€39.99/moIn stock
Counter-Strike 2Linux · WindowsNo official figure. Installed with SteamCMD as app 730; a public server needs a Game Server Login Token from Steam.27015 UDP+TCP2 vCores · 4 GB€4.99/moIn stock2 vCores · 4 GB€9.99/moIn stock
ARK: Survival AscendedWindows onlyAbout 7 to 12 GiB per map while empty, rising with players; 4 logical cores per server.7777/UDP8 vCores · 16 GB€19.99/moIn stock8 vCores · 16 GB€39.99/moIn stock
SatisfactoryLinux · Windows8 GB; 16 GB for more than four players or large saves.7777 UDP+TCP · 8888/TCP4 vCores · 8 GB€9.99/moIn stock4 vCores · 8 GB€19.99/moIn stock
EnshroudedWindows only16 GB and 6 cores for 4 to 6 players; the server process itself peaks at about 6 GB.15637 (query)8 vCores · 16 GB€19.99/moIn stock8 vCores · 16 GB€39.99/moIn stock
7 Days to DieLinux · WindowsNo official figure.26900/TCP · 26900–26903/UDP4 vCores · 8 GB€9.99/moIn stock4 vCores · 8 GB€19.99/moIn stock
Project ZomboidLinux · WindowsNo official figure. The Windows start script asks for 16 GB until you change -Xms/-Xmx.16261–16262/UDP4 vCores · 8 GB€9.99/moIn stock4 vCores · 8 GB€19.99/moIn stock
FiveMLinux · WindowsNo figure; a 64-bit system, preferably with several cores.30120 TCP+UDP4 vCores · 8 GB€9.99/moIn stock4 vCores · 8 GB€19.99/moIn stock

Starting points, not promises

Player count, world age and mods move these numbers more than anything else. Watch memory with free -h or Task Manager on a busy evening, and upgrade from the panel when it runs short.

Leave room for the system

Free RAM in a developer's figure means what is left once the operating system is running. Linux needs little for itself, Windows Server noticeably more, which is why ARK starts on a bigger plan than its per-map figure suggests.

Worlds fill the disk

ARK's server install alone takes about 11 GiB; Facepunch asks for 15 GB free for Rust and Keen for 30 GB for Enshrouded. Worlds, mods and your own backups grow from there; add 15 GB blocks from the panel when it gets tight (storage add-on).

Sources: each game's official server documentation or official wiki, checked in October 2026. Ports are defaults and can usually be changed in the server's configuration.

02Plans

Standard or Hi-CPU KVM for a game server?

The same nine prices with two different trades: Standard gives you more Intel vCores and more RAM for each euro, Hi-CPU fewer, stronger AMD EPYC cores. Pick by what your game runs out of first.

Standard KVM

When RAM comes first
Intel · DDR4 ECC

More vCores and RAM at every price, up to 64 GB. The first choice when memory is what the server needs most, as for Palworld, ARK or Rust, and for several small servers on one machine.

Amsterdam In stockFrankfurt Sold out
PlanvCoresRAMStorageAmsterdam
STANDARD KVM 124 GB DDR420 GB€4.99/mo
STANDARD KVM 248 GB DDR440 GB€9.99/mo
STANDARD KVM 3612 GB DDR460 GB€14.99/mo
STANDARD KVM 4816 GB DDR480 GB€19.99/mo
STANDARD KVM 51224 GB DDR4120 GB€29.99/mo
STANDARD KVM 61632 GB DDR4150 GB€39.99/mo
All 9 Standard KVM plans

Hi-CPU KVM

When one thread is the limit
AMD EPYC · ECC

1 to 14 vCores with 2 GB to 28 GB of ECC memory, for servers whose main loop runs on one thread and that fit in less RAM. The ARK and Satisfactory documentation both point at single-thread performance.

Amsterdam In stockFrankfurt Sold out
PlanvCoresRAMStorageAmsterdam
HI-CPU 112 GB ECC20 GB€4.99/mo
HI-CPU 224 GB ECC40 GB€9.99/mo
HI-CPU 336 GB ECC60 GB€14.99/mo
HI-CPU 448 GB ECC80 GB€19.99/mo
HI-CPU 5612 GB ECC120 GB€29.99/mo
HI-CPU 6816 GB ECC150 GB€39.99/mo
All 9 Hi-CPU KVM plans

vCores on both lines are shared, not reserved. If you need cores nobody else can touch, that is a dedicated server.

Hi-CPU KVM and Standard KVM are sold out in Frankfurt right now, so game servers are ordered in Amsterdam. Frankfurt currently sells DMCA Ignored and Pentesting KVM, which cost more and add nothing a game needs.

Outgrown the plan? Upgrade from the panel: the same server gets more vCores, RAM and disk and keeps its data and IP address. New cores and memory take effect after a restart, which the panel can do for you once the upgrade is paid.

Before an update, a new mod or a map change, back up the whole disk from the panel; if the world breaks, restore it and the server is back as it was.

Pay by card, PayPal or crypto (Bitcoin, Ethereum, USDT, Litecoin, Monero and more), with no ID check: how paying in crypto works.

03System

Linux or Windows for a game server?

Use Linux wherever the game ships a Linux server, because it leaves more of the plan's RAM to the game. Two games on the list need Windows.

Linux for most games

Palworld, Valheim, Rust, Satisfactory, 7 Days to Die and Project Zomboid publish Linux servers, and most of them install with SteamCMD. Pick Ubuntu or Debian at checkout and run the server under its own user, not as root.

Windows where the game needs it

ARK: Survival Ascended has no native Linux server, and Enshrouded's server ships as a Windows program. Choose Windows Server 2022 or 2019 at checkout and connect as Administrator over Remote Desktop. It starts on an evaluation licence that you can activate with your own key at any time; plan for 40 GB of disk or more.

FiveM: either, with a caveat

The FiveM server runs on Windows and Linux, but Cfx.re describes its Linux build as a courtesy port because of compatibility issues between distributions. On both systems it needs a free licence key from the Cfx.re portal.

ARK's Windows server can be run on Linux through Wine or Proton, but the developer does not support that route; on a VPS, Windows is the less fragile choice. More about Windows on our servers: Windows VPS.

04Protection

Is a gaming VPS protected against DDoS attacks?

Yes. Always-on, automatic DDoS mitigation runs in front of every server in both locations at no extra cost. Here is what it covers and what stays your job.

On by default, on every plan

Volumetric floods are filtered in front of both locations by default, on the smallest plan as on the largest. There is no protected tier to buy and nothing to switch on in the panel.

Your firewall does the rest

Open SSH and the game's ports, and close everything else: an RCON or database port left open is an invitation. Our UFW guide sets that up on Ubuntu or Debian.

Players are an admin's job

Mitigation is aimed at traffic floods, not at griefers, cheaters or a mod that crashes the world. Whitelists, passwords, the game's admin tools and timely updates are on your side.

An IPv4 address of your own

Players join on your server's own IPv4 address and the game's port, shared with no other customer. An IPv6 prefix comes on top where the location has one free.

Game servers are listed as permitted use in our Acceptable Use Policy.

05Location

Where are the servers, and which players are they close to?

In Amsterdam and Frankfurt, both in Europe. We have no location in North America or Asia.

Test it yourself

from your browser

How fast is VMHeaven from where you are?

We time the round trip from your browser to our website, which is served through Cloudflare. It is not a ping to a VPS node in Amsterdam or Frankfurt — a rough guide to your own connection, measured live.

6 samples · median · your ISP, Cloudflare and our web server

  • Players in Europe reach either city over short routes, so for them price and stock decide between the two.
  • Players in the US, South America or Asia connect over a much longer route. If most of your group lives there, a host near them will serve them better than we can.
  • A mixed group? Measure before you commit: the test here times your browser's round trip to our European edge, and the smallest plan for a month lets your players try the real route.

06FAQ

Gaming VPS: questions

Everything you need to know before deploying — and a human if you need more.

A virtual private server used to host a multiplayer game server. It stays online when your own PC is off, has its own IP address and gives you root or Administrator access for the server, its mods and admin tools. At VMHeaven it is a KVM server in Amsterdam (or in Frankfurt, when the line you pick is in stock there) with always-on DDoS mitigation, and our Acceptable Use Policy names game servers as permitted use.

That depends on the game far more than on the host. Pocketpair lists 16 GB for Palworld and recommends 32 GB or more; Facepunch asks for 12 GB of free RAM for Rust; the Satisfactory wiki gives 8 GB, and 16 GB for more than four players. Valheim, 7 Days to Die and Project Zomboid have no official figure. Start on the plan the table suggests, watch memory on a busy evening and upgrade from the panel if it runs short.

Choose by what your server runs out of first. RAM-hungry servers such as Palworld, ARK or Rust need enough memory before anything else, and Standard KVM gives more vCores and RAM at every price, up to 64 GB; it also suits several small servers on one machine. Hi-CPU KVM has fewer, stronger AMD EPYC vCores with ECC memory, for servers held back by single-thread speed rather than memory. Both lines use the same nine prices and the same panel, and a plan can be upgraded later.

Yes. Every server includes always-on, automatic DDoS mitigation at no extra cost, in both locations, with nothing to enable: volumetric floods are filtered in front of both. Cheaters, griefers and crashing mods are handled with the game's own admin tools.

Yes, on Windows Server, because ARK's dedicated server has no native Linux build. The official ARK wiki gives about 7 to 12 GiB of RAM per map while empty and four logical cores per server, so start with at least 16 GB. Note that ARK's licence reserves commercial server rental to Nitrado.

No. Our servers are in Amsterdam and Frankfurt only. Players across Europe reach both cities over short routes, while players in North America, South America or Asia connect over a much longer one. If most of your group plays from there, choose a host near them, or test the route with the smallest plan for a month before you commit.

07Use cases & related

Related plans and guides

Other servers we run for neighbouring jobs, each with its starting price, and three guides worth reading before you order.

Related plans

GuidesFrom the VMHeaven blog

GuidesUFW firewall setup: deny by default, open what you serve~5 minTroubleshootingVPS high CPU usage: find the process and fix the cause~7 minGuidesInitial server setup: the first ten minutes on a new VPS~7 min

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