Game Server Hosting 2026: Specs for FiveM, WarZ, Infestation, Palworld, Rust and ARK

What to look for in a game server

• RAM — decides player counts and mods; when it fills, the server lags or crashes immediately.
• Single-core CPU speed — almost every game server runs its main logic on one or two threads.
• NVMe SSD — maps and saves load several times faster, killing autosave stutter.
• Location — Thai players get 5–20ms to a Thai server versus 30–70ms to Singapore.
• Data transfer — game servers stream constantly; only take unlimited-transfer plans.
• DDoS protection — game servers are the single most attacked workload on the internet.

The all-games spec table

FiveM (GTA V Roleplay)

FiveM is the most-rented game server in Thailand's roleplay scene. What inflates the spec is scripts — big RP servers run hundreds of resources plus a MySQL/MariaDB database on the same machine. A 32-slot server with a standard script set starts at 8 GB RAM / 4 vCPU; 64+ slots with a full script suite should look at 16–32 GB and six or more cores.

• Main ports: 30120 (TCP/UDP), plus 40120 for txAdmin if used.
• Use txAdmin — scheduled restarts, backups and monitoring built in.
• Move the database to a second machine past ~48 slots to stop query freezes.
• OneSync Infinity is single-core hungry — modern AMD EPYC cores make a visible difference.
• Back up the resources folder and database daily — RP inventory is your players' property; losing it means drama.

WarZ / Infestation

WarZ — today known as Infestation: Survivor Stories / Infestation NewZ — still has a strong Thai community and a lively private-server scene. Unlike most games here, the server stack is Windows-based and depends on an SQL database (commonly MSSQL/MySQL depending on the server kit), so rent a machine that can run Windows with RAM headroom for the database.

• Recommended: 8–16 GB RAM / 4–6 vCPU / NVMe for 50–100 players.
• Separate game, login and database ports clearly, opening only what is used.
• The classic issue is database bloat from logs — schedule a weekly cleanup job.
• WarZ servers attract DDoS unusually often due to fierce inter-server rivalry — network-level protection is essential.
• Need help installing Windows Server on a VPS? The Triplify team will do it for you.

Palworld

Palworld is this generation's RAM champion — its dedicated server's memory grows over time with every Pal caught and base built. A small friends' server (4–8 players) should start at 16 GB; past 10 players, or for long uptimes without frequent restarts, go straight to 32 GB.

• Main ports: 8211 (UDP) and 27015 (UDP) for queries.
• Schedule a daily restart (e.g. 5am) to reclaim RAM and clear accumulated lag.
• Set autosave to a sensible 10–15 minutes — on NVMe the save pause is barely noticeable.
• Running on Linux saves roughly 1.5–2 GB of RAM versus Windows.
• Back up the Saved folder daily — a corrupted Palworld world is very hard to recover.

Rust / ARK / Valheim

• Rust — RAM follows map size: a 3000 map needs ~8 GB; 4000+ maps with 100 players want 16 GB+. Plan around the monthly wipe culture. Port 28015 (UDP).
• ARK: Survival — 8–16 GB depending on mods and tamed dinos; DLC maps like Ragnarok eat more than the base map. Ports 7777–7778 and 27015 (UDP).
• Valheim — the lightest here: 4 GB covers 2–5 players, 8 GB is ample for 10. Ports 2456–2458 (UDP). The perfect first server for beginners.
• All three run on Linux via SteamCMD, saving licence costs and RAM.
• Set up a systemd service for auto-restart on crash, and daily save backups.

Minecraft

The quick version for the all-time favourite: vanilla with 10 players needs 4 GB / 2 vCPU; Paper/Purpur with plugins for 20–40 players needs 8 GB / 4 vCPU; heavy modpacks want 16 GB+. Use Java 21 with Paper MC and keep TPS at 20. Our separate Minecraft/FiveM guide has the full command-by-command setup walkthrough.

DDoS protection and security

• Choose a provider with network-level DDoS mitigation — an on-box firewall cannot absorb Gbps-scale floods.
• Never publish the server's raw IP; use a domain and be ready to rotate the IP.
• Open only game ports, drop ICMP, move SSH/RDP off default ports and IP-restrict them.
• Host Discord bots and donation sites on a separate machine so a web compromise cannot reach the game server.
• Keep server kits and plugins updated, especially community-distributed packages.

VPS or dedicated server?