What is a VPS for games and how to choose a tariff?
Imagine a server that is divided into several independent virtual machines. That's what a VPS is. Functionally, it's a separate computer with an operating system, memory, processor, and disk space. That is, you essentially rent a computer and manage it remotely via the command line or a graphical interface that looks like a classic desktop.
On a VPS, you can install and store files to run websites, applications, and game servers. Everything you need. In this article, we'll talk about renting a VPS for gaming.
Why rent a VPS for your server in the first place?
A VPS will provide your game server with stability and performance. Instead of struggling with lags and crashes, you get dedicated resources and full control. You can customize the server as you want, install mods and updates. No more fighting with admins and adjusting to someone else's rules.
VPS gives you the ability to scale the server as your game grows. You can also choose the location of the server to minimize latency and provide better ping for players. All in all, renting a VPS makes the server reliable and easy to manage.
What about resources?
Some people have questions: “What VPS configuration should I take?”. “Will there be players logging into the server?”. “How many resources do I need so that the game doesn't slow down for them?”.
We'll explain in a moment.
Let's say you rented a VPS with 16 GB of RAM and 16 virtual CPU cores (vCore x16) to run a game server. This is the standard set up for game servers. Here's how the resources will be utilized and allocated to the players:
RAM
When you start a game server, some RAM will be allocated for basic operations: processing the game world, player data, and network connections. As players log in to the server, additional RAM is used to track their actions, states, and interactions with the game world.
CPU (vCore)
Processor resources (vCore cores) are used to handle all game-related computations. When players perform actions (e.g., move, build, fight), the CPU allocates these tasks to its cores, ensuring smooth and fast processing.
How are RAM and CPU resources allocated between players?
Resources on the server are used dynamically. For example, in the case of Minecraft, whose servers are often hosted on a VPS, the base server may consume several gigabytes of RAM.
Each new player drains resources, but not by a fixed amount of RAM, but depending on how much interaction they have with the game. If many players are building or fighting, the load on the server increases, and RAM and CPU resource utilization increases accordingly.
With CPU resources the situation is similar: when there are many players on the server, the server distributes tasks among the available cores to ensure maximum performance.
In general, the bottom line is as follows: 16 gb of RAM and a processor with 8-16 cores will be enough to create a server for most popular games.
What games can be run on a VPS with 16GB RAM and 16 vCore, and how many players to support?
With these VPS characteristics, you can run various popular games and support a large number of players. Here are some examples:
Minecraft
On a VPS with 16 GB RAM and 16 vCore, you can run a Minecraft server that supports 50 to 100 players at a time, depending on the plugins and mods used.
CS:GO
For Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS) server, such resources allow you to support several servers with different number of players, each of which can serve up to 32 players.
Rust
For the game of Rust, these resources will allow you to run a server that supports about 100-150 players at a time, depending on player activity and map size.
The mathematics of resource allocation
Let's assume that the game server requires 4 GB of RAM and 2 processor cores for basic operation. The remaining 12 GB of RAM and 14 cores will be distributed among the players.
If each active player uses on average 100-200 MB of RAM, then the server can comfortably play 60-120 players at the same time.
If each player requires significant CPU resources, such as for complex computations, the server can serve a smaller number of players but with high performance.
Why LikeVPS is suitable for renting VPS for game servers?
LikeVPS is a service that provides virtual servers (VPS/VDS) at affordable prices. The company offers a wide range of configurations for different needs, be it web development, running applications or creating game servers. The main feature of LikeVPS is the ability to rent servers in different countries, including the UK and CIS countries, which allows you to choose the optimal location for your project, ensuring minimal latency and high connection speed.
One of the key advantages of LikeVPS is the combination of affordable cost and high performance. Even basic plans, starting at $6.5 per month, offer quality resources, including fast NVME disks and up to 1 Gbps of network speed, which ensures fast data downloads and stable server performance. Such features make LikeVPS an excellent choice for users with different budgets, from novice webmasters to companies that need powerful servers to process large amounts of data.
How to choose the right tariff?
For running game servers or more complex applications, the Pro [UK] and Pro+ [UK] plans are suitable. They provide more processor power and RAM, which is necessary for stable operation under increased load.
If you plan to run resource-intensive applications or manage big data, Super++ [UK] and Like++ [UK] tariffs offer the right amount of RAM and processors to process large amounts of data.
LikeVPS offers convenient control panels that facilitate server configuration and administration. The service is convenient for both experienced users and beginners.