Use case · Game server

Game servers on bare metal a whole machine for your world, with root

Game servers run best on a machine with a fast single thread and no neighbours, and that is what we rent: a physical server for one customer, an unmetered port, and a choice of New York, Miami, San Francisco, Amsterdam and Bucharest.

  • One tenant per machine
  • Hourly on ready units
  • Unmetered port
  • Five cities

A game's simulation loop runs on one core, so the processor's single-thread speed sets the tick rate you can hold with a full server. Every processor on this page is rated at least 2,000 on that test. You install the game, the mods and the panel you like; nobody else's workload shares the cores, memory or disks.

Compare the processors Rent one by the hour

Live from the catalogue

Dedicated game servers by single-thread rating

Each row is a single-socket processor we configure, with its PassMark single-thread rating, the cheapest build on that line and its monthly price. 11 processors clear the bar today. Configure opens the order page with that processor selected; from there add memory, NVMe drives or a faster port.

Single-socket processors rated 2,000 or more on one thread, with the entry build and its monthly price
ProcessorOne threadCoresMemoryCitiesEntry build, monthly
AMD EPYC 72F3up to 4.1 GHz3,0708 / 16 threads32 GB to 1 TBNY BUC$233.59/moAMD EPYC 72F3 8-Core 3.70GHz 256MB · 32 GB DDR4 · 1 × SATA-SSD 240 GB · 1 GbpsConfigure
Intel Xeon E-2286Mup to 5.0 GHz2,6948 / 16 threads32 GB to 64 GB, NVMeBUC€105.99/moIntel Xeon E-2286M 8 CORE 2.40 GHz · 32 GB DDR4 · 1 × NVMe-SSD 240 GB · 1 GbpsConfigure
AMD EPYC 7513up to 3.7 GHz2,53632 / 64 threads32 GB to 1 TBNY BUC$227.59/moAMD EPYC 7513 32 CORE 2.60 GHz 128MB L3 CACHE · 32 GB DDR4 · 1 × SATA-SSD 240 GB · 1 GbpsConfigure
AMD EPYC 7763up to 3.5 GHz2,51764 / 128 threads32 GB to 1 TBNY BUC$237.59/moAMD EPYC 7763 64 CORE 2.45 GHz 256MB L3 CACHE · 32 GB DDR4 · 1 × SATA-SSD 240 GB · 1 GbpsConfigure
AMD EPYC 7413up to 3.6 GHz2,40024 / 48 threads32 GB to 1 TBNY BUC$217.59/moAMD EPYC 7413 24 CORE 2.65 GHz 128MB L3 CACHE · 32 GB DDR4 · 1 × SATA-SSD 240 GB · 1 GbpsConfigure
Intel Xeon E3-1585L v5up to 3.7 GHz2,2084 / 8 threads32 GB to 64 GB, NVMeNY MIA SF AMS BUC$62.58/moIntel Xeon E3-1585L v5 Quad Core 3.00 Ghz · 32 GB DDR4 · 1 × NVMe-SSD 240 GB · 1 GbpsConfigure
Intel Xeon E5-2667 v4up to 3.6 GHz2,1898 / 16 threads32 GB to 1 TBNY MIA SF AMS BUC$87.47/moIntel Xeon E5-2667 v4 8 Core 3.20 GHz · 32 GB DDR4 · 2 × SATA 500 GB (RAID 1) · 1 GbpsConfigure
Intel Xeon Gold 6230up to 3.9 GHz2,17520 / 40 threads16 GB to 1 TBNY MIA SF AMS BUC$108.07/moIntel Xeon Gold 6230 20 Core 2.10 GHz · 16 GB DDR4 · 2 × SATA-SSD 240 GB (RAID 1) · 1 GbpsConfigure
Intel Xeon Gold 6136up to 3.7 GHz2,16612 / 24 threads16 GB to 1 TBNY MIA SF AMS BUC$108.07/moIntel Xeon Gold 6136 12 Core 3.00 GHz · 16 GB DDR4 · 2 × SATA-SSD 240 GB (RAID 1) · 1 GbpsConfigure
Intel Xeon Gold 6126up to 3.7 GHz2,14012 / 24 threads16 GB to 1 TBNY MIA SF AMS BUC$99.97/moIntel Xeon Gold 6126 12 Core 2.60 GHz · 16 GB DDR4 · 2 × SATA-SSD 240 GB (RAID 1) · 1 GbpsConfigure
Intel Xeon Gold 6130up to 3.7 GHz2,07216 / 32 threads16 GB to 1 TBNY MIA SF AMS BUC$99.97/moIntel Xeon Gold 6130 16 Core 2.10 GHz · 16 GB DDR4 · 2 × SATA-SSD 240 GB (RAID 1) · 1 GbpsConfigure

Ratings: PassMark single-thread average for one processor, read on 3 October 2026. Turbo clocks from Intel and AMD product pages. The bar of 2,000 is the figure the Satisfactory dedicated server documentation asks for. A build to your configuration is ready in 4 to 24 hours and carries a one-time setup fee, shown on the order page before you pay.

Rent a bare metal gaming server

Ready units you can rent by the hour

These machines are already racked with a fast enough thread. Order one as it stands and it is handed over in about 30 minutes. Pay by the hour for a tournament weekend, a playtest or a launch, or by the month for a world that stays up.

  • Ready unit · Bucharest

    Intel Xeon E-2286M

    2,694 single-thread

    €0.2489/hr

    or €139.78/mo

    • Memory32 GB
    • Storage2 x NVMe-SSD 960 GB
    • Port1 Gbps Unmetered
    Order this unit

  • Ready unit · Miami

    Intel Xeon E3-1585L v5

    2,208 single-thread

    $0.1214/hr

    or $68.18/mo

    • Memory16 GB
    • StorageNVMe-SSD 960 GB
    • Port1 Gbps Unmetered
    Order this unit

  • Ready unit · Bucharest

    Intel Xeon E5-2667 v4

    2,189 single-thread

    €0.1465/hr

    or €82.28/mo

    • Memory16 GB
    • StorageSATA-SSD 480 GB
    • Port1 Gbps Unmetered
    Order this unit

  • Ready unit · Bucharest

    Intel Xeon Gold 6230

    2,175 single-thread

    €0.1871/hr

    or €105.07/mo

    • Memory32 GB
    • Storage2 x SAS 300 GB
    • Port1 Gbps Unmetered
    Order this unit

An hour costs the monthly price divided by 730 and multiplied by 1.3. Hourly billing applies only to a ready unit ordered as it stands, with a one-hour minimum; you save a card and the hours are invoiced afterwards. Every ready machine is listed with its price.

Game server hardware

What a game server asks of the machine

Processor

One fast thread first, cores second

The world simulation of Minecraft, Rust, Valheim or Satisfactory advances on one main thread. When that thread cannot finish a tick in time, every player feels it. Extra cores pay off when you run several servers side by side, one per core group.

Memory and storage

Room for the map, NVMe for the saves

Large maps, mod packs and player counts are paid for in memory. World saves and chunk loads hit storage in bursts, which NVMe absorbs without stalling the tick.

Network

Distance to players and a port you do not share

Most game traffic is small UDP packets, so the city matters more than the bandwidth. Put the server near most of your players. Your port carries your traffic only, and nothing meters it.

From each game's own documentation

What popular dedicated servers need

Any game that ships a dedicated server for Linux or Windows runs on these machines. A few of the common ones, with what their makers publish:

Server operating system, memory guidance, default port and install method for popular games
GameServer OSMemory and CPUDefault portInstall
Minecraft: Java EditionLinux or Windows with Java 25, required from version 26.1From 2 GB on an unmodded world with few players; plugins and mods raise it25565 TCPServer jar from minecraft.net
Palworld64-bit Linux or Windows16 GB advised, above 32 GB on a large server; at least four cores8211 UDPSteamCMD
ARK: Survival AscendedWindows only7 to 12 GiB for each map with nobody online; four logical cores for each server7777 UDPSteamCMD, app 2430930
RustLinux or WindowsAbout 12 GB free, more on large maps; a quicker processor carries more players28015 UDPSteamCMD, app 258550
Satisfactory64-bit Linux or Windows on x86, no ARM8 GB, 16 GB beyond four players; single-thread rating of 2,000 or more7777 TCP+UDP, 8888 TCPSteamCMD, app 1690800
ValheimLinux or WindowsNot published by Iron Gate2456-2457 UDPValheim Dedicated Server, through Steam

Figures as each publisher states them, read in October 2026. Game updates move them; check the linked page before you size a machine.

Network

Five cities on our own network

Our servers stand in New York, Miami, San Francisco, Amsterdam and Bucharest, all on our own autonomous system, AS19624. Pick the city closest to most of your players: for North America that is usually New York, Miami or San Francisco, for Europe Amsterdam or Bucharest.

Every port is unmetered, with no transfer allowance and no per-gigabyte charge. 1 Gbps is included in every build in the table. A 10 Gbps port starts at $529 a month on top of the machine, which is useful for a server that also hosts downloads, a mod mirror or a stream.

Measure before you order

Ask your players to ping the test IP of each city and pick the one with the lowest numbers. The data centers page lists a test IP and a browser speed test per city, and the looking glass runs ping and traceroute from our routers toward any address.

Setting it up

From order to first player

  1. Choose the machine and city. A ready unit from the list above, or a build from the processor table.
  2. Choose the operating system. Linux distributions up to Ubuntu 26.04, or Windows up to Windows Server 2025 for games whose server runs on Windows only.
  3. Log in as root or Administrator. Install SteamCMD, the game's server files and whatever panel or mod loader you use. A remote console still works if the operating system stops answering.
  4. Open the game's ports in your firewall, start the server and share the address.

Answers

Questions about game servers

What is a bare metal game server?

A physical server used by one customer to run game servers, with the operating system on the hardware and no hypervisor in between. Every core, all the memory and the disks belong to your game, so the tick rate does not change when another customer gets busy.

Is bare metal better than a VPS for a game server?

For a busy server, yes. A virtual machine shares the processor with other tenants, and its single-thread speed varies with their load. A small server for a few friends can live on a VPS; a public server, a modded world or several servers on one box belong on bare metal.

How much does a dedicated game server cost?

Each processor in the table above shows its cheapest build and the monthly price of that exact build. A build to your configuration adds a one-time setup fee, shown on the order page. A ready unit ordered as it stands can also be paid by the hour.

Can I rent a bare metal gaming server by the hour?

Yes, on a ready unit. An hour costs the monthly price divided by 730 and multiplied by 1.3, with a one-hour minimum, and you can release the server whenever you are done.

What hardware does a game server need?

A processor with a strong single thread comes first: every processor in our table is rated 2,000 or more by PassMark. After that, enough memory for the map and mods, and an NVMe drive for saves. The games in the table above range from 2 GB for a small Minecraft world to more than 32 GB for a large Palworld server.

Can I use a server as a gaming PC?

Not in the usual sense. Our servers have no monitor and, unless you order a GPU server, no dedicated GPU, so they host the game for players rather than run it for one person. To play a game remotely you need a server with a dedicated GPU and a streaming tool; see our GPU servers.

Can I run cloud gaming on bare metal?

Yes, with a dedicated GPU in the machine. Cloud gaming renders the game on the server and streams video to the player, so it needs a GPU server rather than the processors listed here.

Which games can I host?

Any game whose publisher releases a dedicated server for Linux or Windows: Minecraft, Palworld, ARK: Survival Ascended, Rust, Satisfactory, Valheim and many more. You have root, so you install it the way its documentation describes.

Where are your game servers located?

New York, Miami, San Francisco, Amsterdam and Bucharest, on our own network, AS19624. The table shows the cities each processor is sold in.

What support do I get?

Live chat answers in seconds. The assistant can look at your account and your server while you talk, and a person from our team takes over whenever you ask.

Where to go next

Pages for the next question

Build your game server

Pick a processor with a fast thread, a city near your players, and pay by the month or, on a ready unit, by the hour.

See the processors