Game Servers
Host the Game Server Where Your Players Actually Are.
A VPS is a good home for a Minecraft or Valheim server, provided the game ships a Linux build and the AUP allows what you plan to run. Slot counts on someone's pricing page will not tell you either.
Slot counts make poor sizing units. One heavy mod or one long autosave can hitch a server that looks fine on an average CPU chart.
Before You Rent
Check the Game Before the Server
Make sure the game ships a Linux dedicated-server build and that the publisher is fine with your server and mods. We give you a plain Linux VPS, not a game panel with one-click installers.
It Runs on Linux
The game ships a dedicated-server build for Linux, with docs you can follow. Minecraft and most Steam survival games qualify; plenty of titles do not.
The Publisher Allows It
Server licensing, mods, and whatever community model you have in mind all sit inside the publisher's terms.
Someone Runs It
Every server needs the friend who handles updates, moderation, and saves. Decide who that is before launch night.
Game Loop
Watch the Tick, Not the Averages
Game servers hitch in the main loop, not on the CPU average. Test the exact map, mods, and player count you plan to run, because that combination is what your friends will feel.
- 01
The Route to Each Player
Ping and jitter from your friends' home and mobile networks decide how the game feels. Measure from their side, not yours.
- 02
Tick Time
Watch how long each tick takes with real players, mods, and entities loaded. One overloaded chunk can stall everything.
- 03
The World File
Autosaves pause things, worlds grow, and mods pile up assets. Know how big yours gets and how the game expects to be restored.
What We Supply
A Plain Linux Box, Tested Against Your Game
We do not run game panels or promise player counts. What you get is a Linux host with honest network numbers you can test your actual server against before opening it to friends.
- Install the server your wayFull root access
- Set up the game's Linux build, its dependencies, and a service unit that restarts it cleanly, without a panel deciding which mods you may load.
- Know your network ceiling1 Gbps network port
- The port speed and the plan's transfer quota are hard numbers. Watch a real session against them; neither one measures how a session feels.
- See the actual China routesChina Telecom: CTGNet (formerly China Telecom CN2 GIA, AS23764 / AS4809); China Unicom: CUP (China Unicom Premium, AS9929 / AS10099); China Mobile: CMIN2 (China Mobile International N2, AS58807)
- The mainland paths are named carriers rather than an Asia label. Compare both locations from the networks your players sit on.
Player Routes
Test the Route, Then Play a Session
Tokyo usually suits players in northern and eastern China, Singapore the south and Southeast Asia. If your friend group spans both, test before you choose, because their ISPs get the final vote.
Current mainland-China paths: China Telecom: CTGNet (formerly China Telecom CN2 GIA, AS23764 / AS4809); China Unicom: CUP (China Unicom Premium, AS9929 / AS10099); China Mobile: CMIN2 (China Mobile International N2, AS58807).
- 01Have a few players run path tests from home, on the connections they actually game on.
- 02Compare both locations during your group's usual play hours, when the routes are busiest.
- 03Then play a real session and watch the tick. A Looking Glass sees the network, never how the game feels.
Looking Glass output is a snapshot of the path at the moment you ran the test; day-to-day latency and app performance can differ. Read the network and locations pages for route terminology and facility context.
Load Test
Player Slots Are a Poor Sizing Unit
No spec sheet can tell you how many players fit, because your map, mods, and save size change the answer. Run a real session on your actual setup and watch what it uses.
What a Session Costs
Record tick time and CPU during a normal evening with real players. Mods and AI-heavy maps move the number more than headcount does.
Worlds Keep Growing
Watch memory while people play, and disk as the world and its backups pile up. Leave room for the next big mod.
Transfer Adds Up
A month of sessions plus update downloads is your real transfer figure. Check it against the plan quota, not against a guess.
Premium
- 2 vCPU (AMD Ryzen 9950X)
- 4 GB RAM
- 40 GB NVMe
- 1 TB/mo transfer
Ultra
- 2 vCPU (AMD Ryzen 9950X)
- 8 GB RAM
- 80 GB NVMe
- 2 TB/mo transfer
Max
- 4 vCPU (AMD Ryzen 9950X)
- 16 GB RAM
- 160 GB NVMe
- 4 TB/mo transfer
House Rules
Public Servers Attract More Than Players
Open a server to the Internet and you inherit its problems too. Read these house rules before you invite anyone in or move an existing community over.
Riven Cloud supplies an unmanaged Linux KVM VPS with full root access. Everything inside it, from the firewall to the backups, is yours to operate.
- One firm rule from the Acceptable Use Policy: if a server keeps drawing DoS or DDoS attacks that disrupt service for other customers, we have to terminate it.
- We cannot promise every title will run, and we will not quote a player count or a network guarantee.
- The game, firewall, moderation, saves, and restore plan stay in your hands. That is what unmanaged means.
Further reading
Check the Routes and the Rules
Questions
Game Servers FAQ
Does Riven Cloud support every game?+
No. The game needs a Linux dedicated-server build, the publisher has to allow it, and what you run must comply with the Acceptable Use Policy. Check all of that before you order.
How many players can a plan hold?+
We honestly do not know, and neither does any spec sheet. Map size, mods, and save behavior change the answer completely. Load-test your actual setup with real players and watch the tick, memory, and transfer.
Is game-server management included?+
No. You install the server, keep it updated, run the firewall, moderate the community, and test that your saves restore. We keep the host and the network running underneath.
Passed the Game, Route, and AUP Checks?
Then take the numbers from your test session and hold them against the current plan limits. That comparison picks the plan for you.