Minecraft Server Hosting
Minecraft server plans
Pick the plan that fits your community. Every plan deploys instantly and can be resized later from the control panel.
Starter
Vanilla or a light Paper server for a handful of friends, pinned to the version you play.
- RAM
- 4 GB
- NVMe
- 15 GB
- CPU
- 1 vCore
Standard
Modpacks and plugin lists vanilla cannot carry, for a group that plays most nights.
- RAM
- 10 GB
- NVMe
- 30 GB
- CPU
- 2 vCores
Ultimate
Heavy Forge and Fabric packs, or a public Paper server with plugins and a real player count.
- RAM
- 16 GB
- NVMe
- 40 GB
- CPU
- 3 vCores
Included with every plan
Save up to 17% with longer billing periods
Built for Minecraft: seven frameworks, and a heap you never have to size
Two decisions cost people a weekend on a Minecraft server: which framework to run, and how much heap the JVM gets. One is reversible here; the other is settled.
Change your mind about Paper without losing the world
Vanilla, Paper, Purpur, Spigot, Fabric, Forge and NeoForge are seven different servers, and choosing one normally commits a world to it. Framework is a Startup field: change it, reinstall, and the world, configs, plugins and mods survive. Vanilla, Paper, Purpur, Fabric, Forge and NeoForge compared · Installing plugins
The -Xmx everyone gets wrong is not yours to get wrong
Every guide tells you to set -Xmx a gigabyte under your machine's RAM, so the JVM's own overhead does not get the process killed. Our launch line is -Xms128M -XX:MaxRAMPercentage=95.0 with no -Xmx, so the ceiling follows your plan. RAM and JVM flags explained · Fixing java.lang.OutOfMemoryError
Update day is a reinstall, not a migration
The version is a field, not a jar you upload: Minecraft Version takes latest or a literal number, and Build Number pins an exact Paper or Purpur build. Reinstall and the world, configs and plugins are preserved — or stay pinned. Update day checklist · Versions, snapshots and the 2026 numbering change
Bedrock is a product you order, not a world we convert
Bedrock worlds are LevelDB and a Java server cannot open one, or the reverse — so we run the two as separate products and never convert between them. Java servers reach console and phone players through Geyser instead. Bedrock worlds, LevelDB and safe backups · Crossplay with Bedrock through Geyser
No contracts • Cancel anytime • 72-hour money-back guarantee
Powerful Server Management
Every server comes with our feature-rich game panel — manage your server from anywhere with no technical expertise required.
Live Server Console
Monitor your server in real time with a built-in console, live CPU, memory, and network graphs, plus one-click start, restart, and stop controls.
Full File Manager
Browse, upload, edit, and manage all your server files directly from the panel — no FTP client needed. Drag and drop uploads, bulk actions, and more.
Startup Configuration
Fine-tune every aspect of your server with an intuitive variable editor. Selects, toggles, and validated inputs replace fragile command-line flags.
One-Click Backups
Create on-demand or scheduled backups with one click. Lock critical snapshots, download them for offsite storage, or restore any of them yourself.
Network & Allocations
Every server gets a dedicated port allocation behind always-on DDoS filtering. Ports are assigned when the server is built and matched to our firewall rules, so the ones your server needs are open before you log in.
Global Server Network
Pick a data center close to your players. The times below are measured live from your own connection, not quoted from ours. View all locations.
Minecraft servers deploy from four locations. Dallas sits in the middle of North America and is the usual default for a community spread across the United States. Ashburn covers the East Coast and is the shorter hop for players in the eastern states and eastern Canada. London serves the UK, Ireland and the western edge of Europe, and Frankfurt sits central for Germany, the Nordics, the Benelux countries and most of Eastern Europe. Between them the four cover North America and Europe end to end.
The figures beside each city were measured by your own browser a moment ago, so read them as a fair guide to what players near you will see rather than a number we picked. If you choose the wrong one, moving is free: open a ticket and support migrates your server files to any available location at no charge.
What our customers say
“Extremly fast responds time. They always are willing to help and go beyond if a problem do appear. I highly recommend this hosting provider”
Galanor
CEO, Galanor LLC
“This is the first time in my life that someone actually tried to help around this world of VPS/dedicated servers. Rene isn't good, he is amazing! Gave total attention, made recommendations. I am looking forward to migrate my services to GameServerKings because of Rene. I appreciate the attention once again.”
Igor garcia
“I've been with GSK and Cosmic guard for nearly 2 years now, They are very professional, helpful and quick to fix any issues. They normally can get a tech in same day to fix and hardware issues. We've had 2 cpu's burn out and they replaced them (after diagnosing the issue) Fast and free Extra big should out to Alexander hes the goat <3”
Josh from flowstate
Minecraft dedicated servers — for networks, not single worlds
What outgrows shared hosting is a network rather than a server: a hub, a survival world, a creative world and a modded server that all have to be up at once, each one holding its own chunks in memory. On a dedicated machine they sit side by side on one box you own the whole of, and you decide which of them gets the cores when everyone logs in at the same time.
One Paper server with a few dozen regulars is not that. A shared plan runs it properly — its own memory, storage and CPU priority — and resizes from the panel when the modpack grows.
Run it on our game panel
Hand us the machine and we deploy it onto the same GameServerKings panel you already know — one-click installs, mods, backups, and 24/7 support, managed on your behalf.
Or manage it yourself
Prefer full control? Take root access and run it your way. The box is yours end to end — we just keep the hardware and network humming underneath.
Minecraft Knowledge Base
Guides for installing, configuring, and troubleshooting your Minecraft server.
Minecraft
Pick a server jar, add mods or plugins, hand out permissions, or work out why nobody can connect - the whole job of running a Minecraft server, Java and Bedrock.
Ban a griefer, stop players dropping their items on death, or freeze the weather, once you have opped yourself.
How Bedrock add-ons work: behaviour packs vs resource packs, where they go on the server, manifest.json UUIDs, and the world files that switch a pack on.
Turn on the Bedrock allowlist, add players by gamertag or XUID, set operator, member and visitor roles in permissions.json, plus the whitelist.json trap.
Run a multi-server Minecraft network with a Velocity proxy: which proxy to use now, connecting your backends, and the forwarding secret that keeps it safe.
Match the exact error your players see - version mismatch, whitelist, online-mode, mod mismatch - to its cause and its fix on a Minecraft Java server.
Every server.properties key for Bedrock Dedicated Server 1.26.44.3 — values, defaults and effects — plus the Java keys that do nothing on Bedrock.
Frequently Asked Questions
Everything you need to know about Minecraft server hosting with GameServerKings
How much does it cost to run a Minecraft server?
A Minecraft server here starts at $4.80 a month. The price tracks the resources you pick:
- Starting
- 1 vCore · 4 GB RAM · 15 GB storage
- $4.80/mo
- Fully loaded
- 3 vCores · 16 GB RAM · 40 GB storage
- $42.00/mo
- Dedicated IPv4
- Optional add-on
- +$5.00/mo
- Longer terms
- Paid annually or up front
- 5–17% off
RAM is the number worth getting right: view distance, loaded chunks and any modpack matter far more than raw player count.
How quickly will my server be ready?
Your Minecraft server is provisioned automatically within about a minute of payment. You'll receive login credentials to your inbox so you can connect straight away.
Do game updates install automatically?
Yes. Your Minecraft server is kept on the current game build automatically — you don't need to patch it by hand or open a ticket when the game updates.
Can I install mods and plugins?
Absolutely. You have full file access via our control panel and FTP/SFTP. Install any mods, plugins, or custom configurations — we don't restrict what you run on your server.
What if I need to upgrade my resources?
Upgrading is instant. You can change your memory, storage, or CPU priority from your client area at any time without any downtime or server migration.
Is DDoS protection included?
Yes. Every Minecraft server includes enterprise-grade DDoS mitigation at no extra charge. We absorb attacks at the network edge — your players won't notice a thing.
Are backups included?
Yes, and in two ways. Your Minecraft server is backed up automatically every 24 hours to off-site storage, so there is a recent copy to fall back on if the machine itself fails — you do not have to set anything up for that. On top of it, every plan includes five backup slots in the control panel that are yours to use: take one with a single click before a wipe, an update or a mod install, or set a schedule so they run on their own, and restore or download any of those five whenever you like. Neither costs extra.
Do I need a dedicated IP?
Only if you want one. A dedicated IPv4 address gives your Minecraft server its own entry in the in-game server browser and puts it on the game's default port, so players can connect by typing just the IP address. Without one your server shares an IP with other servers and uses its own port instead — it runs exactly the same and your friends can still join, they just need the IP and the port together. It costs $5.00 a month if you decide you want it.
Do you offer a money-back guarantee?
We offer a 72-hour money-back guarantee. If you're not satisfied for any reason within the first 72 hours, contact us and we'll issue a full refund — no questions asked.
Can I switch server locations?
Yes. Contact our support team and we'll help you migrate your server data to any of our available locations at no charge.
Still have questions?
Our support team is available 24/7 and typically responds in under 5 minutes.
Open a support ticketDeploy Your Minecraft Server.
Join thousands of gamers who trust GameServerKings for reliable, high-performance server hosting.
No contracts • Cancel anytime • 72-hour money-back guarantee
Need more power? Check out our bare metal dedicated servers.