Starbound Server Hosting
Starbound server plans
Pick the plan that fits your community. Every plan deploys instantly and can be resized later from the control panel.
Starter
A small crew, a handful of colonised planets and a short mod list.
- RAM
- 2 GB
- NVMe
- 15 GB
- CPU
- 1 vCore
Standard
A universe that has grown - many planets visited, colonies running - with Workshop mods loaded.
- RAM
- 4 GB
- NVMe
- 30 GB
- CPU
- 2 vCores
Ultimate
Frackin' Universe and other total overhauls, which push both CPU and RAM well past vanilla.
- RAM
- 12 GB
- NVMe
- 30 GB
- CPU
- 2 vCores
Included with every plan
Save up to 17% with longer billing periods
Built for Starbound: the whole universe in one folder, and it is yours
Starbound writes a planet the first time somebody lands on it and keeps every character server-side. What you are renting is that folder, and the freedom to move it.
Every planet your group ever visited is yours to take
Worlds are written into storage/universe/ by coordinate and stay there; characters sit beside them, one file each. Nothing pre-generates and nothing prunes, so storage/ is the whole server — copied off-site every 24 hours, with five restore points and SFTP. Maintaining your Starbound server
One config file, open in the panel, holds every decision
Starbound's binary launches with no arguments at all, so everything lives in storage/starbound_server.config — including allowAnonymousConnections. Leave it true and anyone with the address joins; set it false and players are prompted against the serverUsers list. Configuring your Starbound server
Room for an overhaul, and a mod list your players can match
Frackin' Universe rebuilds the game and significantly increases CPU and RAM use, which makes “which overhaul” a plan question — and moving up a plan is instant from your client area. Starbound refuses a client whose mods differ; a Workshop collection fixes that. How to install mods for Starbound
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.
Starbound 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
Starbound dedicated servers — universes accumulate
Starbound's universe only ever gets bigger: every planet a player lands on is written down and kept. A dedicated machine is for the community keeping several universes alive at once, each with its own Workshop mod set, on a box whose storage and cores are all theirs.
One crew's universe is a shared plan's work, RCON and nightly backups included.
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.
Starbound Knowledge Base
Guides for installing, configuring, and troubleshooting your Starbound server.
Starbound
Get the account flag that makes admin commands work on a hosted server, then spawn, warp, kick or ban correctly.
Start fresh at whatever scale you need: the whole universe, one world by coordinate, or a single character.
Get online and connected, and settle your mod list first: every player must run exactly what the server runs.
Decide whether anyone with the IP can join or everyone needs an account, name the server, and flag who is admin.
Move a Workshop mod onto the server by hand, then get every player running the same set from one collection.
Frequently Asked Questions
Everything you need to know about Starbound server hosting with GameServerKings
How much does it cost to run a Starbound server?
A Starbound server here starts at $6.40 a month. The price tracks the resources you pick:
- Starting
- 1 vCore · 2 GB RAM · 15 GB storage
- $6.40/mo
- Fully loaded
- 2 vCores · 12 GB RAM · 30 GB storage
- $25.40/mo
- Dedicated IPv4
- Optional add-on
- +$5.00/mo
- Longer terms
- Paid annually or up front
- 5–17% off
How quickly will my server be ready?
Your Starbound 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 Starbound 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 Starbound 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 Starbound 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 Starbound 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 Starbound 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.