Best Base Building Games With Dedicated Servers (2026)

The best base building games with dedicated servers in 2026 are Valheim for Viking longhouses with up to 10 players, Enshrouded for voxel building with up to 16 and its 1.0 release on 15 October 2026, Conan Exiles for fortresses with clans and thralls, and Satisfactory for factory building. Palworld, V Rising, Soulmask and Factorio complete the list. A dedicated server matters most in this genre, because a base is weeks of work that should be there when anyone logs in.

Why does a base building game need a dedicated server?

In a co-op session hosted from someone's game, the world only exists while the host plays. Everyone else waits, and building sessions end when that one person goes to bed. A dedicated server keeps the world online so anyone in the group can log in, gather materials and add to the base on their own schedule. For games where things keep working while you are away (Palworld bases, Conan thralls, Soulmask tribespeople, Satisfactory factories with Auto Pause off), it is the only way to play the way the game intends.

Quick comparison

Game	What you build	Players	Server RAM (typical)	From (our plans)
Valheim	Viking halls, ports, farms	Up to 10	4 to 8 GB	9.99 USD a month
Enshrouded	Voxel castles and terraforming	Up to 16	8 to 16 GB	19.99 USD a month
Conan Exiles	Fortresses, thrall workshops	40 on Funcom servers, you set the cap	8 to 16 GB	19.99 USD a month
Satisfactory	Factories and logistics	4 by default, raised on our plans	8 to 16 GB	19.99 USD a month
Palworld	Bases worked by Pals	Up to 32	12 to 24 GB	29.99 USD a month
V Rising	Vampire castles	40 by default, up to 128	6 to 12 GB	14.99 USD a month
Soulmask	Automated tribal settlements	Up to 70	12 to 24 GB	29.99 USD a month
Factorio	Factories, rails, Space Age planets	Your plan's slots	2 to 8 GB	4.99 USD a month

1. Valheim

Valheim is still the friendliest place to start. Building uses structural integrity, so a longhouse needs real support beams, and a good base grows from a hut into a walled village with a harbor, farms and portals. It is light on the server too: vanilla for up to 5 players runs on 4 GB.

Worlds live in a folder per world since Valheim 1.0. Crossplay lets Xbox, PC Game Pass, PlayStation 5 and Switch 2 players join, while BepInEx mods from Thunderstore are for PC only. Heavy building in one area is what makes Valheim stutter late in a world, which is the main reason to take the bigger plans.

Valheim Viking longhouse and dock built by a group

Guides: how to host a Valheim server and Valheim server lag fix.

2. Enshrouded

Enshrouded has the most flexible building on this list. The world is voxel based, so you can carve into cliffs, terraform and build castles with detailed block shapes. Keen Games takes it out of Early Access with version 1.0 on 15 October 2026.

The server is configured in enshrouded_server.json, and access works through user groups: Admin, Friend and Guest roles each get their own password and permissions for kicking, opening chests and editing bases. It is heavy on the server because the whole voxel world, including every base, stays loaded. A full 16 player world wants around 16 GB.

Enshrouded base built into the landscape

Guides: how to host an Enshrouded server and Enshrouded server settings.

3. Conan Exiles

Conan Exiles is the pick for big fortresses and clan politics. You raise walls, capture thralls to staff your crafting stations and defend against purges. Servers range from PvE build servers to full PvP raid servers with raid windows, plus a big roleplay scene with long mod lists.

In May 2026 Funcom moved the Steam version to Conan Exiles Enhanced, an Unreal Engine 5 upgrade that also merged the Isle of Siptah into the Exiled Lands. Players on Epic and the Microsoft Store stayed on the Legacy build, so the server must match what your group plays. Rates, decay and raid hours live in ServerSettings.ini, and Workshop mods are listed in modlist.txt. A small clan runs on 8 GB, and a 20 to 30 player or modded roleplay server on 12 GB.

Conan Exiles fortress walls on a cliff

Guide: how to host a Conan Exiles server.

4. Satisfactory

Satisfactory turns base building into factory building: miners, conveyor belts, smelters and trains across a huge alien planet. Update 1.2 went live on 2 June 2026 with Game Modes that also apply in multiplayer. Steam and Epic players can share a dedicated server.

The whole factory is simulated while anyone is online, wherever they are, so the server needs more memory than its player count suggests. By default it pauses when everyone leaves, and you can turn Auto Pause off. A fresh save runs on 8 GB, late game factories want 12 to 16 GB, and fast single core speed keeps the simulation smooth.

Satisfactory factory floor with machines and belts

Guides: how to host a Satisfactory server and Satisfactory dedicated server requirements.

5. Palworld

Palworld bases are worked by the Pals you catch: they mine, farm, craft and haul while you explore. A dedicated server keeps them working while everyone is offline and supports up to 32 players. Since 1.0, Steam, Xbox, PlayStation 5 and Mac players can share a server. Pocketpair recommends 16 GB of memory, and memory grows as bases fill with Pals and structures.

6. V Rising

V Rising has you build a vampire castle whose heart needs blood to stay up. PvE groups run relaxed worlds where castles cannot be raided, and PvP clans run sieges, often with presets that keep raids to weekends. Stunlock has said the game is content complete, so the ruleset is stable. Finer rules live in ServerGameSettings.json. Six to ten friends in PvE fit on 6 GB. Guide: how to host a V Rising server.

7. Soulmask

Soulmask lets you recruit tribespeople, give them jobs and grow a camp into an automated settlement. Version 1.0 arrived in April 2026 and a server holds up to 70 players. Be realistic about hardware: it is among the heaviest servers to run, often sitting around 11 to 12 GB soon after starting, so 12 GB is the floor for a small group.

8. Factorio

Factorio is the purest factory builder, with a headless server from Wube Software. Space Age, Quality and Elevated Rails run on the server, and players download the server's exact mods when they join. It is light on memory (2 GB for a fresh vanilla world) but needs a fast single core for big factories.

Which base building game should my group pick?

A relaxed group of up to 10 that wants a first shared world: Valheim.
Creative builders who want the most freedom: Enshrouded.
Big fortresses, clans and PvP: Conan Exiles or V Rising.
Engineers who love logistics: Satisfactory or Factorio.
A base that works while you are away, with console friends: Palworld.

For survival games more broadly, see the best survival games to play with friends.

FAQ

What is the best base building game with a dedicated server?

Valheim for most friend groups, Enshrouded for the most building freedom, and Satisfactory if your group would rather build factories than castles.

Which base building game supports the most players?

V Rising allows up to 128 slots and Soulmask up to 70. Palworld supports up to 32 and Enshrouded up to 16.

Do base building game servers keep running when everyone logs off?

Yes. A dedicated server keeps the world online. Some games pause when empty by default, like Satisfactory, which you can change in its settings.

Which base building game needs the most RAM?

Soulmask, Palworld and big Enshrouded worlds are the heaviest, at 12 to 24 GB. Valheim and Factorio are the lightest.

Can console players join these servers?

Valheim and Palworld dedicated servers accept console players through crossplay. Conan Exiles and V Rising servers are for PC players only.

Hosting one with us

Every game here is in our catalog, ready minutes after paying, with DDoS protection, full file access and SFTP for uploading an existing world, and backups before game updates. Friends can split the bill, each paying their own share from a link, and you can upgrade anytime as the base grows. Start with Valheim, Enshrouded, Conan Exiles or Satisfactory.