Cheapest Way to Host a Game Server for Friends (2026)

The cheapest way to host a game server for friends is the game's built in co-op hosting, which costs nothing but only works while the host is playing. If you want a world that stays online, the cheapest options are a spare PC at home (you pay for electricity) or a small hosted server split between your group, which often works out to 2 to 5 USD per person a month. This guide compares every option with real numbers so you can pick what fits your group.

Short answer

The right answer depends on one question: does your group need the world to be online when the host is not playing? If not, co-op is free and fine. If yes, keep reading.

Option 1: built in co-op hosting (free)

Most survival and sandbox games let one player host from the menu: Minecraft's Open to LAN, Valheim's Start Server, Palworld's co-op mode, and player hosted worlds in Enshrouded and Dragonwilds.

Costs: nothing.

Limits:

• The world only exists while the host plays. When they log off, everyone else is kicked.
• The host's PC runs the game and the server at once, so they lose frame rate and everyone can lag.
• Player caps are lower in several games. Palworld co-op allows 4 players, a dedicated server allows up to 32.

For two or three friends who always play at the same time, this is the cheapest option and often good enough. Dedicated server vs peer to peer explains the differences in detail.

Option 2: free server hosts

A few services offer free servers, mostly for Minecraft. They exist and they work, but they fund themselves with limits: waiting in a start queue, servers that shut down when empty and need someone to start them from a website, low memory, ads, or restricted mods. Free vs paid game server hosting goes through the trade offs honestly.

Costs: free.

Best for: trying a server for a weekend, or a light vanilla Minecraft world with a couple of friends.

Option 3: host on your own PC

Every game we host ships a free dedicated server program. You can run it on the PC you play on, or on a spare machine.

Real costs:

• Electricity. A gaming PC left on around the clock can easily draw 80 to 150 watts at light load. At typical US rates that is roughly 10 to 20 USD a month. An old laptop or mini PC might use a quarter of that.
• Hardware. Big games like ARK and Palworld want 12 to 16 GB of RAM for the server alone, on top of what your own game uses. See how much RAM a game server needs.
• Your time. You set up port forwarding, open firewall rules, install updates when the game patches, and fix it when it breaks.

Hidden limits:

• Home upload speed is usually the bottleneck. A good download speed does not help if your upload is small, and a busy server shares that upload with everyone else in your house.
• Some internet plans are behind CGNAT, which makes hosting impossible without a tunnel. How to host a game server without port forwarding covers the workarounds.
• Your home IP address is shared with everyone who joins. Read is hosting a game server at home safe.

If you already have a spare PC and enjoy tinkering, this is the cheapest way to get a world that stays online.

Option 4: a hosted server

A hosted server runs in a data center with its own address. There is no PC to leave on and nothing to forward. The cost is a monthly fee sized by RAM.

On GamezServers plans are priced at about 2.50 USD per GB of RAM a month. Here are the cheapest plans per game:

New customers get 50% off the first month on any plan.

Option 5: split a hosted server (usually the best value)

Here is where a hosted server gets cheaper than it looks. With Server Share you choose Split with friends at checkout, and each friend pays their own share by card. Each share is an even part of the plan plus a 1 USD payment fee. You pay your share and the server starts straight away, and friends pay whenever they are ready.

Compare that with the electricity alone for a gaming PC left on all month, and a split server is often cheaper per person than the "free" home option, with none of the setup. Full details and a bigger table are in game server hosting you can split with friends.

Ways to spend less on any server

• Pick the smallest plan that fits. Two friends on vanilla Minecraft or Terraria need 2 GB, not 8. Move up only when you see lag or out of memory crashes.
• Split it. Even two people splitting a 9.99 USD plan pay about 6.00 USD each instead of 9.99.
• Switch games instead of buying a second server. When your group moves on, switch the server to another game with the same memory plan instead of paying for two.
• Cancel between seasons. Plans are monthly with no contract, so you can cancel when nobody is playing and come back later. Download a backup first. See game server hosting with no contract.
• Go yearly if you are sure. Yearly billing costs the same as 10 months, so you get 2 months free. It is for a single payer, so stay monthly if you split.

FAQ

What is the cheapest way to play a game with friends online?

Built in co-op hosting is free and works in most survival games, as long as the host is online whenever anyone wants to play.

Is it cheaper to host a server at home?

In cash, usually yes, since you only pay for electricity. Once you count a PC left on all month, the setup time and the upload speed your home connection gives up, a small hosted server split between 3 to 5 friends often costs each person less than their share of the power bill.

How much does a game server cost per month?

On GamezServers from 4.99 USD a month for 2 GB, up to 59.99 USD for 24 GB. Most friend groups use a plan between 9.99 and 29.99 USD, which splits to a few dollars each.

Can we get a free dedicated server?

Free hosts exist, mainly for Minecraft, with queues and limits. We do not offer free servers or trials, but the first month is 50% off for new customers.

The cheap and easy option

If your group wants a world that stays online without anyone's PC running, pick a game on the games page and choose Split with friends at checkout. You are live in about a minute and each person pays a few dollars.