How to Host a Game Server for a Friend Group (Planning Guide)

To host a game server for a friend group, agree on the game first, size the server for your group's player count and mods, decide how the cost is split, set a few simple rules, and turn on backups before anyone starts building. The technical part is the easy bit these days. Most group servers fail for social reasons: one person paying for everyone, arguments over griefing, or a world lost with no backup. This guide walks through each decision in order.

Short answer: the checklist

1. Pick the game everyone will actually play.
2. Count players and check the game's limit.
3. Pick the RAM for that game, your group size and any mods.
4. Decide where it runs: someone's PC or a hosted server.
5. Decide who pays and how the cost is split.
6. Agree on rules before the first session.
7. Set up backups and whitelist or password protection.
8. Share the address and join steps.

Step 1: pick the game

The best server is one for a game at least three people are excited about. A few things to weigh:

• Does everyone own it, or will buying it be a hurdle?
• Do people play at different times? Survival and building games with persistent worlds, like Minecraft, Valheim, Palworld and Enshrouded, shine on a server because people can log in whenever.
• Is it co-op or competitive? PvE games suit most friend groups. PvP games like Rust need a group that enjoys raiding each other.

Stuck for ideas? See the best survival games to play with friends and the best games with dedicated servers.

Step 2: count your players

Some games have hard limits. Plan for your peak, the evening everyone is online, not the average.

Step 3: pick the RAM

RAM decides how much world, how many players and how many mods the server can hold. For a typical friend group on the base game:

Add a step for mods, bigger groups or old worlds. The full breakdown is in how much RAM a game server needs. On GamezServers the plan marked Popular on each game page is sized for a typical group, and you can change plan later in Settings.

Step 4: decide where it runs

• Someone's PC (co-op or a home dedicated server): free, but the world depends on that person. Co-op stops when they log off. A home dedicated server needs the PC left on, port forwarding, and shares their home IP. See is hosting a game server at home safe.
• A hosted server: runs in a data center, stays online when everyone logs off, and nobody has to touch a router. On GamezServers it is live in about 60 seconds.

Dedicated server vs peer to peer compares them properly.

Step 5: decide who pays

This is where most group servers go wrong. One person buys the server, a couple of people pay them back, and a few months later the buyer is covering everyone. Settle it up front.

Options:

• One person pays and everyone sends their share by payment app. Works for small, reliable groups. How to split the cost of a game server with friends covers how to do it without awkwardness.
• Built in split billing. On GamezServers choose Split with friends at checkout, for 2 to 10 people. Each friend pays their own share by card, with a 1 USD fee per share. You pay your share and the server starts straight away, and friends pay their links when they are ready. If someone leaves, the others' shares go up (never above the full price) and everyone is emailed first.

What it looks like per person:

Full tables are in game server hosting you can split with friends.

Step 6: agree on rules

Five minutes in the group chat now saves a falling out later. Decide:

• Who can invite new people, and whether new players need everyone's OK.
• PvP or not, and whether stealing from each other's chests is allowed.
• Griefing. What happens if someone wrecks a build?
• Admins. Who gets operator or admin powers? Usually the owner plus one trusted friend.
• Resets and wipes. How long the world runs before a fresh start, if ever.
• Switching games. How the group decides to move on, and whether old worlds are kept.
• What happens if the group splits up. Who keeps a copy of the world?

Pin the rules in your group chat.

Step 7: protect the world

• Whitelist or password. On Minecraft set white-list=true in server.properties and add friends with whitelist add <name>, or use the Whitelist player button in our panel. Most other games have a server password setting.
• Backups. Take one before big changes, mod installs and game updates. On GamezServers the Backup button keeps 3 backups, and you can download the world through the file manager or SFTP for your own copy.
• Give friends access carefully. On a split server, friends who make an account with the email they paid with can use the console, actions and files. Only the owner can change the plan, switch games, manage the split and use SFTP. See the control panel docs.

Step 8: get everyone joined

Send the address along with the join steps for your game. Every game page has a How to join section, for example:

• Minecraft: Multiplayer, Add Server, paste the address including the port.
• Valheim: join by IP from the Join game tab.
• Palworld: Join Multiplayer Game, paste the address at the bottom.

Common first day problems: version mismatches on Minecraft ("Outdated client" or "Outdated server"), missing the port in the address, and mismatched mods. Sort these out with one friend before everyone piles in.

Keeping the server going

• Check in monthly. Is everyone still playing? Drop a plan size or switch games rather than paying for a world nobody visits. See one game server for multiple games.
• Keep it cheap and fair. A split server means nobody quietly carries the bill.
• Leave the door open. Plans are monthly with no contract, so pausing between seasons is easy. See game server hosting with no contract.

FAQ

How many friends can play on one server?

It depends on the game and the plan. Valheim caps at 10, Enshrouded at 16 and Palworld at 32. Minecraft and Terraria are limited by the server's resources.

Who should own the server?

The most organised person in the group, since the owner controls the plan, game switching, the split and SFTP. With split billing, owning it does not mean paying for everyone.

How do we split the cost fairly?

An even split among the people who play. Built in split billing charges each person directly so nobody has to collect money.

Can friends manage the server too?

Yes. On a split server, friends with an account see the server in their own dashboard and can use the console, actions and files.

Start your group server

Pick your game on the games page, choose Split with friends at checkout, and drop the payment links in your group chat. You are live in about a minute.