How to Host a Terraria Server (Step by Step, 2026)

The easiest way to host a Terraria server is to rent one: pick a plan, pay, and about 60 seconds later you have an IP and port your friends can join through Join via IP, with the world online even when you log off. This guide walks through Terraria server hosting with GamezServers from checkout to your first boss fight, then covers the things worth setting up on day one: your own world, a password, tModLoader mods and backups. If you would rather run it on your own PC, read how to make a Terraria server instead.

Step 1: Pick the right plan

Terraria is light, so most groups need less than they expect. Plans are sized by RAM:

Plan	RAM	vCPU	Suggested players	Price per month
Starter	2 GB	2	up to 8	4.99 USD
Standard (Popular)	4 GB	2	up to 16	9.99 USD
Pro	6 GB	2	up to 32	14.99 USD

What to pick for your world:

Your server	RAM that fits
Vanilla, small or medium world, up to 8 players	2 GB
Vanilla large world, or tModLoader with a few mods	4 GB
Calamity, Thorium or a big mod list	6 GB

Playing vanilla with a few friends? Starter is enough. Planning Calamity? Go for Pro. You can change plans later and the world comes with you. See choosing a plan or how much RAM a game server needs for more.

Step 2: Split the bill with friends (optional)

At checkout choose Split with friends and pick how many people are paying, from 2 to 10. Everyone pays their own share by card, and each share includes a 1 USD payment fee. A 4 GB server split four ways comes to about 3.50 USD each.

You pay your share and the server starts straight away. Each friend gets their own payment link and pays whenever they are ready. If you are a new customer, your friends also get 50% off their first month.

Step 3: Pay and check your dashboard

Open Terraria server hosting and click the button under your plan.
Name your server (optional), then sign in or create an account on the same page.
Pay by card, Apple Pay or Google Pay through Stripe. New customers get 50% off the first month on any plan.

You land on your dashboard. The server shows Setting up for about a minute, then Online, with the address and panel login right there. The getting started doc explains each status.

Step 4: Copy the address and join

Open the server from your dashboard. The address sits at the top of the control panel, for example 123.45.67.89:7801. The part before the colon is the IP, the number after it is the port.

Terraria asks for them on separate screens:

Launch Terraria, or tModLoader for a modded server, on the same version as your server.
Click Multiplayer, then Join via IP.
Pick your character, then enter the server IP, the part of the address before the colon.
Enter the port, the number after the colon, then the server password if it has one.

Do not type the colon, and do not leave the port on 7777 unless your address actually ends in 7777. If you get "You are not using the same version as this server", read how to fix Terraria version mismatch. If it hangs on "Connecting", see Terraria can't connect to server.

Step 5: Bring your own world (or start fresh)

The server creates a world on its first start, but most groups want their own. World size, difficulty (Classic, Expert, Master or Journey) and evil biome are fixed when a world is created, so the easiest way to get exactly what you want is to create the world in your own game, then upload it.

Find your world in Documents\My Games\Terraria\Worlds on Windows (or Documents\My Games\Terraria\tModLoader\Worlds for tModLoader). It is a .wld file.
Click Backup, then Stop in the control panel.
Open Files and go to the worlds folder, saves/Worlds on a vanilla server.
Check which file the server loads: open serverconfig.txt and look at the world= line, for example world=/home/container/saves/Worlds/world.wld.
Rename your file to that name, for example world.wld, and upload it, replacing the old one.
Start the server.

Characters are not part of the world. Each player keeps their own on their PC and brings them in. Journey worlds only accept Journey characters, and the other difficulties do not accept Journey characters. The full walkthrough is in how to upload a Terraria world to a server.

Step 6: Set a password and learn the console

Terraria has no in game admin role. The server console is the admin tool, and on GamezServers it is the Console tab in your control panel. Useful commands:

Command	What it does
`password newpass`	Sets the server password.
`playing`	Lists who is online. Also the List players button.
`say message`	Messages everyone. Also the Broadcast button.
`kick name` / `ban name`	Removes a player. Bans are saved to `banlist.txt`.
`dawn`, `noon`, `dusk`, `midnight`	Changes the time. Also Make it dawn and Make it noon.
`save`	Saves the world. Also the Save world button.
`settle`	Settles all liquids.
`motd message`	Changes the message players see on joining.

The settings the server starts with (world file, player limit, password, message of the day) are in serverconfig.txt, which you can open in the Files tab. Some of them are managed by the server's startup settings and are rewritten on start. If a change there does not stick after a restart, email support@gamezservers.com and we will set it for you.

Step 7: Add mods with tModLoader

Vanilla Terraria has no mod support, so modded servers run tModLoader, the free official modding platform. Choose tModLoader as the server type in the panel (click Backup first), add your mods, and players join through tModLoader with the same mods, which it can download for them when they connect.

Right now vanilla Terraria is on 1.4.5, while stable tModLoader is still based on 1.4.4. Your group all joins through tModLoader, so this only matters if you bring a world: a world saved in vanilla 1.4.5 cannot be opened by tModLoader on 1.4.4. Our guide on how to add mods to a Terraria server covers the mod files, Calamity and the version details.

Step 8: Backups, Sleep when empty and upgrades

Backups: click Backup before every boss, event or mod change. You get 3 backups, and the Save world button saves the world file in between.
Sleep when empty: the server stops after 90 minutes with nobody online, with your world saved. Anyone with access starts it again in one click. Turn it off in Settings to stay online around the clock.
Upgrading: big mod lists and lots of enemies on screen use more memory. Pick a bigger plan in Settings, prorated, with the new RAM after a restart.

Self hosting vs GamezServers

	Self hosting	GamezServers
Cost	Free, plus electricity	From 4.99 USD a month, splittable
Setup	Download, serverconfig.txt, start script	Pick a plan, pay, live in about 60 seconds
Port forwarding	Forward 7777 TCP on your router	None
Online when you log off	Only if your PC stays on	Yes, it runs in a data center
Your home IP	Shared with every player	Never shared
Updates after a patch	Download the new server by hand	Update from the panel
Backups	Copy .wld files yourself	One click, 3 kept

The self hosting guide covers running it yourself step by step if you prefer.

FAQ

How much does it cost to host a Terraria server?

With GamezServers, from 4.99 USD a month for 2 GB, which suits vanilla with a few friends. The 4 GB plan is 9.99 USD. New customers get 50% off the first month, and you can split the cost with friends.

Can console or mobile players join?

No. The server runs the PC version of Terraria, so players on PC join. Console and mobile versions use their own multiplayer.

Do my friends need their own copy of Terraria?

Yes. Everyone needs Terraria on PC, and tModLoader (free on Steam for Terraria owners) for a modded server.

Does my character stay on the server?

No. Characters live on each player's PC. The server keeps the world: houses, chests, NPCs and boss progress.

Can I run Calamity?

Yes. Switch the server to tModLoader, add Calamity and join through tModLoader. Calamity runs best on 4 to 6 GB.