Is BATTALION: Legacy Still Worth Hosting a Server in 2026?

Yes, if you already have a group to play with. BATTALION: Legacy is free on Steam, its public matchmaking is quiet, and the dedicated server is free and light, so a small community server is the most reliable way to get 5v5 Wartide matches in 2026. It is not worth it if you are hoping strangers will fill an empty server for you. Host for your clan, your league or your Discord, and the server does exactly what you need.

Where the game stands

BATTALION: Legacy is the last version of Battalion 1944, the World War II shooter Bulkhead built as a return to the original Call of Duty style: no killstreaks, no loadout grind, Kar98s, Thompsons, grenades and aim. In 2022 Bulkhead released it free to play on Steam and published a guide for running your own dedicated server, which is what keeps the game alive now.

To be straight about it: this is a small game. You will not log in on a Tuesday afternoon and find full lobbies waiting. The players who remain are veterans of the competitive scene, clans that never stopped scrimming, and groups of friends who come back for a night every so often. They organize through Discord, and they play on community servers.

That makes the case for hosting simple. When the official queues are empty, a server you control is the game.

Who should host a server

Clans and teams. If five of you play together regularly, a server means scrims at a time you pick, against a team you arranged, on a server nobody else controls. You also get a practice server for running through rounds without an opponent waiting.

Leagues and cup organizers. A tournament needs servers at specific times with an admin present. Your own server, with the admin password, is the cleanest way to run it.

Friend groups. Ten people who loved the game in 2018 can still have a great night. The game being free removes the usual barrier: anyone who drifted away can reinstall in minutes.

Who should not bother: someone hoping to build a public server from nothing in a small game. Public servers grow from an existing community. If you have one, the server is a tool for it. If not, start with the community.

What it costs to run one

There are two ways to do it.

The game and the dedicated server are both free on Steam. Self hosting costs nothing beyond the machine, but someone's PC has to stay on whenever people want to play, the ports have to stay forwarded, and the server has to be updated after every game patch. Our setup guide covers all of that step by step.

Renting removes those chores. Hosting is usually priced by memory, and BATTALION: Legacy does not need much: a few players practicing fit in 2 GB, a full 5v5 with spectators in 4 GB, and a busy all day community server in 6 GB. There is no reason to pay for more. Split across a five player clan, a small plan works out to very little each per month.

How much server does a 5v5 need?

This is an Unreal Engine shooter with ten players and small maps. CPU speed and a steady connection matter more than raw memory, and the server starts quickly, so restarting between matches is painless.

How to actually fill a server

The technical part is easy. Filling it is the real work in a small game. What works:

1. Pick fixed nights. "Wartide every Friday at 8 PM" fills a server better than "it is up whenever".
2. Post the Steam link. The game is free, so new or returning players only need to install it. Make that the first line of your announcement.
3. Pin the join instructions. In game: Play, Server Browser, search the name. Or the console with connect and the address.
4. Have an admin on. Someone with the admin password should be in every scheduled match to handle teams and problem players.
5. Use the quiet hours for practice. A server that sits empty most of the week is fine. It costs the same and it is there when the team wants it.

What can go wrong

Small games have one recurring problem: patches. When the game updates, a server on the old build drops out of the browser and players cannot join until it is updated. Self hosters have to remember to run the update. On a hosted server with automatic updates, a restart does it.

The other common one is a server that does not appear in the browser at all, nearly always a port or update issue. Our guide to BATTALION: Legacy servers not showing in the server browser goes through the fixes.

Hosting compared with waiting for matchmaking

For anyone who still plays BATTALION: Legacy with other people, the right column is how the game is played now.

The low effort way

A BATTALION: Legacy server from GamezServers is live within about a minute of paying, with its own address, so there are no ports to forward and no PC to leave on. Set the server name and admin password in the panel, leave Auto Update on so it matches every patch after a restart, and edit match settings in Battalion/Config through the file manager. The clan can split the bill with up to ten players each paying their share, and new customers get 50% off the first month. If you want to compare other cheap options first, see our cheap game server hosting page.

FAQ

Is BATTALION: Legacy dead?

It is small, not dead. Clans, leagues and friend groups still play it, mostly on community servers organized through Discord.

Is BATTALION: Legacy free?

Yes. It has been free on Steam since 2022, and the dedicated server tool is free too.

Can I host a BATTALION: Legacy server for free?

Yes, on your own PC, with SteamCMD and port forwarding. The cost is keeping that PC on and updated.

How many players do I need for a match?

Ten for a full 5v5 Wartide game. Smaller groups use the server for practice.

How much RAM does a BATTALION: Legacy server need?

2 GB for practice, 4 GB for a full 5v5 with spectators, 6 GB for a busy all day server.