For a small vanilla group that wants the official route, Vintage Story’s official Simple Server Hosting is the easiest choice. It costs 10 EUR per 30 days including VAT, runs in Central Europe, includes an in-game dashboard and developer support, and allows up to eight concurrent players. It does not support third-party mods or uploading an existing world, however. If either feature matters, compare third-party hosts or run the dedicated server yourself.
There is no reliable, source-backed head-to-head test that proves one independent provider is universally best. The right choice depends on mod support, location, player count, world migration, backups, administration time and the complete recurring cost.
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Our top pick: Godlike.Host
If you want a paid third-party host, our top pick is Godlike.Host, a game server host with a dedicated Vintage Story hosting page. It offers 10 data-center locations, free DDoS protection, up to three free backups a day with restore, SFTP/FTP file access and a Pterodactyl-based game panel with a task scheduler and sub-users. Support is available 24/7/365 by live chat or ticket, and you can upgrade or downgrade from the panel with prorated billing; see the current plans for details. Still run through the verification questions below, such as version support, mod workflow and world upload, before you order.
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There are three practical ways to keep a multiplayer world online:
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- Official Simple Server Hosting: the lowest-administration option for a small, unmodded group that accepts a Central European server and a new hosted world.
- Third-party paid hosting: the route to investigate when you need mods, an existing world upload, a different region or more control-panel features. Current plans and support quality vary, so the provider directory is only a starting point.
- Self-hosting: the subscription-free option for technically comfortable players who can keep a computer and network reachable, apply updates and maintain backups.
| Route | Best fit | Third-party mods | Existing-world upload | Player and location information | Administration | Price evidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Official Simple Server Hosting | Small vanilla groups wanting the simplest setup | No, according to the current official listing | No upload process is currently provided | Up to eight concurrent players; Central Europe | In-game dashboard and developer support | 10 EUR per 30 days, VAT included; confirm the listing because terms can change |
| Third-party provider | Modded servers, regional choice or provider-managed infrastructure | Often supported, but verify the current plan and workflow | Not established across providers; verify before buying | Depends on the selected plan and data center | Depends on the control panel, support policy and update tools | No comparable market survey; check each provider directly |
| Self-hosted dedicated server | Hands-on users who want control and can maintain a machine | Possible, subject to your server and mod administration | Under your control | Determined by your internet connection and hardware | You handle networking, updates, backups and troubleshooting | No hosting subscription; hardware, electricity and connectivity remain your costs |
| Local/LAN hosting | Players in the same building or network | Controlled by the host world and installed content | Controlled by the host | Local network only unless you configure remote access | The host PC must stay on while others play | No hosting subscription |
The official overview distinguishes local hosting from free internet hosting: local play suits people on the same network, while internet play requires a capable connection, possible extra hardware or software, and a computer that remains on. See Vintage Story’s hosting overview before choosing the self-hosted route.
Official Simple Server Hosting: the easy vanilla option
What the listed plan includes
The official store lists Simple Server Hosting at 10 EUR per 30 days, VAT included. The service is always online, provides an in-game dashboard, includes developer support and allows up to eight concurrent players. The listed server location is Central Europe. These are the terms shown on the official listing accessed in 2026; recheck the page before paying because price, limits and features can change: Simple Server Hosting (8+ slots).
For a group of friends starting a fresh survival world, this combination removes the work of installing a dedicated server, forwarding ports and keeping a host computer online. The in-game controls are the main advantage: players do not need to build their own administration panel or monitor a home machine.
The two restrictions that decide whether it works
- No third-party mods: the current listing says third-party mods cannot be installed. This is not a minor limitation; a mod-dependent save or a planned modpack requires another route.
- No existing-world upload: the listing currently provides no process for uploading an existing single-player or self-hosted world. Treat a hosted world as a new starting point unless the official service changes its migration tools.
Release candidates and stable releases are supported, but prereleases are not. If your group follows experimental builds, official hosting will not match that update channel.
What happens when you stop paying?
According to the store listing, an expired server is stopped and frozen. The world remains downloadable for 180 days after expiry. Download the world within that window if you may return later or need to move it to another host. Do not assume an indefinitely retained backup; the stated 180-day period is the relevant recovery window.
Who should choose it?
Choose the official service when all of these statements are true:
Rank #2
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- Your group has no more than eight people online at once.
- You want a vanilla server without third-party mods.
- You are comfortable creating or continuing a world without uploading an existing save.
- Central Europe is an acceptable location for most players.
- You prefer an in-game dashboard and developer support over technical control.
If even one of the mod or world-transfer requirements is non-negotiable, start with the next two routes instead.
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Use the official directory as a shortlist, not a ranking
The official wiki maintains a list of server hosting providers. It explicitly says providers are listed in no particular order and are not vetted. The directory therefore does not establish reliability, uptime, value, support quality or current feature availability. It is useful for finding candidates, not for declaring a winner.
Before ordering, open the provider’s current Vintage Story plan page and ask support specific questions. Do not rely on an old coupon, an outdated version number or a generic “game server” description.
Questions to verify before buying
| Decision point | What to verify | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Version support | Which stable, release-candidate or other versions can be selected today? | A server that cannot run your client version can strand the world after an update. |
| Mod workflow | Can you install, update, disable and roll back third-party mods through the panel or file manager? Are dependencies and configuration files accessible? | “Mod support” is only useful if installation and recovery are practical. |
| World migration | Can you upload an existing save, and what file-size, downtime or support limits apply? | This determines whether you can continue a single-player or self-hosted world. |
| Location | Which data-center regions are actually available for Vintage Story? | Physical distance affects latency and can matter more than a small price difference. |
| Backups | Are backups automatic, how many are retained, where are they stored, and can you download them? | A host snapshot is not a substitute for an independently retained world copy. |
| Updates | Are game and mod updates manual, scheduled or automatic? Can you delay an update? | Delayed updates let a group coordinate client, server and mod versions. |
| Resources | How are RAM, CPU, storage and player slots allocated, and what happens at the limit? | Nominal slots do not describe how a heavily explored or modded world behaves. |
| Support | What channels, hours and response expectations apply to game-server problems? | Support quality becomes important during world corruption, failed updates or network incidents. |
| Recurring total | What is the renewal price, billing period, tax treatment and cost of extras such as backups or additional storage? | An introductory price is not the long-term cost. |
How to test a shortlisted provider without overcommitting
- Ask for the exact Vintage Story version and mod-management process in writing.
- Confirm the data-center region for the plan, not merely the company’s general location.
- Ask whether you can download a complete world backup before making changes.
- Read the cancellation and data-retention terms, including what happens after a failed renewal.
- Start with the shortest sensible billing period and a non-critical copy of the world.
- Have two players join at the same time, travel to separate areas and perform the normal actions your group expects. Treat this as your own acceptance check, not as an industry benchmark.
No comparable independent provider-price survey, uptime study or head-to-head performance test establishes a universal third-party winner. A provider earns your shortlist by meeting your requirements and explaining its current terms clearly.
Self-hosting: maximum control, maximum responsibility
Local network play
For players in the same building or network, local hosting can be free of a hosting subscription. The host computer must remain on while others are connected. This is suitable for occasional sessions in one home or classroom, but it is not an always-online service for remote friends.
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Internet hosting with the dedicated server
For remote players, the official documentation provides a dedicated server program that can run independently of the game client. The Dedicated Server guide covers the server process and version-sensitive settings. The broader multiplayer setup guide is useful when planning access and player management.
Rank #3
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Self-hosting does not mean “install once and forget.” You become the provider: the machine, operating system, network, firewall, game version, mods, backups and recovery plan are yours to maintain. An old desktop can work if it is stable and quiet enough to run continuously; a small computer can reduce power and space, but no particular model is established or tested here.
Hardware and capacity starting point
For a normal survival world in which players spread out, the official estimate is 1 GB base RAM plus 300 MB per player, with four CPU threads recommended. Anego Studios describes this as a rough, conservative estimate that may be reduced with tuning; it is not a guaranteed minimum or an independently measured benchmark. Read the estimate in the official hosting guidance and corroborating server guide.
Plan additional headroom for large explored worlds, intensive activity, mods, operating-system services and backups. Do not convert the estimate into a promise that a specific player count will run smoothly: world generation, travel patterns and mod behavior can change resource use.
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Linux software requirements
The current official system-requirements page says a Linux dedicated server needs .NET 10 and GLIBC 2.28 or higher. Confirm compatibility against the game version you select and the distribution running on your machine at Vintage Story system requirements. A host that meets the operating-system requirement can still fail if the server build and installed runtime do not match.
Network settings and access control
The default server port is 42420. The dedicated-server instructions call for forwarding TCP and, for game version 1.20 onward, UDP as well. Port-forwarding labels differ by router, so map the external port to the computer running the server and allow the same traffic through the host firewall. These details are version-sensitive; check the guide when upgrading.
Dedicated servers use whitelisting by default from version 1.20, while single-player worlds opened to LAN do not. Decide deliberately whether your group should use a whitelist, and review it after an update rather than assuming a LAN setting carries over to a dedicated server.
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A practical self-hosting setup sequence
- Choose the game version. Keep every player on the same supported version and decide whether stable or release-candidate builds are appropriate.
- Prepare the machine. Install the required runtime for the selected environment; on current Linux requirements, check for .NET 10 and GLIBC 2.28 or newer.
- Install the dedicated server. Follow the file layout and launch instructions in the official guide rather than mixing files from different versions.
- Choose the world and administration settings. Set the world, operator access, whitelist policy and any mod files before inviting remote players.
- Open the network path. Forward port 42420 and permit TCP plus UDP for version 1.20 onward, then verify that the router and host firewall point to the correct machine.
- Test locally first. Join from the host or local network, confirm the world loads and check that an operator can manage players.
- Test remotely. Have one player outside the home network connect. If local play works but remote play fails, investigate the router, firewall, carrier-grade NAT or internet service before changing game files.
- Automate operations you can recover. Schedule world backups, record the server version and mod list, and document how to restore a known-good copy.
- Monitor and update deliberately. Update the server, clients and mods as a coordinated change. Keep the previous world backup until the new version has been tested.
Worlds, backups and moving between routes
Starting a new world
The official service is simplest when you are willing to create a new hosted world. For a third-party host or self-hosted server, decide where the authoritative copy lives before anyone builds: the person who owns the only local save also owns the migration risk.
Moving an existing world
The official service currently has no world-upload process, so an existing single-player world cannot be treated as a routine import there. Third-party hosts should be asked explicitly about upload tools, file-size limits, downtime and permissions. With self-hosting, you control the files, but you still need a compatible server version and a tested backup.
Backup practice
- Keep at least one downloadable copy outside the running server machine.
- Record the game version and mod list beside each backup.
- Before a game or mod update, create a fresh backup and retain the previous known-good copy.
- Periodically restore a copy to a test location; a backup that has never been restored is only an assumption.
- For the official service, remember the stated 180-day download window after expiry.
Latency, player slots and geography
Player slots and physical location solve different problems. Eight concurrent players is the official service’s listed capacity, not a guarantee that every world or play style will perform identically. A Central European server may be perfectly reasonable for a European group and less attractive when most players are on another continent. Third-party plans and self-hosting let you investigate a closer region, but verify the actual data center rather than relying on a company’s headquarters.
For a private group, ask where the majority of players are located, how often they travel far apart in the world and whether anyone needs to join while the usual host is offline. Those answers usually matter more than a nominal slot count.
Cost: compare the recurring total, not just the headline price
Official service
The published figure is 10 EUR per 30 days including VAT. It is a recurring charge, not a one-time purchase, and the listing may change. There is no need to add a separate computer, home electricity or port-forwarding setup for the hosted service.
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No standardized provider-price comparison is established. Calculate the renewal price, taxes, storage, backup add-ons, extra slots, setup fees and any premium support. A low introductory price is not evidence of a low long-term cost.
Best Value
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Self-hosting
There is no hosting subscription, but the total cost includes a computer, electricity, internet service, replacement parts and your administration time. If you already own a machine that can remain online, self-hosting may be economical; buying hardware solely for one small world may not be.
Common failure points and fixes
| Symptom | Likely cause | First checks |
|---|---|---|
| Players cannot connect remotely | Incorrect port forwarding, firewall rule, changing local IP or an internet connection that blocks inbound access | Confirm the server’s local address, port 42420, TCP/UDP rules required by the version and whether another player outside the network can test. |
| Clients report a version mismatch | Server and players are on different game or mod versions | Record the server build, update or roll back every client consistently, and restore the pre-update backup if necessary. |
| A modded world will not start on official hosting | Third-party mods are not supported by the official service | Move the world to a compatible third-party host or self-hosted dedicated server after verifying migration and backup procedures. |
| An existing save cannot be added to official hosting | The current listing has no world-upload process | Keep the original save safe and choose a route that explicitly supports uploads. |
| Players are removed after an update | Dedicated-server whitelist behavior or player-list changes | Check the version-specific whitelist setting and confirm each player is authorized. |
| The Linux server fails before launch | Missing or incompatible .NET runtime or GLIBC | Compare the host against the current system requirements and the selected server build. |
| The world becomes unavailable after a canceled service | Hosting expiry stopped and froze the official server | Download the world within the stated 180-day retention window or renew before that period ends. |
A decision checklist for 2026
Pick official Simple Server Hosting if you want the least setup, need no third-party mods, can start without uploading an existing world, have no more than eight concurrent players and are comfortable with Central Europe.
Investigate a third-party host if mods, world migration, a different region, managed backups or a control panel are priorities. Use the official directory to find candidates, then verify current version support, mod tools, locations, backup downloads, update controls, support and renewal pricing yourself.
Self-host if you are comfortable administering a computer and network, can keep the machine and connection available, and value control over convenience. Budget time for updates, backups, firewall and router work, troubleshooting and recovery.
The “best” Vintage Story hosting choice is therefore conditional: official hosting is the clearest fit for a small vanilla group; third-party hosting is the investigation path for modded or migrated worlds; and self-hosting suits hands-on players who accept operational responsibility.
If you decide to pay for a third-party host, our top pick is Godlike.Host, thanks to its choice of locations, free backups with restore and 24/7 support.
Quick Recap
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