Today’s gaming landscape is one that values connection. There are thousands of online games that can keep you connected with friends and family while setting up friendly collaboration and competition. And while your Triple-A Xbox and PlayStation titles may be well-polished and have top-of-the-line graphics, they cannot compete with online gaming in terms of continuing replayability and scale.
Many online video games can directly benefit from dedicated gaming servers to reduce lag and handle high-volume traffic. For those hosting a game server, the process of hosting and playing at the same time can be a strain on the computer. This almost always leads to lowered game performance and possible crashing. The stress on your computer is significantly less when using dedicated hardware or a VPS (Virtual Private Server).
What is a Dedicated Server?
Dedicated servers are rented hardware used to host websites or gaming servers. Companies that offer server hosting typically charge on a monthly or quarterly subscription basis. This essentially means that you can use the company’s computer to bring your gaming server or website online and not have to worry about the strain on your machine.
Dedicated servers are usually set up on top-of-the-line SSDs (Solid State Drive) in a controlled and carefully backed up environment. When purchasing a dedicated server, your provider will send over an admin password to get you started.
Once logged in, you should find a blank drive where you can begin the installation or file transfer process for server and website hosting. None of the customization options from hosting on your own drive are lost for game server hosting through these servers.
Dedicated servers are the ultimate upgrade for the online gaming experience. They maximize game performance and typically have no limit on the data transfers. You can choose a location for your server’s hardware, with many companies offering data centers based throughout the globe. You can also select a virtual location for the server or a VPS.
If you want to increase the scale of your gaming server, dedicated servers are also the way to go. If you are currently hosting a server, you may notice that the memory usage increases with each person who logs on. There is a limit to the number of people online before the server eventually crashes or introduces unplayable levels of lag.
Scaling up is easy when using a dedicated server, meaning that the game you are hosting will not lag or crash, no matter the number of people online. Dedicated servers also use enterprise-level security to ensure that your data is not compromised. Let’s take a look at some of the games that can directly benefit from a VPS or dedicated hardware.
Minecraft
The best-selling PC game of all time is one of the most customizable games ever created. One of the easiest ways to customize a Minecraft world is by hosting your server. Hosting a Minecraft server allows you to have control over who is playing in your game world, and have administrator controls for everyone logged on. You will also have the ability to change different aspects of the world, such as the day/night settings, the survival modes, and even the level of gravity.
Hosting a Minecraft server can be done on many PCs. Still, there are considerable limitations to the number of users logged on, and it may not be possible to host the server and play on it simultaneously. The limitations are lifted with a dedicated server, making it easy for you and your friends to log in and play together without lag.
When using a service provider, make sure to record the IP address of your dedicated server or VPS, as this is often necessary for joining. The OVH website features several step-by-step guides for helping you setup and build a dedicated minecraft server.
Fortnite
There are two modes of Fortnite that can benefit from having a dedicated server: Battle Royale and Fortnite Creative. Fortnite Creative benefits from a dedicated server for the same reasons as Minecraft- it allows complete freedom for world design and keeps the lag to a minimum when playing together with a larger group.
Fortnite’s Battle Royale mode has less opportunity for world design but directly involves the competition of up to a hundred players at once. There are literally millions of players in this game mode, and the competition is fierce. Using a dedicated server can give you and your team the edge in terms of game responsiveness.
Counter-Strike Global Offensive
Counter-Strike Global Offensive, also known as CS:GO, has been out for quite a while, but its popularity has continued to trend upwards. This multiplayer shooter has a few options for creating a dedicated server, particularly when using community modes and maps.
The number of players for a CS:GO server is typically limited to 32, though in some cases, your custom server can host up to 250 players at once. Having this amount of players on the server at once almost always requires dedicated hardware. You can check the system requirements for CS:GO custom servers here.
Rust
Rust is a more recent game (not including the long early-access phase) than those listed above, and its focus is specifically on survival gameplay. The game’s objectives involve gathering resources and materials in the wilderness while building a reserve of combat tools for player vs. player gameplay. Rust has higher system requirements for hosting when compared to games like Minecraft, which makes dedicated servers and VPS setups the most reasonable and convenient way to host games.
Conclusion – 4 Video Games That Can Benefit From a Dedicated Server
Hosting an online multiplayer game can be a complex process that often requires a few hours for full-scale setup no matter the game. The end result of this process can often be overriding lag and crashing when your hardware cannot support hosting and playing simultaneously. Dedicated server hosting is the most convenient base for building your server and ensures that you will have continuing top-notch security and optimal game performance.
