Why survival games are the hardest servers to size
Finding the best server hosting survival games need is trickier than sizing a website, because every game simulates a persistent world differently. A WordPress site with a thousand visitors is predictable; a Satisfactory factory with four players building megastructures can eat 16 GB of RAM without blinking. The three numbers that matter are RAM, single-thread CPU speed, and disk speed, roughly in that order.
Two patterns hold across nearly every survival title. First, RAM scales with world size and player activity, not just player count: an explored map with huge bases costs more than a fresh one. Second, most of these games are single-thread bound for their simulation logic, which means a fast 4-core VPS beats a slow 8-core one. NVMe storage matters too, because autosaves on a spinning disk cause the lag spikes players complain about.
All seven games below run on Linux, which is why a Linux KVM VPS is the natural home for them. You get full root access, you install exactly what the game needs, and nobody else’s workload steals your CPU at 2am during a horde night (checked 14 Oct 2026).
Satisfactory and Enshrouded: the RAM hungry pair
Satisfactory is the heaviest game on this list. The official wiki figures call for 8 GB minimum and 16 GB for larger saves or more than four players, on a CPU with strong single-core performance. Ports to open: 7777, 15000 and 15777 over UDP. This is a 16 GB server, full stop; trying to squeeze a real factory onto 8 GB is the most common self-hosting mistake.
Enshrouded is deceptive: the developer’s own FAQ says the server idles at about 4.4 GB and should not exceed roughly 6 GB total, with each player adding up to 100 MB. But that is the game process alone; the OS, update tooling and the compatibility layer all need room, and community guides recommend 8 GB minimum with 16 GB for comfort. Two honest caveats: the server binary is Windows-only and runs on Linux through Wine or Proton, and the official recommended spec is 16 GB. Ports: 15636 and 15637 UDP.
Project Zomboid, 7 Days to Die and Conan Exiles: the middleweights
Project Zomboid wants 4 GB minimum and over 8 GB for stable modded play, with 4+ cores recommended. Open 16261 and 16262 UDP plus 27015 TCP. 7 Days to Die needs 6 to 8 GB minimum and 12 to 16 GB for modded or busy servers, and it is heavily single-thread bound, so clock speed beats core count. Ports: 26900 to 26902.
Conan Exiles asks for 8 GB minimum and 16 GB recommended, with an SSD strongly advised for its large database. Ports: 7777 and 27015 UDP, with 27016 TCP optional for remote admin. Hostinger even publishes a dedicated Conan Exiles setup tutorial, which tells you how mainstream self-hosting this game has become (hostinger.com/tutorials/conan-exiles-dedicated-server-setup, checked 14 Oct 2026).
All three are comfortable on a 16 GB VPS and cramped on 8 GB once mods enter the picture. If you run two of them on one machine, add their RAM needs together and then add the OS overhead; game servers share badly when memory runs short.
V Rising and Terraria: the lightweights
V Rising is refreshingly modest: about 6 GB of RAM, 2 CPU cores and 20 GB of storage for a single server. An 8 GB VPS handles it with room to spare, making it one of the few survival games where the mid-tier plan is genuinely enough. Terraria is lighter still: 1 to 2 GB for a vanilla world, 4 GB or more once mods like tModLoader or TShock enter the picture, on TCP port 7777.
These two are the best candidates if your budget is tight. A Terraria server sips resources so gently you could run it alongside a TeamSpeak server and a small website on the same VPS without anyone noticing. Just remember that mods change everything: a heavily modded Terraria world can double its RAM appetite, so leave headroom.
Best server hosting survival games: VPS size guide
Here is the practical answer to best server hosting survival games of each weight class. Light (Terraria, small V Rising): 8 GB RAM is comfortable; a 4 GB plan works for Terraria alone. Medium (Project Zomboid vanilla, V Rising busy): 8 GB minimum, 12 GB for comfort. Heavy (Satisfactory, Enshrouded, Conan Exiles, 7 Days to Die, modded anything): 16 GB, no shortcuts.
On Hostinger's VPS line that maps cleanly: KVM 1 (1 vCPU, 4 GB RAM, 50 GB NVMe) for Terraria-class loads, KVM 2 (2 vCPU, 8 GB RAM, 100 GB NVMe) for the middle, and KVM 4 (4 vCPU, 16 GB RAM, 200 GB NVMe) for the heavy hitters (checked 14 Oct 2026). When in doubt, pick the bigger plan: RAM pressure causes the exact lag spikes that make players quit, and the cost difference is smaller than the frustration.
For game-specific hosting advice beyond survival titles, see our game server hosting guide, and compare plans on the VPS hosting overview before you commit.
The Linux reality: Wine, ports and patience
A self-managed VPS means you are the sysadmin. That is a feature for game hosting, but go in with open eyes. You will install SteamCMD, open firewall ports per game, set up automatic restarts, and handle updates yourself. None of this is hard, but it is real work, and 2am debugging sessions are part of the hobby.
Two technical gotchas deserve emphasis. First, Windows-only server binaries (Enshrouded) run through Wine or Proton on Linux: it works, the community does it daily, but expect occasional quirks and test thoroughly. Second, several of these games need multiple UDP ports open, and a misconfigured firewall is the number one reason a fresh server appears offline. Open exactly the ports listed in the table above, no more.
Backups are the unglamorous part that matters most. World files corrupt, updates break mods, and players do catastrophic things. Schedule automated backups of the world directory somewhere off the VPS. A server you cannot restore is a server you do not really have.
When NOT to self-host on a VPS
Self-hosting is not for everyone, and honesty demands the exceptions. If the thought of SSH makes you nervous, a managed game host with a control panel will get you playing tonight instead of next weekend; you pay more per slot but zero sysadmin hours. If you only play with two friends occasionally, hosting from your own PC while you play is free and perfectly fine.
Also consider managed options when you need features a raw VPS does not provide: one-click modpacks, DDoS protection tuned for game traffic, or support staff who know the specific game. A VPS is the most flexible and usually the cheapest per unit of power, but flexibility is only valuable if you use it. Check KVM 2 pricing details to see where the value sweet spot sits for your game.
| Game | RAM guidance | Key ports | VPS fit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Satisfactory | 8 GB min, 16 GB recommended | 7777, 15000, 15777 UDP | KVM 4 (16 GB) |
| Enshrouded | 6 GB game max, 8-16 GB practical | 15636, 15637 UDP | KVM 4 (16 GB) |
| Project Zomboid | 4 GB min, 8 GB+ modded | 16261, 16262 UDP, 27015 TCP | KVM 2 minimum, KVM 4 modded |
| 7 Days to Die | 6-8 GB min, 12-16 GB recommended | 26900-26902 | KVM 4 (16 GB) |
| Conan Exiles | 8 GB min, 16 GB recommended | 7777, 27015 UDP | KVM 4 (16 GB) |
| V Rising | 6 GB min, 2 cores, 20 GB disk | Varies by setup | KVM 2 (8 GB) |
| Terraria | 1-2 GB vanilla, 4 GB+ modded | 7777 TCP | KVM 1 or KVM 2 |
VPS KVM 2
24-month plan, paid upfront
Renews at $14.99/mo
- 2 vCPU + 8 GB RAM
- 100 GB NVMe storage
- 8 TB bandwidth
- Full root access
- n8n one-click template available
FAQ
Yes for most of them, and that is the point of this guide. Terraria and small V Rising servers are happy on 8 GB, which a mid-tier VPS covers. Satisfactory, Enshrouded, Conan Exiles, Project Zomboid and 7 Days to Die realistically want 12 to 16 GB once mods and real player counts enter the picture. Size for the game you actually play, not the cheapest plan.
For most of these games, yes. They are single-thread bound for simulation logic, which means per-core clock speed matters more than piling on cores. A 4-core VPS with fast cores will outperform an 8-core VPS with slow ones on Satisfactory, 7 Days to Die and Conan Exiles. Check the CPU's single-thread rating, not just the core count.
It is playable but limited. Enshrouded's server binary is Windows-only, so on a Linux VPS it runs through Wine or Proton, which adds overhead and occasional quirks. Satisfactory's developers recommend Windows Server but support Linux. If you want zero compatibility friction and the game offers no native Linux server, a Windows machine is simpler, but Hostinger's VPS line is Linux-only.
Open only the ports your game needs, keep the OS updated, run the server as a non-root user, and back up the world files on a schedule. Game servers are attractive targets because they are always on and often poorly maintained. A VPS gives you the firewall; using it is your job since the server is self-managed.
Start with the smallest VPS that fits your game's RAM guidance, and monitor memory usage for a week. If you consistently sit above 80 percent, size up before players complain. Most hosts let you upgrade a VPS in place, so there is no penalty for starting lean. Never size for the maximum player count on day one.