Section
Game server planning tools
There are four tools: a rent-versus-self-host cost calculator, a RAM range viewer, a price normaliser and a host filter. None of them uses measured data, because none exists. Each works from figures that hosts and other publishers have published, and each says whose figure it is.
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- Which game server host fits your game or pack?Filter 10 game server hosts by game, pricing model, refund window, free trial and whether they name a CPU. Based on published facts, and it never ranks hosts.
- Price per stable player calculatorTurn game server promo prices, billing terms and plan sizes into one comparable monthly cost. The stable-player field stays empty until data exists.
- Game server RAM and plan size calculatorSee what game developers and hosts publish about server RAM for your game and player count, side by side with who said it, instead of one made-up number.
- Rent vs self-host game server calculatorCompare the real cost of renting a game server, running a VPS or hosting at home, with promo pricing, electricity, hardware and your own admin time included.
What does each tool take in and give back?
| Tool | You enter | You get back | Data behind it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rent vs self-host calculator | Promo and renewal prices, power use, hardware, and the value of your admin time | Each route's total over 12 and 36 months, and the month home hosting becomes cheaper, if it does | The numbers you enter. No measured resource use. |
| Server RAM calculator | Game and player count, with optional overhead and headroom | The range of published RAM figures, each with its publisher and whether it sells hosting | Published figures only. It does not pick a single number. |
| Price per stable player calculator | Promo and renewal price, billing cycle, how long you will keep the server, and plan size | Effective monthly cost, per GB, per slot and per expected player | Prices you enter. The stable-player field is not available yet. |
| Host picker | Game, pricing model, minimum refund window, free trial, and whether a CPU model must be named | Hosts whose published facts match, in alphabetical order | Published plans and terms. It never ranks hosts. |
What do the tools not do?
The RAM calculator is not a measurement. It shows how far apart the published figures are, for instance the spread in the guides. The price tool can compare what plans cost, but a "stable player" is a defined measurement on this site, set out in the stable player definition, and no plan has been measured against it. Until that happens the field stays unavailable and the tool does not estimate one.
The host picker filters on facts such as a confirmed game or a refund window. It cannot say a host performs well. Its output is a shortlist; the host reviews give the fine print on each entry.
Which tool should you open first?
- Choosing between a rental and a home machine: the rent-vs-self-host calculator.
- Unsure how large a plan to buy: the RAM calculator, then the relevant guide.
- Comparing plans priced per slot, per GB and per term: the price tool.
- Starting from the game and wanting a shortlist: the host picker.
When measured data exists, the tools would draw from the data page format. Until then, treat every output as a summary of published claims.