Choosing the correct server for your game is very important for a seamless gaming experience. It can impact your game’s performance, player experience, and security. Before choosing the right game server host, many factors are considered, such as the server’s location, security, customization, scalability, cost, and control over server settings.
Types of game servers –
There are four basic game servers, and we’ll help you choose one for a smooth gaming experience.
Peer-to-peer hosting
Peer-to-peer hosting doesn’t use a physical server; instead, it relies on the players as the players connect with each other’s machines to maintain an online network to play. It is also known as peer 2 peer or P2P. This is the simplest and least costly of the four hosting types. P2P works better for small games where players’ locations are geographically close.
P2P works in two ways:
First: One player sets themselves up as the host/server, and all the other players connect to them.
Second: When it’s a public lobby, the game automatically chooses the host, it is usually the player with the best and stable internet connection.
However, in both models, the game’s performance depends on the resources of one player’s (host) server; if that player has a poor connection, all the players can suffer lagging, thus affecting the gaming experience.
Bare metal server hosting Bare metal server hosting work on a single-tenant model and give their clients exclusive and complete use of the server resources – RAM, CPU, Storage, and bandwidth.
There are three different ways to host on dedicated servers for gaming:
On-premise – One or more servers are physically hosted on-site within the gaming studio’s premises in this hosting.
Co-location – In a co-location, the hosting provider rents the empty racks from their data centers to their clients. The rent will cover the space and power on a monthly basis. The client has to source and purchase the bare metal servers, configure them, and manage and monitor them closely. The client has to source networking and routing hardware and look for an internet service provider.
Infrastructure-as-a-service (IaaS) – In IaaS, the cost of purchasing hardware is eliminated as the game studios can rent dedicated bare metal servers from any IaaS company. The IaaS provider then deploys the servers, operating system, security, and internet connections.
Cloud server / virtual machine hosting Cloud servers run virtually in a cloud computing environment. In this hosting, the virtual machines are accessed through a network from anywhere in the world. It is an excellent option for the launch day of games when players’ numbers are unknown or for a time frame when the traffic surges.
Hybrid infrastructure hosting
Hybrid hosting allows clients to combine different types of infrastructure hosting (on-premises data centers, private clouds, or public clouds) to suit their game’s specific needs. Operating systems and applications can be deployed on any of these environments, depending on business requirements.
Important criteria to look for when choosing a game server provider:
Performance: To provide a smooth gaming experience, it is critical to choose a provider that offers high performance, lag-free, and low latency.
Ease of use: You need a server that is easy to set up. Choose a provider with an intuitive and easy-to-navigate dedicated control panel.
Reliability: Gaming is a highly competitive activity, so check the providers’ uptime guarantees and customer reviews to gauge the provider’s reliability. Because nothing hurts more than a game that lags or freezes at a critical moment.
Global data centers: Your game server and players’ location matters. The nearer the server is to the player’s location, the better the connection, the better the performance, and the lower the latency. If you have a global player base, choose a server with a global network of data centers.
Resources: Ensure that the game server providers’ hardware (CPU, RAM, and storage) can handle the game’s demands and anticipated traffic.
Security: When hosting games online, security can never be compromised. Therefore, choosing a provider that offers DDoS (Distributed Denial of Service) protection is vital. This safeguards the game server and provides players with a secure environment to enjoy the game.
Customer Support: Check for the provider’s expertise in server hosting and support offerings, including available channels (email, phone, live chat, etc.) from which to seek support and their response time. Choosing a provider that offers 24/7 support is important when your game caters to players worldwide with different time zones.
Why dedicated servers for gaming are better?
While you have different options for gaming servers, choosing dedicated servers can actually be beneficial. With dedicated servers for gaming, you will get high performance, high bandwidth, top-tier security, reliability, and complete control over the server to tweak it according to your gaming needs.
