If we talk about survival open-world games, most people imagine RPGs or first-peяrson shooters. There are, however, multiple other worthy representatives of the genre, like Starbound. We prepared a detailed review on starbound game, as well as the main features of starbound dedicated servers and the best starbound server host providers.
So, what is starbound? This is an action-adventure game in an open world, in which players need to survive in a random world and explore the universe. The action occurs in a two-dimensional world where gamers can uncover galactic mysteries and colonize planets. Sandbox mechanics allow you to freely interact with the surrounding, building farms, collecting rare creatures, or inspecting dangerous dungeons.
Free world exploration, terraforming and ability to interact with the surrounding environment, multiple enemies to fight and places to investigate, farming and building abilities make starbound game an ideal choice for adventurous personalities. Starbound multiplayer mode further boosts game attractiveness and popularity. In addition, this game is available on different platforms: pc, ps4, xbox. No wonder there are so many public starbound servers as well as specialized companies renting out servers for starbound.
Let’s find out how to make a server on starbound, the main advantages of a dedicated server, and the most attractive renting starbound server options.
Minimum Starbound server Hosting Requirement
Before we dive deep into the benefits of owning a starbound server, its features and advantages, let’s take a look at the technical side of the issue. Minimum system requirements for the game itself include:
- Processor: Core 2 Duo
- Memory: 2 GB RAM
- Graphics: 256 MB graphics memory and DirectX 9.0c compatible gpu
- DirectX: Version 9.0c
- Network: Broadband Internet connection
- Storage: 3 GB available space
To become a starbound server host, you definitely need better parameters. We recommend possessing at least a Core i3 processor, 4 GB of RAM, a Discrete GPU capable of DirectX 9.0c, and 4 GB of available storage. We should mention, however, that the more resources you have, the better starbound server hosting you will have.
The Top 8 Starbound Server Hosting Providers
For our review, we looked through multiple providers and picked 8 best starbound server hosting companies. We analyzed their offerings, highlighted the main features, and compared strengths and weaknesses. Our top starbound server list is the following:
- Host Havoc – Confidence in Your Server
- GTX Gaming – Excellent Performance
- PingPerfect – Variety of Useful Features
- Apex Hosting – Unlimited Game Slots
- Nitrous Networks – User-friendly Management
- Streamline servers – Hosting for Large Teams
- Gameservers – Impressive Hardware
- LOW.MS – Vast Knowledgebase
Best Starbound Servers Hosting in Details
Wondering why we mentioned exactly these companies in our top list? Let’s now dive deep into the characteristics of each starbound dedicated server hosting provider and find out what makes them peculiar.
1. Host Havoc – Confidence in Your Server
Host Havoc offers an excellent solution for big teams. Data centers in 12 locations, substantial hardware resources, and a 99.9% network uptime guarantee provide smooth game performance. At the same time, free DDoS protection and comprehensive support ensure a problem-free gaming experience.
An advanced control panel is another feature of this starbound host server provider. Its user-friendly interface suits both novices and experienced players. It also allows you to instantly set up any mods and plugins, as well as manage all your files.
Pricing starts at $9 per month for 12 slots. Players can also purchase extra CPU priority for $4. Important to mention that Host Havoc offers a 72-hour risk-free money-back guarantee.
KEY FEATURES
Price: from $9.00 per month (12 slots)
RAM: 8–16 GB
Free trial: No
Players: 12–50
Control panel: TCAdmin
DDoS protection: Yes
Mods allowed: Yes
Instant setup: Yes
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
|
99.9% uptime guarantee
72-hour Risk-Free Money-Back Guarantee
Easy mod installation
Free DDoS protection
|
Not the largest number of server locations
No free trial
|
2. GTX Gaming – Excellent Performance
GTX Gaming provides solid and reliable starbound hosting services focusing on performance and functionality. Data centers in 21 locations guarantee excellent connection and the absence of any lags. Moreover, daily offsite backups keep all your data safe.
Freedom of action is another peculiar feature. You can easily install any starbound server mods. In addition, you can enjoy free game switching – shift to any other hosted game in just a couple of clicks.
Pricing starts at £10 (approximately $11.75) monthly for 10 slots. You can additionally purchase higher CPU clock speed, CPU priority, and NVMe. M2 Enterprise hard disk. You should also keep in mind that some server locations require extra payments.
KEY FEATURES
Price: from $11.75 per month (10 slots)
RAM: 5–32 GB
Free trial: No
Players: 10–120
Control panel: Custom
DDoS protection: Yes
Mods allowed: Yes
Instant setup: Yes
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
|
Global coverage
Custom control panel
Great performance
24-hour money-back guarantee
Up to 120 game slots
Possible switching between games
|
Not the fastest support
No free trial
|
3. PingPerfect – Variety of Useful Features
PingPerfect offers multiple interesting peculiarities on how to use starbound server. Instant server setup, backup systems, and DDoS protection guarantee problem-free gameplay. At the same time, enterprise-level hardware and multiple server locations across the globe offer excellent performance and connection.
A powerful control panel provides multiple options regarding server configuration. Easy-to-use sliders and drop-down menus make you a true manager of the hosting. You can also utilize text editors to adjust the star bound servers to a more detailed level. Finally, you can share admin rights with your friends by creating sub-user sections.
Pricing starts at $10.52 per month for 10 game slots. Important to keep in mind that some server locations, as well as better resources, higher CPU priority, and premium support, require additional payments.
KEY FEATURES
Price: from $10.52 per month (10 slots)
RAM: 2–12 GB
Free trial: Yes
Players: 10–50
Control panel: TCAdmin
DDoS protection: Yes
Mods allowed: Yes
Instant setup: Yes
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
|
48-hour free trial period
Multiple server locations
Great support
48-hour money-back guarantee
|
Some server locations require extra payments
Data centers’ locations with higher performance require additional payment
|
4. Apex Hosting – Unlimited Game Slots
Apex Hosting offers to host a starbound server for an unlimited number of players in teams. Solid hardware resources, excellent network connection, and multiple server locations perfectly support this opportunity.
At the same time, instant server setup, world-class support service, DDoS protection, full FTP file access, and a powerful admin panel guarantee complete control over all the processes as well as an unforgettable game experience.
Pricing starts at $9.99 (first month – $7.49) on a monthly basis. You can additionally buy premium support, plugins installation, dedicated IP, and custom modpack creation. Some server locations also require extra investments.
KEY FEATURES
Price: from $9.99 per month
RAM: 2–16 GB
Free trial: No
Players: Unlimited
Control panel: Custom
DDoS protection: Yes
Mods allowed: Yes
Instant setup: Yes
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
|
Multiple server locations
Solid hardware
Full DDoS protection
Reliable connections
|
Many additional features require relatively high extra payments
|
5. Nitrous Networks – User-friendly Management
Nitrous Networks makes hosting a starbound server as easy as possible. First, players can enjoy an intuitive web interface. Second, server setup and management are clear and straightforward. Finally, a powerful control panel offers extensive server management opportunities.
Though there are not as many server locations as other providers offer, Nitrous Networks guarantees excellent connection and game performance. In addition, players can enjoy a free Mumble voice server.
Pricing starts at $9.5 per month for 10 game slots. This includes free web hosting, free MySQL, free support, and DDoS Protection.
KEY FEATURES
Price: from $9.5 per month (10 slots)
RAM: 8 GB
Free trial: No
Players: 10–32
Control panel: TCAdmin
DDoS protection: Yes
Mods allowed: No
Instant setup: Yes
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
|
Free web hosting
Free DDoS protection
Excellent support
|
A relatively small number of server locations
|
6. Streamline servers – Hosting for Large Teams
Streamline servers provider offers one of the best starbound servers with extremely low ping. In addition, instant server installation and a powerful admin panel make server management easy and versatile.
Another positive feature is the one-click mod installation from the Mod manager. As a result, up to 256 players can enjoy playing modded starbound servers.
Pricing starts at $12 per month for 8 game slots. You can also purchase better CPU speed and priority. Keep in mind that some server locations can require extra payments. At the same time, the annual subscription can save up to 20%.
KEY FEATURES
Price: from $12 per month (8 slots)
RAM: 8–16 GB
Free trial: No
Players: 8-256
Control panel: TCAdmin
DDoS protection: Yes
Mods allowed: Yes
Instant setup: Yes
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
|
Many data centers
Advanced control panel
Many game slots
Accepts Bitcoin
|
elatively high price
|
7. Gameservers – Impressive Hardware
Gameservers – another excellent provider for a public starbound server. Enterprise-level hardware and modern datacenters ensure excellent performance and reliability. At the same time, server locations all around the world guarantee a low-ping connection. The company also offers a separate voice server.
Pricing starts at $3.95 monthly for 4 players. Players need no extra payments for some server locations or additional resources. In addition, a 12-month prepayment provides a 15% discount.
KEY FEATURES
Price: from $3.95 per month (4 slots)
RAM: 16–64 GB
Free trial: No
Players: 4–30
Control panel: Custom
DDoS protection: Yes
Mods allowed: Yes
Instant setup: Yes
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
|
Many server locations
Impressive hardware
Allows to assemble small teams
|
No free trial
The website could contain more information
|
8. LOW.MS – Vast Knowledgebase
LOW.MS is a great provider for starting a starbound server hosting. Enterprise-level hardware ( i9 9900k / AMD 5600x processors), excellent 1 Gbps connection, NVME SSDs, real-time server availability, and DDoS protection from attacks up to 40 Gbps are only some of the company’s features.
With LOW.MS, you don’t need to worry about how to mod starbound server. One-click mods installation and Steam Workshop integration allow you to customize the game as much as you want. Moreover, there is a huge knowledge base, so you can find answers to many questions. For instance, how to create a starbound server, how to host starbound server in a proper way, how to join a starbound server of your friends, or how to make a modded starbound server in just a couple of clicks.
Pricing starts at $8.54 per month for 8 slots. Players can purchase extra GB of RAM (10 GB allocated for free), dedicated CPU thread, dedicated IP, and top-notch NVME SSDs.
KEY FEATURES
Price: from $8.54 per month (8 slots)
RAM: 10–30 GB
Free trial: No
Players: 8–70
Control panel: Custom
DDoS protection: Yes
Mods allowed: Yes
Instant setup: Yes
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
|
Many server locations
Immense hardware resources
Easy mods management
Secure payments
|
No free trial
Support could be better
|
Starbound Servers Hosting Comparison
Let’s now summarize our findings on the starbound game servers comparison.
| Hosting | Pricing / mo (starting at) |
RAM | Free trial | Players limit | Control panel | DDoS protection | Mods | Instant setup |
| Host Havoc | $9.00 | 8GB | No | 12–50 | TCAdmin | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| GTX Gaming | $11.75 | 5GB | No | 10–120 | Custom | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| PingPerfect | $10.52 | 2GB | Yes | 10–50 | TCAdmin | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Apex Hosting | $9.99 | 2GB | No | Unlimited | Custom | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Nitrous Networks | $9.5 | 8GB | No | 10–32 | TCAdmin | Yes | No | Yes |
| Streamline servers | $12.00 | 8GB | No | 8-256 | TCAdmin | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| GameServers | $3.95 | 16GB | Yes | 4–30 | Custom | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| LOW.MS | $8.54 | 10GB | No | 8-70 | Custom | Yes | Yes | Yes |
How to Choose The Best Starbound Server Hosting Provider
Consider getting starbound hosting a server via a specialized provider? You may have some questions, regardless of whether you know how to host starbound server, or how to run and manage it. So, what to pay attention to while choosing a server provider?
- Performance and reliability. Hosting starbound servers requires additional resources. The company provider should possess enough hardware resources to guarantee an excellent gaming experience.
- Server locations. Multiple data centers worldwide ensure better connection, preventing games from lagging.
- Mods availability. If you want to modify your game and upload starbound mods on server, you certainly need to double-check in advance whether the provider allows it.
- Server setup difficulty. It’s not a secret how to get starbound or how to play starbound. Setting up and running a server is a much more complicated task. Be sure the processes are simple and well-established.
- Costs and billing. Starbound isn’t an expensive game. There is no reason in making a starbound server rental a 10x larger investment.
Benefits Of Running Your Own Starbound Server Hosting
Running a starbound dedicated server is not the easiest task. You need reliable hardware resources, server setup and management skills, additional time, and, in most cases, financial investments. So, what benefits do you receive if you decide to set up and run your own dedicated starbound server?
Control
Starbound servers hosting allows you to test your skills as a manager. Not only can you adjust the server and establish the necessary settings configuration, but you also need to connect all the teammates properly. You can rely on an advanced admin panel to supervise and command all the processes.
Performance
Whether you choose to host starbound server on your own or rent it via a specialized hosting provider, you can count on extra hardware resources. Because technical requirements for running a server are usually at least twice as high as running a game itself, your game performance will be excellent with extra hardware.
Authenticity
With individual hosting a starbound modded server becomes an easy task to accomplish. Running your own server offers a unique opportunity to install and combine any mods you like.
Reliability
This is primarily a benefit of a starbound server rental. Hosting providers utilize multiple data centers all over the world. They also provide solid network connection. This results in lag-free and stable gameplay.
Paying for Starbound Hosting vs. Hosting Yourself
Now you know the main benefits of a dedicated Starbound server, starbound server requirements, the main hosting features to pay attention to, and the top starbound servers providers. The last remaining question is, what is better: rent a dedicated server starbound or host it on your own?
Hosting a server by yourself may be a good option for small teams of close friends – no third parties and complete control of all the processes. So, if you have a really powerful pc at your disposal and a reliable connection, you can host a server on your own. Is starbound server hosting free in such a case? Yes, which many may also consider an advantage.
At the same time, renting a starbound public server via a specialized company has many advantages. First, you can count on multiple server locations, high-quality connection, and solid hardware. Second, you can easily adjust the game via mods installation. There is no need to wonder how to host a modded starbound server. Finally, starbound server setup requires specific knowledge and expertise. Providers offer instant server setup and full support.
As for the costs, in most cases, it’s a reasonable payment for companies’ resources, support, and assistance that allows players to focus on the gameplay, not technical moments.
Final Thoughts
Starbound hosting via a server renting company offers many opportunities. Excellent game performance, reliable and low-ping connection, data security, 24/7 support, and one-click mod installation are only some of the advantages. As a result, there are many search inquiries “starbound how to host a server”.
With such high demand, there are many starbound server hosting opportunities available on the market. We prepared a detailed review on starbound dedicated servers and made a starbound servers list of the top companies. Look through our analysis, choose the best option and enjoy the unforgettable Starbound gameplay.
