For the avid server host, the best premium game server hosting provides the ultimate gaming experience. In some scenarios, a cheaper game server host can be useful but investing more means you get some of the best game server hosting overall, even when introducing a large community.
For anyone who has ambitious plans or are keen to expand their online community, I've found the very best premium game server hosting. I've looked through the competition and narrowed things down to the best of the best. Many of these options are on a par with the best dedicated servers when it comes to features. There's a focus on Minecraft but these all work for many other games too. Here's what I recommend.
Best premium game server hosting 2026 in full
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Best premium game server host overall
ApexHosting is designed for advanced users who already know what they’re doing and it's perfect for some ambitious goals.
Right from sign up, you know what to expect with early options for setting up RCON passwords, organizing your server branding, and other features that usually come along a little later in the process. That’s no bad thing for anyone seeking a premium game server host as odds are you know exactly what you’re doing.
As you progress through the ordering process, fees can add up due to needing to add premium support and a dedicated IP separately but it does mean that you’re only ever going to pay the amount you need to rather than deal with unnecessary additional fees.
Apex Hosting has well distributed servers across the world with 16 locations ensuring it caters for everyone including the US, Canada, Brazil, the UK, Turkey, Germany, France, Israel, Japan, Singapore, and Australia so there’s something for everyone here. Diving into its control panel is a delight too as it’s truly advanced stuff with full server control. Even better, you can always see CPU/RAM activity no matter where you are in the web-based user interface.
Any time you do need guidance, the Apex Hosting Knowledge Base is easy to access with it highlighting commonly asked questions next to whatever section you’re on. There are tons of server version options for whichever game you play with dozens of games to choose from. Automated backups keep everything safe while there are video tutorials if you need additional support away from the 24/7 support service.
Each ApexHosting plan comes with unlimited player slots, dedicated live chat support, a one click pack installer depending on the game (Minecraft being a highlight here), and free server transfers. You’ll need to pay extra for a domain but a free subdomain is bundled in for free to start you off. If you want the ultimate hardware with ApexHosting, you can do so by signing up for its Ex Series plan which offers 4 dedicated vCores with a Ryzen 9 7950X CPU powering proceedings. It also utilizes NVMe SSDs and has 16GB of DDR4 RAM. A free dedicated IP and premium support are bundled in to further sweeten the deal.
Best premium game server hosting for beginners
BisectHosting offers a wide variety of plans with it maxing out at 48GB of RAM for a high-end Minecraft server. All its premium servers use port 25565 -- Minecraft’s default port. It includes DDoS protection as standard for free while all its storage is NVMe-based. 20 different locations are available so it’s ideal for worldwide usage. Each server also comes with seven days of backups along with three custom backup slots so you can keep certain moments on your server safely secure. The Instance Manager makes it simple to switch between different modpacks or server types while playing Minecraft too. Adding to the Minecraft joy, there are over 2,000 modpacks ready through one-click installations.
Away from Minecraft, BisectHosting continues to provide all the essentials and more. Automated updates and backups are pretty much standard along with full mod support wherever possible. A custom control panel is also available and I was quite impressed at how simple it was to use. You can easily create instances for different games on the premium plan, picking and choosing what you’re monitoring with it always possible to see at a glance what the CPU and RAM usage is.
The BisectHosting control panel makes things about as simple as server management could which is why I strongly recommend it for beginners who want to invest in a long-term server plan. Promised instant setup is actually instant.
My favorite feature is how there’s a Quick Console toggle on every part of the control panel. At the tap of a button, you can access the console and initiate commands without having to open a separate tab. It’s little things like that which make BisectHosting pretty welcoming. I always feel fully in control while using this control panel and it adds to the satisfaction. In my experience, BisectHosting support is pretty speedy too with a choice of either an online ticket or live chat, but there's no telephone support unfortunately.
If you’re new to game server hosting but going straight in with a premium plan, BisectHosting mostly ticks all the boxes and is generally more welcoming than a straightforward VPS solution.
Best value premium game server hosting option
Scalacube is generally one of the best game server hosts and it's also ideal for those seeking a more premium server plan. Plans rank up to 32GB of RAM for Minecraft which is a little lower than others listed here but more than sufficient for the majority of needs. In all cases, you get unlimited slots, DDoS protection, plugin and mod support, along with full file access, a free domain, and backup system.
The host is simple to get to grips with. Just pick your game and version and it takes seconds to start up, Once set up, there are typically many mods and plugins ready to deploy with Minecraft immediately offering over 1,000 modpacks.
For Minecraft, there’s full mod and plugin support but you can also edit all server files with FTP and upload mods and plugins as needed. There’s access to a full LAMP stack if you need it but the basic control panel is plenty sufficient for most needs. It brings up all the servers you own with it simple to see how hardware is performing with other options laid out in an intuitive fashion.
As you’d expect from a premium package, you can easily add on a dedicated IP or even create your own launcher for Minecraft. Branding opportunities are pretty good here for those developing a significant community. It all comes together to be intuitive, premium, yet surprisingly affordable.
Best premium US game server host
For US-based users, InMotionHosting is super speedy so it’s the perfect choice if your community is predominantly US-based. Focused on Minecraft means that it knows how to get things right on that front. It takes less than five minutes to start and I was very impressed by its clear control panel. It supports unlimited plugins and mods with multiple server types possible here. Its control panel is more like those you’ll see via web hosting than gaming but it works well here for making it intuitive.
Its servers are powered with great hardware too with Intel Xeon CPUs and NVMe storage. To help you figure out what’s best for your needs, InMotionHosting provides a RAM recommendation guide based on what modpacks you plan on using. As a quick overview, each plan describes who it’s recommended for best. The top plan is best suited for over 100 players with everything from the middling plan upwards supporting all plugins and modpacks. Of course, if you plan on running many at once, you’ll need more RAM. The nice thing here is that it’s always clearly laid out so you won’t end up with the wrong plan for your situation. It might look expensive at first glance but you get a lot for your money.
With all server plans, you get the aforementioned fast NVMe storage and a dedicated IP address. There’s also full access to all your files, FTP access, and MySQL databases. 99.9% uptime is promised while you can potentially have as many players as you want on your server, although InMotionHosting is keen to point out what’s best for your plan. If your plans are high-end, make sure the server you choose is too to avoid lag. There’s also 24/7 server support. That’s primarily via tickets and live chat, but you can also talk on the phone during certain hours. That goes for whether you’re in the US or the UK. It’s a reliable option if you’re happy with solely US-based servers for your Minecraft plans.
Best premium game server hosting FAQs
What is the best game server host?
All the entries we’ve included above are the best game server hosts, and knowing which one to pick mostly comes down to pinning things down to the key features that most appeal to you such as a beginner-friendly control panel or having one click installs. That’s why it’s useful to read up on everything so you know what to look for. There's no one solution for everyone so work out what you need from your server, and your budget, then take a look at the suggestions above.
Is unlimited really unlimited?
Usually, game server hosting providers actually place an invisible limit on their unlimited plans. That isn’t to say to avoid them but it’s sometimes sensible to stick with a provider that sets a hard limit so you know what to expect. Fair usage policies come into play so it’s a good idea to keep an eye on any terms and conditions before you dive in.
How to choose the best premium game server hosting provider
Picking the best premium game server hosting provider is a lot like picking any other game server hosting but with the caveat of you wanting the absolute best with no expense fared. Before you go straight into purchasing from one of the hosts above, make sure you learn exactly why such components are important. We’ve picked out all the key factors you should remember before settling on anything.
Hardware: Good hardware is always important but if you’re aiming for a truly high-end experience, it becomes even more vital. Look for as much RAM and storage as you can afford, but don’t scrimp on the CPUs involved either. Keep an eye on the specs and read up on what each server host offers. The latest hardware is invariably the best choice here so keep an eye out for server hosts who regularly upgrade their equipment. Some games are less demanding than others but if you’re paying a lot, you want a lot in return.
Appropriate setup: It’s important to have a simple setup process but you do also want to be in full control of what you’re doing. Look for server hosting which has a great control panel while still offering full FTP access, databases, and all the other advanced features you can think of. Depending on the game, you ideally want an extensive library of mods and plugins at your disposal without needing to track them down for yourself.
Support: Hopefully you won’t need support often but when you do, you want a quick response. Look for a premium game server hosting provider which has phone support or at least some kind of premium upgrade if you’re willing to pay (which you should be). Time could be potentially money depending on what your plans are for your game server. Alongside one on one support, look for Discord channels which provide back up support as well as extensive knowledge bases, YouTube channels, and Wikis.
Uptime: Most game server hosting providers promise great uptime but make sure it’s accurate. Besides our experiences, look out for user reviews as they can provide a wider picture of what kind of downtime has occurred in the past. Hopefully it’s practically non-existent.
How I tested the best premium game server hosting
I spent some time with each of the premium game server hosts listed above. That means seeing how the purchasing process went, setting up a server, and looking at how intuitive and practical the control panel was. I also researched speeds and performance to see how robust each server is.
Adding to that, I also reviewed customer support availability in case of any issues to ascertain how well supported you’ll be in your endeavors.
