How to Set Up a Game Server on Your VPS

A VPS is a great home for a game server: dedicated CPU cores, a low-latency network and always-on DDoS protection mean smooth play for you and your friends. This guide uses Minecraft as an example, but the approach applies to most game servers.

Pick the right plan and location

Game servers are sensitive to CPU and latency. Choose a plan with enough headroom – VPS Start or VPS Plus suits most small-to-medium Minecraft communities – and deploy in the region closest to your players.

Example: a Minecraft server

Install Java: sudo apt install openjdk-21-jre-headless
Create a folder, download the server JAR, and accept the EULA
Start it: java -Xmx4G -Xms4G -jar server.jar nogui
Run it inside screen or a systemd service so it survives disconnects

Open the game port in the firewall

Add a rule in the VPS Firewall tab for your game’s port (for example, TCP 25565 for Minecraft). Players then connect using your VPS IP address.

JetHost Experts Tip

For hosting several games or letting friends manage servers, install a panel like Pterodactyl. It gives each server its own container, resource limits and web console.

Need More Help?

With dedicated cores and DDoS protection built in, your VPS makes a fast, reliable game host. If you get stuck, the JetHost team is available 24/7 and usually answers in under five minutes – just contact us and we’ll help you sort it out. Explore our other VPS tutorials to get the most out of your server.