How Much Bandwidth Does a Game Server Really Need? A 2026 Dedicated Server Guide

Bandwidth Per Game: Real-World Usage Numbers

Bandwidth requirements for game servers vary wildly depending on the game engine, player count, map complexity, and whether mods or custom content are involved. Below are measured bandwidth figures for popular multiplayer games running on dedicated servers in 2026:

Game	Per Player (Mbps)	20 Players (Mbps)	50 Players (Mbps)	100 Players (Mbps)
Minecraft (Vanilla)	0.1–0.3	2–6	5–15	10–30
Minecraft (Modded 200+ mods)	0.3–0.8	6–16	15–40	30–80
ARK: Survival Evolved	0.5–1.5	10–30	25–75	50–150
Palworld	0.4–2.0	8–40	20–100	40–200
CS2 (64-tick)	0.2–0.5	4–10	10–25	20–50
CS2 (128-tick)	0.4–0.8	8–16	20–40	40–80
Rust	0.3–1.0	6–20	15–50	30–100
Valheim (10 players)	0.2–0.5	2–5	N/A	N/A

These figures represent the server’s upload bandwidth — the data the server sends out to players. Download (incoming) traffic is typically 10–30% of upload. Note that Palworld and ARK have the highest per-player bandwidth due to their large, dynamic worlds with many AI entities, physics objects, and base structures that must be synchronized in real time.

Unmetered vs Metered Bandwidth for Gaming

One of the most common questions when choosing a dedicated server provider is whether to go with unmetered or metered bandwidth. Here is what you need to know:

Unmetered Bandwidth

You get a fixed port speed (e.g., 1 Gbps) with no data cap.
Ideal for large communities and game servers that see 24/7 active play.
Watch for fair-use policies — some providers throttle after sustained high usage.
A 1 Gbps unmetered port can handle roughly 200 Minecraft players or 50 ARK players simultaneously.

Metered Bandwidth (By the TB)

You get a monthly data allowance (e.g., 10 TB, 30 TB) on a fixed port.
Cheaper for servers with moderate or predictable traffic.
A 20-player ARK server might use 3–5 TB/month. A 20-player Minecraft server might use 0.5–1 TB/month.
Overage fees can be expensive. Always calculate your expected monthly transfer before choosing metered.

What to Look For in Provider Bandwidth Policies

Not all bandwidth is created equal. Here are the key factors to evaluate when comparing dedicated server providers for gaming:

Port speed — 1 Gbps is the baseline for 2026. 10 Gbps ports are increasingly available and worth the upgrade for servers with 50+ players or modded ARK/Palworld.
Peering quality — Providers with direct peering to major ISPs (Tier 1 or Tier 2 networks) offer lower latency and fewer packet drops. Check if they have a network map.
Data center locations — Latency scales linearly with distance. Choose a data center within 500 miles of your player base if possible.
DDoS mitigation — Game servers are frequent targets. The provider should include always-on DDoS filtering at no extra cost.
Bandwidth caps and overage — Read the fine print. Some providers advertise “unmetered” but throttle after 100 Mbps sustained for 24 hours.

Calculating Your Monthly Bandwidth Needs

Here is a simple formula to estimate monthly transfer:

Monthly (TB) = (Average Mbps × 60 × 60 × 24 × 30) / (8 × 1024 × 1024)

For a 20-player Palworld server averaging 20 Mbps sustained:
20 × 60 × 60 × 24 × 30 / 8,388,608 = ~6.2 TB/month

That means a metered 10 TB plan would work, but leave little headroom for updates, backups, or player spikes. An unmetered 1 Gbps plan gives you peace of mind.

Final Recommendations

For Minecraft (vanilla, under 50 players), a 1 Gbps unmetered port is overkill — a 100 Mbps port with 5 TB metered is fine.
For ARK or Palworld with 20+ players, go with 1 Gbps unmetered. The bandwidth spikes during saves and base-loading events exceed most metered plans.
For competitive shooters (CS2, Valorant, Overwatch), prioritize low-latency peering over raw bandwidth. 128-tick servers use more bandwidth but the real bottleneck is jitter.
Always ask the provider for a 7-day bandwidth report trial before committing to a plan.

Browse Best Dedicated Web Hosting Server to compare providers by bandwidth offering, port speed, and data center locations. Use our comparison table to find the plan that matches your game server’s exact bandwidth needs.