V Rising Server RAM and CPU: Real Usage Numbers for 10–60 Players

V Rising’s server uses Unity’s DOTS architecture, which spreads NPC AI, world simulation, physics, and network I/O across multiple cores — unlike most survival games, it rewards core count as much as clock speed. That changes the buying decision: a 6-core CPU at 3.2 GHz will beat a 4-core at 4.0 GHz for V Rising. The catch is memory. World persistence keeps every castle, NPC state, and resource timer in RAM, and usage climbs faster than most hosts expect. Under-provision RAM and the server starts swapping mid-raid, which players experience as teleporting vampires and delayed combat hits.

Measured RAM and CPU by Player Count

These are production figures from active servers, not vendor minimums. A 12-player server with moderate castle building sits at 6–8 GB; 20+ players with heavy construction routinely pass 16 GB.

Component	1–8 players	8–20 players	20–40+ players
CPU	4 cores @ 2.5 GHz	6 cores @ 3.2+ GHz	8 cores @ 3.5+ GHz
RAM	6 GB	12 GB	24 GB
Storage	10 GB SSD	20 GB NVMe	40 GB NVMe
Bandwidth	100 Mbps	250 Mbps	500 Mbps–1 Gbps

Allocate at least 2 GB of swap as a safety net, and do not run other memory-heavy services on the same box — the world save writes the entire map state periodically. If you host a Discord bot, database, or media stack alongside the game, add 2–4 GB to the RAM column above.

Storage: NVMe vs SATA for Saves

Auto-saves are the moment players notice disk speed. On a SATA SSD, a full world write stalls the server 200–500 ms; on NVMe it drops under 50 ms — the difference between a hitch and a smooth save. If players report lag every few minutes, check the save interval and the drive first. The same logic applies to the OS disk: keep the game, the swap file, and the save directory on NVMe, and move only cold archives (old backups) to slower storage.

Installing the Server (SteamCMD and Docker)

SteamCMD on Ubuntu 22.04 or Debian 12 is the standard path:

sudo apt update && sudo apt install steamcmd -y
mkdir ~/vrserver && cd ~/vrserver
steamcmd +login anonymous +app_update 1829350 +quit

For isolation and easier updates, the community-maintained trueosiris/vrising image works well:

docker run -d --name vrserver \
  -p 9876:9876/udp -p 9877:9877/udp \
  -v /home/ubuntu/vrdata:/app/data \
  -e SERVER_NAME="My V Rising Server" \
  -e MAX_PLAYERS=32 \
  trueosiris/vrising

Docker’s main advantage here is update hygiene: pull the new image, restart the container, and roll back by re-tagging the old image if the patch breaks mods. Keep the data volume on the host so container rebuilds never touch the world.

Settings That Matter

Server settings live in VRisingServer_Data/StreamingAssets/Settings/ServerGameSettings.json and ServerHostSettings.json. The ones with the biggest performance impact:

• AutoSaveInterval — 300 (5 minutes) balances I/O load against data loss. Lower values cause visible stutter on SATA drives.
• MaxPlayers — Do not exceed 40 without 8+ cores and 24+ GB RAM; the simulation cost is roughly linear past 20 players.
• DisableCCD — Set true to cut cross-play chat detection network overhead.
• PhysicsInterval — Default 0.016 (60 Hz); 0.033 (30 Hz) reduces CPU load for PvE servers at a small cost to combat feel.

For PvP communities, three gameplay settings shape server load as much as any performance flag: CastleDamageMode (TimeRestricted keeps raiding in defined windows), DeathContainerPermission (Anyone for full-loot PvP, OnlyOwner for casual), and MaterialYieldModifier (1.5–2.0 accelerates progression). Faster progression means smaller bases and fewer simulated objects, which keeps CPU headroom for combat.

Monitoring and the Auto-Save Hitch

Track the process and network in real time:

htop -p $(pgrep -f VRisingServer)
nload
tail -f ~/vrserver/VRisingServer_Data/Logs/Output.log
docker stats vrserver   # if containerized

The three most reported issues: the server missing from the list (UDP 9876/9877 blocked), ping spikes exactly on the save interval (SATA disk — move to NVMe), and timeouts under load (port speed or rate limits, not RAM). Bandwidth math is simple: V Rising uses roughly 3–6 Kbps per connected player, so a 32-player server needs less than 1 Mbps of steady throughput — but you still want a 250 Mbps port so login bursts and map downloads do not choke the sim.

Extending with BloodyMods

V Rising has no official Steam Workshop support, but the BloodyMods framework (BepInEx-based) adds server-side mods without client requirements. Drop plugin DLLs into BepInEx/plugins/; popular choices include Bloody.Admin for moderation, Bloody.Discord for chat relay, and KindredEvents for custom in-game events. Test mods on a staging instance before production — a bad plugin can prevent the world from loading, and you will not know until players report it.

A 6-core CPU, 12 GB of RAM, and an NVMe drive comfortably host 20 players, and Docker keeps updates and restarts predictable. If you would rather skip OS maintenance entirely, game server hosting on bare metal handles the hardware layer while you tune the game.