How Much Bandwidth Does a Game Server Really Need in 2026? Minecraft, ARK, Rust, Palworld Compared

Bandwidth Per Game: Real Usage Data for 2026

Choosing the right bandwidth for a game server is one of the most common mistakes new server admins make. Too little and players experience rubber-banding, lag spikes, and disconnects. Too much and you are overpaying for port speed you will never use.

Here are measured bandwidth requirements for the most popular dedicated game servers in 2026, based on real-world deployments with active player communities.

Game	Per Player (Mbps)	20 Players (Mbps)	50 Players (Mbps)	100 Players (Mbps)	Monthly at 50 players (TB)
Minecraft (Vanilla)	0.1–0.3	2–6	5–15	10–30	~4.9
Minecraft (Modded 200+ mods)	0.3–0.8	6–16	15–40	30–80	~14.6
ARK: Survival Evolved	0.5–1.5	10–30	25–75	50–150	~27.0
Palworld	0.4–2.0	8–40	20–100	40–200	~32.4
Rust	0.3–1.0	6–20	15–50	30–100	~17.5
CS2 (64-tick)	0.2–0.5	4–10	10–25	20–50	~9.2
CS2 (128-tick)	0.4–0.8	8–16	20–40	40–80	~16.2
Valheim (10 players max)	0.2–0.5	2–5	N/A	N/A	~1.3

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

Minecraft: The Bandwidth Lightweight

Minecraft is surprisingly bandwidth-efficient. A vanilla server with 50 players uses only 5–15 Mbps — well within the range of a residential internet connection. The key exception is modded Minecraft with 200+ mods, where custom items, chunk loaders, and complex machinery multiply network traffic 3–5x.

Recommendation: For vanilla Minecraft under 50 players, a 100 Mbps port with a metered 5 TB plan is sufficient. For modded servers above 50 players, upgrade to 1 Gbps unmetered to handle chunk-load spikes during exploration.

ARK: Survival Evolved — The Bandwidth Hog

ARK is one of the most bandwidth-intensive games to self-host. A 50-player server can burst to 75 Mbps during world saves or when players load into heavily built bases. With a community of mods like Structures Plus and Primal Fear, bandwidth usage at peak can exceed 100 Mbps.

Monthly transfer for a 50-player ARK server averages around 27 TB. A metered 30 TB plan would leave almost no headroom. An unmetered 1 Gbps port is the safer choice.

Palworld — The Newcomer That Demands More

Palworld’s bandwidth profile is similar to ARK but with higher variance. The game syncs every Pals’ position, task assignment, and AI state to all connected players. With 50 players running bases in different world areas, bandwidth can spike to 100 Mbps.

Recommendation: Always use 1 Gbps unmetered for Palworld. Monthly transfer can exceed 30 TB, making most metered plans impractical.

Rust — Consistent Medium Usage

Rust servers are moderately bandwidth-intensive. A 50-player Rust server uses 15–50 Mbps on average, with monthly transfer around 17.5 TB. The main bandwidth driver is building destruction physics and bullet/explosive synchronization during raids.

Recommendation: A metered 20 TB plan on a 1 Gbps port will work for most Rust servers, but consider unmetered if your server is raiding-heavy or has a full wipe cycle that increases activity.

CS2 — Low Bandwidth, High Sensitivity

Counter-Strike 2 uses relatively little bandwidth — a 100-player 128-tick server uses 40–80 Mbps. However, CS2 is extremely sensitive to jitter and packet loss. Prioritize providers with low-latency peering and consistent routing over raw port speed.

Recommendation: A 1 Gbps unmetered port is ideal, not for bandwidth volume but for consistent performance. Even a 100-player server will rarely use more than 80 Mbps, but the headroom eliminates queuing latency during traffic bursts.

Choosing Between Unmetered and Metered

Game	Player Count	Min Port Speed	Recommended Plan
Minecraft (Vanilla)	Under 50	100 Mbps	Metered 5 TB
Minecraft (Modded)	Under 50	1 Gbps	Metered 15 TB
ARK	Any	1 Gbps	Unmetered
Palworld	Any	1 Gbps	Unmetered
Rust	Under 50	1 Gbps	Metered 20 TB
Rust	50+	1 Gbps	Unmetered
CS2	Any	1 Gbps	Unmetered (for consistency)

How to Calculate Your Monthly Transfer

Use this formula to estimate your monthly bandwidth needs:

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

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

Always add 20–30% headroom for updates, backups, and unexpected traffic spikes.

Final Recommendations

For Minecraft (vanilla, under 50 players): A 100 Mbps port with 5 TB metered is fine.
For ARK or Palworld with any player count: Always choose 1 Gbps unmetered. The bandwidth spikes during saves and base-loading events exceed most metered plans.
For competitive shooters (CS2, Valorant): Prioritize low-latency peering over raw bandwidth. A 1 Gbps unmetered port eliminates bufferbloat.
For Rust: Metered 20 TB works for under 50 players. Go unmetered above that.
Always ask the provider for a 7-day bandwidth report trial before committing to a plan.

Compare dedicated server providers by bandwidth, port speed, and data center locations on our comparison page to find the right plan for your game server.