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:<\/p>\n\n\n\n These figures represent the server’s upload<\/em> bandwidth \u2014 the data the server sends out to players. Download (incoming) traffic is typically 10\u201330% 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 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:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Not all bandwidth is created equal. Here are the key factors to evaluate when comparing dedicated server providers for gaming:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Here is a simple formula to estimate monthly transfer:<\/p>\n\n\n\n For a 20-player Palworld server averaging 20 Mbps sustained: 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\nGame<\/th> Per Player (Mbps)<\/th> 20 Players (Mbps)<\/th> 50 Players (Mbps)<\/th> 100 Players (Mbps)<\/th><\/tr><\/thead> Minecraft (Vanilla)<\/td> 0.1\u20130.3<\/td> 2\u20136<\/td> 5\u201315<\/td> 10\u201330<\/td><\/tr> Minecraft (Modded 200+ mods)<\/td> 0.3\u20130.8<\/td> 6\u201316<\/td> 15\u201340<\/td> 30\u201380<\/td><\/tr> ARK: Survival Evolved<\/td> 0.5\u20131.5<\/td> 10\u201330<\/td> 25\u201375<\/td> 50\u2013150<\/td><\/tr> Palworld<\/td> 0.4\u20132.0<\/td> 8\u201340<\/td> 20\u2013100<\/td> 40\u2013200<\/td><\/tr> CS2 (64-tick)<\/td> 0.2\u20130.5<\/td> 4\u201310<\/td> 10\u201325<\/td> 20\u201350<\/td><\/tr> CS2 (128-tick)<\/td> 0.4\u20130.8<\/td> 8\u201316<\/td> 20\u201340<\/td> 40\u201380<\/td><\/tr> Rust<\/td> 0.3\u20131.0<\/td> 6\u201320<\/td> 15\u201350<\/td> 30\u2013100<\/td><\/tr> Valheim (10 players)<\/td> 0.2\u20130.5<\/td> 2\u20135<\/td> N\/A<\/td> N\/A<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n Unmetered vs Metered Bandwidth for Gaming<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Unmetered Bandwidth<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Metered Bandwidth (By the TB)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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What to Look For in Provider Bandwidth Policies<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Calculating Your Monthly Bandwidth Needs<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Monthly (TB) = (Average Mbps \u00d7 60 \u00d7 60 \u00d7 24 \u00d7 30) \/ (8 \u00d7 1024 \u00d7 1024)<\/code><\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n20 \u00d7 60 \u00d7 60 \u00d7 24 \u00d7 30 \/ 8,388,608 = ~6.2 TB\/month<\/code><\/p>\n\n\n\nFinal Recommendations<\/h2>\n\n\n\n