Questions to ask a game server host before you buy

Why this matters

Moving your server to another host once you have a community is painful: downtime during the move, players who never come back, settings to rebuild. Choosing well the first time saves you all of that.

The questions below are the ones experienced server owners wish they had asked before their first disappointment.

Where are the servers physically located?

Not "EU" or "Europe", but the country and city. The location decides how data travels to your players. Ask for the exact location, then test ping from where your players are before you decide.

Which CPUs do you use?

CPU model and clock speed matter for game servers, especially for games that use a single core, like CS 1.6. Ask directly. A host that cannot tell you which CPU your server runs on usually has something to hide.

How does the DDoS protection work?

Game servers get attacked. Ask whether protection is always on or has to be enabled manually, what happens to your server during a big attack and whether you can see the blocked attacks anywhere. "We have DDoS protection" with no details is not an answer.

What is included in the price?

Some hosts show low prices and charge extra for backups, DDoS protection, extra IPs, SFTP access or support. Ask what is included and what costs extra before comparing prices.

How long until I get my server?

The time from payment to a working server. For game servers at a serious provider, this should be under five minutes. If the answer is "up to 24 hours" or "our team will set it up", that means manual setup, which means delays and mistakes.

What happens when something goes wrong?

Ask how support actually works. Is there live chat or only email? Are there tickets? How fast do they really answer at 2 AM on a Sunday? And in which language?

Can I leave without hassle?

A host confident in its service does not lock you into long contracts. Providers that make cancelling complicated are betting you will stay out of inertia, even if you are unhappy.

Our answers

To be fair, here is how we answer the same questions:

• Location: Germany (Limburg) and France (Gravelines).
• CPUs: high-frequency AMD and Intel (for example 4.2 to 5.0 GHz on CS 1.6 servers).
• DDoS protection: included on every server, always on, with blocked attacks visible in the Wiptor panel.
• Activation: automatic, right after payment, usually in under a minute.
• Support: live chat every day from 09:00 to 21:00 (Romanian time) and tickets 24/7, in English and Romanian.
• No contract: you pay monthly and can cancel any time. 6 and 12 month periods are optional and cheaper.

Ask every host you are considering the same questions and compare the answers.

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