Vintage Story If you’re setting up a Vintage Story server, you’ve probably landed on the official wiki’s hardware recommendations: 1 GB base RAM plus 300 MB per player. That formula gives you a starting point, but it doesn’t tell the whole story - especially once mods enter the picture.
We’ve hosted a lot of Vintage Story servers at WinterNode, and in day-to-day hosting, the “right” number usually lands higher than the baseline formula suggests. This guide breaks down what actually affects RAM usage and where most servers end up landing, so you can make an informed decision regardless of who you host with.
The Official Recommendation
The Vintage Story wiki provides a straightforward formula for server hardware:
- Memory: 1 GB base + 300 MB per player
- CPU: 4 threads recommended, with clock speed mattering more than core count
- Storage: SSD strongly preferred over HDD
By this math, a server for 4 players would need around 2.2 GB, and a 10-player server would need about 4 GB. In practice, we treat those numbers as the “it boots and runs” floor - not the “it stays smooth after a few weeks” target.
These numbers work as a conservative baseline for vanilla servers where players aren’t running mods or building particularly complex bases. Once you add long-running worlds, exploration, and any automation, you’re usually happier with a bit more buffer.
WinterNode Specs
We don’t artificially limit CPU threads on any game server - fair usage is always free. All servers run on NVMe SSDs, and storage is soft-capped with free expansions available on request.
The formula is useful, but it’s designed to give you a minimum rather than an optimal target. Several factors can push your actual requirements higher.
What Drives RAM Usage Beyond Player Count
Player count is only one piece of the puzzle. It matters, but it’s rarely the thing that surprises people. Here’s what else affects how much memory your server needs:
Mods are the biggest variable. The official formula assumes vanilla gameplay. Even a handful of quality-of-life mods can increase baseline RAM usage, and larger modpacks - especially those adding new creatures, worldgen features, or automation systems - can double your requirements or more.
World age and exploration matter. As players explore, more chunks get generated and cached. That’s why a world that’s been up for months tends to feel “heavier” than a fresh map, even with the same player count.
Base complexity adds up. Elaborate builds with lots of storage containers, active machinery, or large animal populations create more entities for the server to track. You can absolutely have a 4-player server that’s “more expensive” than an 8-player one if those four players are building an industrial monster.
Worldgen settings affect baseline load. If you’ve cranked up landform scale, world height, or terrain detail, your server works harder to generate and maintain chunks. Default settings are tuned for reasonable performance; custom settings may require more resources.
What We Actually See in Practice
Hosting data gives us a clearer picture of where servers actually land once they’re up and running with real players and real mod setups.
Looking across our Vintage Story servers, 4GB, 5GB, and 6GB are the most common RAM choices - it’s the range we see people settle into most often after a week or two of play. This aligns with the typical use case: small groups of friends, maybe a few mods, nothing too extreme.
| RAM | What we usually see it used for |
|---|---|
| 4-6GB | ”Normal” friend servers (vanilla + a few mods) |
| 3GB | Small vanilla worlds, low exploration |
| 7-8GB | Mod-heavy or older worlds that have sprawled |
| 10GB+ | Big communities, heavy modpacks, lots of automation/worldgen |
If you just want a safe bet, 3-8GB is where most “real” servers end up living.
Servers running 8GB or more tend to fall into two camps: modpacks that meaningfully change worldgen/AI/entities, or larger community servers with 10+ regular players. If either of those is you, 8GB stops being “extra” and starts being “normal.” The 10GB and 12GB tiers see consistent use among this crowd.
On the lighter end, we do see servers running on 2-3GB, typically vanilla with just a couple players. It works, but you’ll feel it the moment someone says “hey can we add a few mods?”
Recommendations by Scenario
Based on the official guidance and what we observe in practice, here’s where to start:
Vanilla, 2-4 players: 3-4GB gives you comfortable headroom above the minimum formula. If you’re the type who likes tinkering, start at 4GB and don’t think about it again.
Vanilla, 5-10 players: 4-6GB handles the increased player load and the larger explored world that comes with more people spreading out.
Light mods (QoL, minor content additions): 5-6GB. This is the “I want it to be smooth even after the world ages” tier.
Heavy mods or 10+ players: 8GB minimum, with 10-12GB being common for serious modpacks. If your mod list is long enough that you have to scroll, you’re in this bucket.
Start Conservative
These are starting points, not hard rules. Every server is different, and the best approach is often to start at a reasonable baseline and monitor performance. If you’re unsure, 4GB is a sensible default for most small-group servers.
Signs You Need More RAM
If your server is struggling, it’ll tell you. Watch for these indicators:
The most obvious sign is the “server overloaded” message appearing in your console or player chat. That message can be CPU or RAM, but if it starts showing up more as the world gets older, RAM is often part of the story.
TPS (ticks per second) dropping below 20 indicates the server is falling behind. Vintage Story targets 20 TPS; sustained drops mean something’s bottlenecked.
Lag when exploring new areas suggests the server is struggling to generate chunks quickly enough. If it only happens during brand-new chunk generation, that’s usually CPU-heavy - if it happens everywhere, you’re more likely memory-bound or dealing with a misbehaving mod.
Crashes during autosaves or peak activity often point to memory pressure. If the server runs out of headroom during intensive operations, it may terminate unexpectedly.
If you’re seeing these symptoms, check your actual RAM utilization through your control panel before assuming you need to upgrade - sometimes the issue is a misbehaving mod or a configuration problem rather than raw capacity. (We see this a lot: one mod adds a ton of entities or background processing and everything feels “mysteriously” worse.)
Start Where It Makes Sense, Scale When You Need To
One advantage of hosted servers over self-hosting is flexibility. You’re not buying hardware that sits half-unused or scrambling to upgrade a physical machine when your community grows.
At WinterNode, all game servers run at $1.99 per GB of RAM, with no separate charges for CPU, storage, or other resources that other hosts charge extra for. So practically speaking, you don’t get punished for starting at 4GB and bumping to 6GB a month later if your server needs it. Upgrades apply instantly without migration or downtime. If you’re mid-season and don’t want to touch anything, that matters.
If you’re unsure where to start, err on the lower end of our recommendations. It’s easier to add a couple gigabytes than to pay for capacity you’re not using.
Getting Started
If you’re new to Vintage Story server management, our help center has guides covering initial setup, configuration, connecting your domain, and common admin commands.
Everything’s backed by a 48-hour refund policy, so there’s room to test whether a particular configuration works for your group. Support is available via ticket or Discord if you run into questions - you’ll get a person who actually works with these servers.
Frequently Asked Questions
For vanilla gameplay with 2-5 players, 4GB is a solid starting point. If you're running mods or expect more players, consider 5-6GB to give yourself headroom.
Light mods (QoL tweaks, minor content) typically run fine on 5-6GB. Heavier modpacks with worldgen changes, new creatures, or automation systems often need 8GB or more.
With most hosting providers, yes. At WinterNode, RAM upgrades are instant and don't require server migration - you can start conservative and scale up as needed.
Generally less, actually. Vintage Story runs on C# which is lighter than Minecraft Java's runtime overhead. A vanilla VS server can run comfortably on specs that would feel tight for Minecraft. That said, heavy mods can close the gap quickly in either game.