Top Rust dedicated server hosting 2024
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Learn moreInterested in hosting a Rust server but don’t know where to start? Most hosting providers’ VPS (virtual private server) plans let you create game servers, including those suitable for Rust. Needless to say, it’s important to find the right provider that meets both your specific needs and Rust server hosting requirements.
To simplify your search, we’ve researched and compared various VPS providers. Read on to discover the 5 best Rust server hosting solutions in 2024, ranked based on resources, ease of use, performance, pricing, and more.
5 best hosts for Rust server
- Bluehost – overall best Rust server hosting provider
- Hostinger – reliable Rust server hosting
- Namecheap – cheap Rust server hosting
- 1&1 IONOS – resource-rich Rust server hosting plans
- Liquid Web – fully managed VPS solution for hosting a Rust server
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Best Rust server hosting – detailed list:
To find the best Rust server hosting, we looked at 54 VPS providers. Below, you’ll find our top 5 picks chosen for their excellent performance, ease of use, resources, and pricing:
1. Bluehost – best Rust server hosting overall
Rust server hosting price: | From $46.99/month |
Root access: | Full root access |
Uptime guarantee: | 99.9% |
Best deal: | Get up to 75% OFF Bluehost |
Bluehost offers the best Rust server hosting solution with strong security. It also has plenty of options to scale through its VPS and dedicated hosting solutions.
Resources. Bluehost’s Standard ($46.99/month) is the cheapest plan for Rust server hosting. It comes with two CPU cores, 4GB RAM, and 100GB SSD.
Setup options. Bluehost doesn’t have a specialized game server hosting panel, but you can set up your Rust server and install mods manually using the command-line interface. For beginners and those less tech-savvy, the interface could be rather intimidating.
Performance. Bluehost offers an impressive 99.9% uptime guarantee, ensuring smooth and reliable gameplay. Although it only has servers in Atlanta, US, it remains a top choice for gamers, providing consistent performance despite potential regional latency.
Pricing. To meet Rust server hosting requirements, you’ll need at least the VPS hosting Standard plan ($46.99/month). For an even better gaming experience, we recommend the VPS Enhanced plan. All plans come with a 30-day money-back guarantee, backups, dedicated IP, and access control.
Read our Bluehost review to find out more about this provider.
2. Hostinger – Rust server hosting with a 100% uptime guarantee
Rust server hosting price: | From $8.99/month |
Root access: | Full root access |
Uptime guarantee: | 99.9% |
Best deal: | Get up to 72% OFF Hostinger VPS |
Hostinger is a great Rust server hosting solution, as it has one of the lowest price points but delivers ample resources and strong performance. It’s also the only one with a dedicated game hosting panel.
Resources. You need at least Game Panel 2 ($8.99/month) to host a Rust server. It offers two virtual CPU cores (AMD Epyc) to handle gaming demands, 8GB RAM for server stability, and 100GB NVMe SSD storage for quicker load times. It can accommodate around 50 players and even some mods. At this price, Hostinger offers the best value for money compared to other providers on this list.
Setup options. We found that Hostinger’s proprietary Game Panel makes the setup and mod installation processes incredibly easy. To set up, simply go to your Game Panel, click Create Instance, and follow the on-screen prompts.
Performance. Latency mostly depends on your proximity to the server. Fortunately, Hostinger’s six server locations in the US, Brazil, India, Netherlands, France, and Lithuania make it easier to find one nearby. Its 99.9% uptime guarantee also means that you don’t need to worry about server downtime.
Pricing. For Rust server hosting, you’ll need at least Game Panel 2 ($8.99/month). Upgrade to Game Panel 4 or Game Panel 8 for more resources and better gameplay. The latter supports up to 200 players and mods. All plans come with a 30-day money-back guarantee, automated backups, and DDoS protection.
For step-by-step instructions on how to set up a Rust game server, check out Hostinger’s guide. You can learn more about Hostinger in our review.
3. Namecheap – cheap and secure Rust server hosting
Rust server hosting price: | From $12.88/month |
Root access: | Full root access |
Uptime guarantee: | 100% |
Best deal: | Get up to 30% OFF Namecheap VPS |
Namecheap is another good option for Rust server hosting. It’s a very affordable provider that offers a solid and secure VPS solution from just $12.88/month.
Resources. Unlike Hostinger, Namecheap doesn’t have specific game server plans, but you can use its VPS plans for Rust. Quasar ($12.88/month) is the cheapest plan and offers four CPU cores, 6GB RAM, and 120GB SSD (RAID 10, mirrored and striped to improve speeds and redundancy). Compared to Hostinger, Namecheap’s resources are more limited. Plus, there’s a bandwidth cap, which might be problematic for larger servers with more players.
Setup options. We noticed that Namecheap requires more technical know-how, as it doesn’t have specialized management panels for game server hosting. You must use the command-line interface to manually set up your Rust server and install mods. Luckily, its 24/7 live support is always available to help.
Performance. Rust players in the US, UK, and Netherlands can expect super low latency, as all of Namecheap’s servers are located in these countries. Plus, its 100% uptime guarantee means your server will always be up and running.
Pricing. For Rust server hosting, you’ll need at least the Quasar plan ($12.88/month). For more resources and a better gaming experience, you can upgrade to Magnetar. All plans include a 30-day money-back guarantee, RAID 10, server monitoring, and CXS anti-malware protection.
Take a look at our Namecheap review for more information.
4. 1&1 IONOS – Rust server hosting plans with plenty of resources
Rust server hosting price: | From $6.00/month |
Root access: | Full root access |
Uptime guarantee: | 99.9% |
Best deal: | Get up to 23% OFF IONOS VPS! |
1&1 IONOS offers resource-rich VPS plans for budget-friendly prices. Prices start from $6.00/month for Rust server hosting, which is still remarkably affordable.
Resources. There are no dedicated game server hosting plans. Instead, you’ll need to use IONOS VPS plans. The entry plan for Rust is VPS Linux M ($6.00/month). It includes two virtual CPU cores, 4GB RAM, and 160 NVMe SSD. Considering its super affordable price, IONOS is generous with its hardware.
Setup options. Since IONOS doesn’t provide a gaming management panel, your Rust server setup and mod installation will involve manual configuration using command-line tools. While the processes could be complicated for newbies, we found its thorough step-by-step guide a huge help.
Performance. IONOS has a 99.9% uptime guarantee for uninterrupted gaming. Meanwhile, its servers in the US, UK, Germany, France, and Spain minimize latency for those in North America and Europe.
Pricing. For Rust, you’ll need at least VPS Linux M ($6.00/month). To enhance your Rust experience, an upgrade to VPS Linux XL is recommended. All plans come with a 30-day money-back guarantee, DDoS protection, SSL, and firewall. Meanwhile, cloud backup is available at an additional cost.
Check out our IONOS review for more information on this provider.
5. Liquid Web – Rust server hosting with fully managed VPS plans
Rust server hosting price: | From $14.85/month |
Root access: | Full root access |
Uptime guarantee: | 100% |
Best deal: | Get up to 85% OFF Liquid Web VPS |
Liquid Web offers a fully managed VPS solution that lets you focus solely on surviving, building, and raiding in Rust.
Resources. Liquid Web’s VPS plans are suitable for Rust server hosting. The cheapest plan for Rust is Advanced ($14.85/month), which offers four virtual CPU cores, 4GB RAM, and 100GB SSD. Compared to other providers like Hostinger and IONOS, Liquid Web is pricier with fewer resources.
Setup options. Unlike Hostinger, Liquid Web doesn’t have a specialized gaming panel. So, setup and mod installation have to be done manually using command-line tools. However, there’s help if you need it – Liquid Web guarantees it will get to all phone calls and live chats within 59 seconds.
Performance. Liquid Web’s 100% uptime guarantee ensures that your Rust server remains interruption-free while players explore the wilderness. Meanwhile, its servers in Michigan, Arizona, and the Netherlands mean that players from North America and Europe will see minimal latency.
Pricing. You’ll need at least the Advanced plan ($14.85/month) for Rust server hosting. For optimal performance, we recommend Professional. Elite is your best bet if you need even more resources. All plans are configurable and come with a 30-day money-back guarantee, DDoS protection, 50GB backups, and an integrated firewall.
You can learn more about Liquid Web in our comprehensive review.
Compare Rust server hosts
Provider | VPS for Rust server plan | Price | Pre-installed game panels | vCPU | RAM (GB) | Storage | Bandwidth |
Bluehost | VPS Standard | 46.99/month | ❌ No | 2 | 4 | 100GB SSD | Unmetered |
Hostinger | Game Panel 2 | $8.99/month | ✅ Yes | 2 | 8 | 100GB NVMe | 8TB |
Namecheap | Quasar | $12.88/month | ❌ No | 4 | 6 | 120GB SSD RAID 10 | 3TB |
IONOS by 1&1 | VPS Linux M | $6.00/month | ❌ No | 2 | 4 | 160GB NVMe | Unlimited up to 1 Gbit/s |
Liquid Web | Advanced | $14.85/month | ❌ No | 4 | 4 | 100GB SSD | 10TB |
How we tested and ranked Rust server hosts
At Cybernews, we have a transparent and thorough testing process to help you find the best Rust server hosting solutions. Check out our How We Test Web Hosting page for an in-depth dive into our testing process and methodology.
To identify the best Rust server hosting service, we started by looking at 54 hosting providers. Our initial priority was to determine if these hosts offer specific Rust server hosting plans or suitable VPS plans to support the game. From this list, we selected 5 providers that met the criteria for further testing:
- Resources and pricing. The hosts’ plans must offer resources that meet the minimum requirements for Rust server hosting: two CPU cores at 3.4GHz, 4GB RAM, and 20GB storage. It’s even better if they offer beyond the bare minimum. For Rust server hosting, it’s recommended to have a quad-core or six-core CPU at 3.4GHz or 3.6GHz, 8GB or 16GB RAM, and at least 32GB storage for optimal gameplay. Additionally, we also assessed their scalability options and pricing. For each plan, we compared the price-to-value ratios.
- Control panels and their usability. As game server hosting can be challenging, especially for those less tech-savvy, your chosen provider must offer an easy setup and management process. We looked at whether the shortlisted providers offer a dedicated control panel for hosting game servers. For those that do, we investigated the panel’s ease of use and functionality.
- Performance. Poor uptime and speed can significantly impact the Rust experience. To test the providers' reliability, we checked their uptime using a service called Pingdom. At the same time, we also evaluated the providers’ network infrastructure. This is essential as more server locations worldwide mean there’s a higher probability of finding one near the target player base for faster speeds.
Once we established how well they did in resource allocation, pricing, ease of use, and performance, we ranked these providers from 1 to 5 to ensure that our recommendations help you find the best Rust server hosting solutions.
Where can I host a Rust server for free?
You can host a Rust server for free on your computer if it’s powerful. However, note that the game might hog resources (including CPU, RAM, storage, and bandwidth) and likely slow down your internet. Plus, you’re solely responsible for your server’s uptime and technical issues.
You may be tempted to use a free Rust server hosting provider. However, such providers raise security and privacy concerns, as they could leak your personal information to third parties or be easily hacked by cybercriminals. Plus, free VPS hosting providers tend to have poorer performance than their premium counterparts.
An easier and safer alternative is to take advantage of premium hosting providers’ free trials and money-back guarantees. The best Rust server hosting providers, such as Bluehost, offer the standard 30-day money-back guarantee so you can test out their services risk-free before committing long-term.
How do I run my own Rust server?
Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to run your own Rust server. For this demonstration, we’ll show you how to go about it using Hostinger:
- Purchase a suitable plan for Rust server hosting. We used Hostinger for this setup. The cheapest option is Game Panel 2, which comes with two virtual CPU cores (AMD Epyc), 8GB RAM, and 100GB NVMe SSD storage. However, we recommend scaling up to Game Panel 4 for a better Rust experience.
- Complete the initial VPS setup by naming your server, setting a password, and selecting the server location.
- Make your way to your Hostinger dashboard and then VPS Overview > Panel Access > Login URL.
- Key in your admin panel username and password on the login page.
- In your Game Panel, click Create Instance and select Rust from the drop-down menu.
- Click Create Instance again and wait for the creation process to complete. Your Rust server should be up and running now.
Setting up a Rust server with Hostinger is easy with these quick steps. However, if you need more help, you can check out Hostinger’s setup guide.
Conclusion
If you’re looking to host a Rust server, VPS is one of the best solutions for it. Yet, with numerous options on the market, finding the right one can be overwhelming.
According to our research, Bluehost offers the best Rust server hosting. Although Bluehost isn't primarily designed for game server hosting, it provides robust security features and flexible scalability options through its VPS and dedicated hosting solutions.
FAQ
Where to host a Rust server?
For the best performance, host your Rust server as close to your location as possible to minimize latency. If your players are in the US, choosing a provider like Bluehost, which has main servers in the US, can help. Opting for a provider with high-performance infrastructure will ensure your server runs smoothly and can handle the demands of the game.
How much RAM do I need to host a Rust server?
To host a Rust server, you need at least 4GB of RAM as the bare minimum. However, 8GB or 16GB of RAM is recommended for a significantly better gaming experience. Also, note that modded servers may require additional RAM.
How do I host a solo Rust server?
To host a solo Rust server, start by choosing the right virtual private server (VPS) provider. Next, set up your VPS account and install the Rust server software. Modify the server settings to suit your preferences. Once done, launch the server. Finally, continue to manage and maintain it as needed.
Is Shockbyte a good Rust server host?
Yes, Shockbyte is a good Rust server host with solid features alongside unlimited storage and bandwidth. However, only its priciest plan, Metal, is suitable for modded servers. Even so, the plan’s 8GB RAM may not be enough for larger or resource-intensive modded servers, potentially leading to lag and crashes.
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