Gravel Host is at the forefront of game server hosting innovations, setting new standards for performance and security in game server hosting.
With a network of 8 global data centers, cutting-edge AMD Ryzen processors, and 2.2TBps of DDoS protection, Gravel Host gives you the speed, security, and simplicity to keep your game running without interruptions. And with an easy-to-use control panel, you have everything you need to manage your servers like a pro — without getting lost in the technical details.
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Gravel Host: Premium Game Server Hosting Solution
What else does Gravel Host offer?
1. Instantly Deploy Rust, Valheim, CS2, FiveM, and More
It’s Friday night. You’re at home with your gaming crew, all set for a long night of adventures. The hype is real. Your friend just found a new mod for Rust that promises to change the game completely. Everyone is excited, and you’re about to dive in.
But wait—a manual server setup? Hours of configuring, installing plugins, and syncing versions? Not a chance.
For many gamers, this used to be the norm. Setting up a game server for complex titles like Rust or modded games like FiveM wasn’t something that happened instantly. It required time, configuration, and even technical know-how, forcing players to delay their gaming sessions.
Fast-forward to today and things have changed. The ability to instantly deploy game servers for these popular titles has completely transformed the multiplayer gaming experience. With Gravel Host, you can set up a server for CS2 tournaments, and even monitor your performance through cs2 rankings or launch a custom role-playing world in FiveM seamlessly and fast.
2. Custom Game Panels
Custom game panels are user-friendly interfaces that simplify the management and configuration of game servers.
Traditionally, setting up and maintaining a game server required manual intervention, such as using command lines or navigating through complex system settings. However, a custom game panel automates many of these processes, offering a graphical interface that even non-technical users can easily understand.
With a custom game panel, you can control essential server functions such as:
- Starting, stopping, or restarting servers
- Installing mods or plugins
- Managing server backups
- Monitoring server performance (such as CPU usage and RAM)
- Changing game settings and configurations
- Updating game versions
Gravel Host’s custom game panel includes a dashboard that provides a quick, comprehensive overview of your server’s status. Here, you can see real-time updates on the server’s health, performance metrics, and connected players.
3. One-Click Plugin Installation and Modpack Installer
Gravel Host simplifies the process of adding plugins with a one-click installation feature. Instead of manually downloading and configuring plugins, you can search for any plugin within the Gravel Host game panel and add it to your server with a single click.
This is a huge convenience for players, especially those without technical expertise.
Some plugins are designed to enhance server security. Plugins like NoCheatPlus help prevent cheating, while others safeguard against malicious players. This is crucial for server admins who want to ensure fair gameplay and protect their server environment.
Gravel Host also includes a modpack installer, making adding mods to your game server easy. This feature allows you to enhance your game with custom content, providing your players with a unique and personalized gaming experience.
4. Global Locations
Gravel Host’s global server network spans eight strategic locations: Dallas, Chicago, Tampa, New York, and Los Angeles in the United States, as well as Sydney, Australia, Amsterdam, Netherlands, and Singapore, Asia.
When gaming online, latency is crucial — or the delay between a player’s action and the server’s response. The closer players are to a server, the lower their latency means faster reaction times, less lag, and smoother gameplay.
This is important for fast-paced multiplayer games like Rust, CS2, and FiveM. With Gravel Host’s globally distributed servers, players across different continents can enjoy a low-latency connection no matter where they’re located.
Additionally, large gaming communities and competitive events often need to host servers in multiple regions to accommodate their global player base. For instance, a FiveM role-playing community with members in Europe and North America can easily set up multiple servers across Amsterdam and New York to ensure that all players get an optimal experience. Gravel Host’s server locations allow for scalable, distributed server management.
Best Gaming Server Hosting Plans with Gravel Host
5. Budget-Friendly Pricing
One of the standout features of Gravel Host is its budget-friendly pricing without sacrificing performance. In an industry where hosting can quickly become expensive, Gravel Host offers a range of affordable plans for casual gamers and large gaming communities.
The pricing starts as low as $0.90 monthly for Minecraft server hosting. Despite the low price, you can still access powerful hardware like AMD Ryzen 9 5900x processors running at 4.7GHz, NVMe SSD storage for fast load times, and 2.2TBps of DDoS protection.
For more complex games like Rust, FiveM, and ARK, Gravel Host offers dedicated game servers for just $5.00 per month. This includes AMD Ryzen 5 5600G processors, unmetered NVMe SSD storage, and access to 8 global server locations. At this price point, players can experience top-tier performance typically reserved for much higher-priced plans.
If you’re looking to host your Discord bot, Gravel Host offers bot hosting for just $3.00 per month, with support for Java, NodeJS, and Python. You also get 1 free MySQL database, premium support, and automatic backups.
Unlike many other hosting providers that reserve premium features for expensive plans, Gravel Host includes essential features like custom game panels, instant deployment, and premium support across all of its pricing tiers.
Gravel Host’s affordable plans make ARK: hosting accessible, and for hobbyists on a tight budget, there are even ARK free server solutions to experiment with before upgrading.
6. Dedicated IP Address and Subdomains for Minecraft Servers
Having a dedicated IP reduces the risk of your server experiencing performance issues due to traffic or resource usage from other servers on the same IP. Since your server has its dedicated resources, the chances of congestion, slow loading times, or lag are greatly minimized. This is important for larger Minecraft communities or when hosting complex modpacks requiring additional server power.
Dedicated IPs also add an extra layer of security because they make it harder for potential attackers to compromise your server. In a shared IP setup, an attack on another server could also affect your server. With a dedicated IP, your Minecraft server is isolated from others, reducing the risk of being impacted by attacks directed at shared IP addresses.
A subdomain lets you attach your Minecraft server to a larger domain name. For example, if you own a domain like mygameserver.com, you could create a subdomain like minecraft.mygameserver.com.
Subdomains are perfect for organizing different sections or types of servers. For instance, if you run multiple Minecraft servers for different game modes, you can assign each one its subdomain, such as survival.mygameserver.com or creative.mygameserver.com. This helps players easily navigate and remember server addresses based on the game mode or specific features you’re offering.
If you are running multiple Minecraft servers or even other websites alongside your Minecraft server, subdomains allow you to host all of them under a single domain. This eliminates the need to purchase additional domains or dedicated IPs for each new server.
Gravel Host allows Minecraft server owners to choose between a dedicated IP or a subdomain based on their needs. A dedicated IP is ideal for high-performance, private, or security-conscious setups, offering exclusivity, better performance, and added security. On the other hand, subdomains are fantastic for those who want a cost-effective, scalable, and organized solution that supports strong branding.
Read more about Gravel Host
7. DDoS Protection
The gaming industry has become a frequent target for DDoS attacks, with a 405% increase in network-layer DDoS assaults within just a few months in 2022. Not only are these attacks increasing in size and complexity, but they’re also evolving in tactics, with more incidents of ransom DDoS attacks, where attackers demand payment to stop the disruption.
In Q3 of 2022, 15% of Cloudflare’s surveyed customers experienced these ransom threats, highlighting how lucrative and damaging such attacks can be.
In the third quarter of 2022, a Minecraft server named Wynncraft was under siege — by one of the largest DDoS attacks ever recorded. A 2.5 terabits per second attack launched by a variant of the notorious Mirai botnet aimed to bring the entire server to its knees.
Gravel Host monitors network traffic to detect unusual spikes and suspicious activity. They mitigate DDoS attacks using rate-limiting, which controls the number of server requests in a set period, and ensure servers are patched with the latest updates to prevent vulnerabilities. Additionally, they deploy a Web Application Firewall (WAF) to block malicious traffic and filter harmful requests.
These combined measures help reduce the risk of successful DDoS attacks.
8. Server Performance and Connectivity
For any gamer, the performance of a game server is paramount. Nothing is more frustrating than experiencing lag or delays in the middle of a crucial Minecraft building session or while navigating a high-stakes multiplayer game like Rust or CS2.
To ensure seamless gaming experiences, server performance must be top-notch. We conducted several network performance tests to measure the quality of Gravel Host’s Minecraft server hosting, including a ping test and a traceroute analysis.
1. Ping Test Results: Latency and Responsiveness
A ping test measures the latency — the time data travels from a player’s computer to the server and back. In our test on Gravel Host’s Dallas server, we observed the following results:
- Average Latency: 258 ms
- Packet Loss: 0%
The latency of 258 ms is slightly higher than the ideal latency for gaming, which is generally under 100 ms for a smooth experience. However, the server showed no packet loss, ensuring consistent communication between the client and the server.
For gamers seeking truly lag-free play, using low latency servers is critical to minimize ping and achieve a smooth, real-time gaming experience.
Latency spikes like these can occur due to various factors, including the physical distance between the player and the server. For players in different regions, Gravel Host’s global network of data centers ensures they can choose the closest server to minimize latency and maximize performance.
2. Traceroute Results: Network Path Analysis
The traceroute test helps identify the path data takes from the player’s computer to the server, including all intermediate hops. The results of our test provided deeper insights into how the server handles requests:
In our test, the final hop to the server showed a latency of 256 ms, which aligns with the results from the ping test.
Several hops along the route timed out, which is not unusual, as intermediate routers sometimes block traceroute requests for security reasons. However, the final hop confirmed that the server connection remained stable, with no interruptions along the network path.
What This Means for You
While 258 ms of latency may not be ideal for players requiring real-time responses, it’s important to remember that Gravel Host offers multiple data centers worldwide.
Players can choose the nearest server to minimize latency and optimize gameplay. Additionally, for large gaming communities or competitive events, choosing a server location close to your primary audience is critical to reducing lag and providing the best gaming experience.
What Should Gamers Expect with Gravel Host?
As new technologies emerge — from faster processors to enhanced cloud infrastructure and even AI-driven optimizations — Gravel Host will ensure you have access to the best tools and resources.
Whether it’s cutting-edge latency reduction, even more robust DDoS protection, or seamless integration with upcoming game engines and platforms, you can count on Gravel Host to deliver the infrastructure you need when you need it.
By partnering with Gravel Host today, you’re investing in a future-proof platform that will grow as gaming itself grows. As new games push the boundaries of what’s possible and multiplayer experiences become even more immersive, Gravel Host will continue to adapt and improve, ensuring your gaming world stays fast, secure, and ready for anything.
Start your journey with Gravel Host today, and you won’t just be prepared for the future of gaming — you’ll be part of it.
