Choosing the right RAM prevents lag, crashes, and overspending. Latency Host bills per GB, so right-sizing saves money.
Minecraft
| Players / type | Recommended RAM |
|---|---|
| Vanilla, ~10 players | 2 GB |
| Plugins (Paper/Spigot), ~25 players | 4 GB |
| Modded / medium modpack | 6–8 GB |
| Large modpack (100+ mods) | 12–16 GB |
Modpacks load chunks and entities into memory — always budget extra for Forge and Fabric.
Rust
| Server size | Recommended RAM |
|---|---|
| Small community (~20 players) | 4 GB |
| Medium with Oxide plugins | 8 GB |
| High pop (100+ players) | 16 GB |
Rust is CPU- and RAM-intensive during wipes and entity-heavy raids.
FiveM
| Server type | Recommended RAM |
|---|---|
| Small RP / testing | 8 GB |
| Medium RP with assets | 12–16 GB |
| Large public city | 24–32 GB |
Custom MLOs, vehicles, and scripts consume RAM quickly. Monitor usage in Pterodactyl.
Other games
- Valheim — 2–4 GB co-op; 8 GB for public modded servers
- ARK — 8 GB minimum modded; 16 GB+ for clusters
- GMod — 4 GB TTT/sandbox; 8 GB+ DarkRP with Workshop collections
- Palworld — 4 GB friends-only; 8 GB public
- Discord bots — 1–2 GB per bot instance
When to upgrade
Watch for TPS drops, “can’t keep up” warnings, or out-of-memory restarts. Upgrade from the client portal — your files stay intact.