Question 1

How do I order a server?

Accepted Answer

Pick your game in the store, choose a size, pick monthly, quarterly or yearly billing and pay by card. Your server is set up automatically as soon as the payment clears.

Question 2

Which size should I pick?

Accepted Answer

Every game page recommends a size and shows how much memory the game usually wants. Start with the recommended size. Mods, big worlds and more players all need more memory, and you can move up later without losing anything.

Question 3

How long until my server is ready?

Accepted Answer

Your server installs and starts by itself once payment clears. Most games are online within a few minutes; games that download large files from Steam on the first start can take up to about 15 minutes. You get an email when the service is active.

Question 4

How do I log in to the game panel?

Accepted Answer

The game panel is where you start, stop and manage your server. Your panel account uses the same email address as your billing account, but it has its own password.

The first time, open the panel, choose "Forgot password" and set one from the email we send you.

Question 5

What is the difference between the billing portal and the game panel?

Accepted Answer

The billing portal is for orders, invoices, cancelling and support tickets. The game panel is for the server itself: the console, files, backups, schedules and settings.

Question 6

Where do I find my server address?

Accepted Answer

Open your server in the game panel. The address and port are shown on the console page, for example node1.empireservers.com:25565. Give players the whole thing, including the number after the colon.

Question 7

Do I need to start my server myself?

Accepted Answer

No. A new server starts by itself as soon as it is installed. Open it in the game panel to watch the console; when it reports it is ready, players can join. After that, use Start, Stop and Restart in the panel whenever you need them.

Question 8

Where are the servers?

Accepted Answer

In a data centre in Virginia, on the US East Coast. That gives low ping across North America and reasonable ping from Western Europe.

Question 9

Is there a free trial?

Accepted Answer

No, but new servers are covered by a 72-hour refund: if a new server does not work as described and we cannot fix it, you get that first payment back.

Question 10

My game is not listed. Can you host it?

Accepted Answer

Possibly. We only list games after testing them on our hardware. Open a ticket or email us with the game and we will tell you whether we can run it.

Question 11

How can I pay?

Accepted Answer

By card, through Stripe. We never see or store your full card number; Stripe handles it.

Question 12

Can I pay for longer to save money?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Paying quarterly takes 10% off the monthly price, and paying yearly takes 20% off. Choose the billing period at checkout.

Question 13

Is there a setup fee or contract?

Accepted Answer

No setup fee and no contract. You pay for the period you choose and can cancel at any time.

Question 14

How do renewals work?

Accepted Answer

Your plan renews at the end of each billing period. We email the renewal invoice about 7 days before it is due. Pay it from the billing portal, or it is charged to the card you saved at checkout.

Question 15

Where are my invoices?

Accepted Answer

In the billing portal under Invoices. Each one can be viewed and downloaded as a PDF. We also email every invoice to the address on your account.

Question 16

What happens if I pay late?

Accepted Answer

We remind you by email. A server whose invoice is 2 days overdue is suspended: it stops running but its files are kept. Paying the invoice brings it back.

If the invoice is still unpaid 14 days after its due date, the server, its files and its backups are permanently deleted.

Question 17

How do I cancel?

Accepted Answer

In the billing portal, open the service and choose Cancel. Your server keeps running until the end of the period you have paid for, then it is removed along with its files and backups, so download anything you want to keep first.

Question 18

Can I get a refund?

Accepted Answer

New servers have a 72-hour refund if they do not work as described and we cannot fix them. Prepaid quarterly and yearly plans can get back the whole months not yet started. A renewal you forgot to cancel is refunded in full if you ask within 48 hours and have not used the server since. The refund policy has the details.

Question 19

Can I switch between monthly, quarterly and yearly?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Open a ticket and tell us which period you want; the change applies from your next renewal.

Question 20

Can I put my company name on invoices?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Add your company name and billing address in your account settings in the billing portal, and new invoices will show them.

Question 21

My payment failed. What now?

Accepted Answer

Check the card details and that your bank allows online payments, then pay the invoice again from the billing portal. If it keeps failing, open a ticket before the due date so your server is not suspended while we sort it out.

Question 22

How do I get to my server files?

Accepted Answer

Use the Files tab in the game panel to browse, edit, upload and download. For big uploads, use an SFTP app such as FileZilla or WinSCP: the host, port and username are in the panel under Settings, SFTP details, and the password is your panel password.

Question 23

How do I run server commands?

Accepted Answer

Type them into the console in the game panel, at the bottom of the console page. You see the output live.

Question 24

Can I schedule automatic restarts?

Accepted Answer

Yes. In the panel, open Schedules, create a schedule with the time you want, and add a Restart task. You can also schedule console commands, such as a warning message a few minutes before.

Question 25

Where do I change the game version or server settings?

Accepted Answer

Many settings are in the Startup tab of the panel, such as the server name, version or player count, depending on the game. Everything else is in the game's own config files in the Files tab. Restart the server after changing either.

Question 26

Can I give friends access to the panel?

Accepted Answer

Yes, without sharing your login. In the panel, open Users and invite them by email, then choose what they can do, for example use the console but not delete files.

Question 27

How do I move to a bigger or smaller size?

Accepted Answer

Open a ticket with the size you want. We move your server over, it restarts once, and your world, files and settings stay as they are. The price difference is applied to your billing.

Question 28

What do the Boost and Dedicated IP add-ons do?

Accepted Answer

Both are ticked at checkout. Boost keeps 5 daily backups instead of 2, doubles your storage and adds 2 extra ports, on any game. Dedicated IP gives your server an IP address of its own on the game’s usual port, so players join with the address alone; it is available for Minecraft Java for now, while addresses last. Both are set up within a few minutes of ordering and show in the panel. Adding them to a server you already have isn’t available yet.

Question 29

Can I choose Paper, Fabric or another server type?

Accepted Answer

Yes, at checkout. Minecraft Java offers Paper, Vanilla, Fabric, Forge and NeoForge; Valheim offers vanilla or BepInEx for mods; Terraria offers vanilla or tModLoader. To switch type later, open a ticket. Switching reinstalls the server, so make a backup first.

Question 30

How do I make my Bedrock server invite-only?

Accepted Answer

In the panel, open Startup and fill in Allow list with your players' gamertags, separated by commas. It is saved to the server within a couple of minutes; restart the server to switch the allow list on. Leave it empty to let anyone join again.

Question 31

Can I schedule Rust wipes?

Accepted Answer

Yes. In the panel, open Startup and set Wipe schedule to weekly, biweekly or monthly, then pick the day and the hour (US Eastern). At that time the server stops, the map and saves are deleted, and it starts again on a fresh map. Set Wipe blueprints too to 1 to wipe blueprints as well.

Question 32

Can I switch my server to a different game?

Accepted Answer

Yes, on the same plan. Open a ticket and tell us which game. The old game's files are removed during the switch, so download or back up anything you want to keep first.

Question 33

How do I reinstall or reset my server?

Accepted Answer

In the panel, open Settings and choose Reinstall server. This runs the game's installer again and can overwrite files, so make a backup first. To start a completely fresh world, delete the world folder in Files and restart.

Question 34

Will my server address ever change?

Accepted Answer

Not normally. If we ever need to move a server, we tell you in advance by email and give you the new address.

Question 35

What are the limits on memory, CPU and disk?

Accepted Answer

Memory is capped at the size you ordered. CPU is shared fairly across the machine. Your disk allowance is shown in the panel. The panel's graphs show live memory and CPU use.

Question 36

Players cannot connect. What should I check?

Accepted Answer

Work through these in order:

1. The server is running and the console says it is ready.
2. Players are using the full address, including the port after the colon.
3. Their game version matches the server version.
4. A whitelist or server password is not blocking them.

Still stuck? Open a ticket with the address and the exact error players see.

Question 37

My server does not appear in the in-game server list.

Accepted Answer

Server browsers can take 5 to 15 minutes to list a new server, and some games only list servers with a public name set. Players can always join with the address directly while you wait.

Question 38

My server is stuck on "starting".

Accepted Answer

Look at the console: the first start of a new world or a big update can take several minutes. If nothing has changed for 15 minutes, restart it once. If it sticks again, open a ticket and include the last lines of the console.

Question 39

My server keeps crashing.

Accepted Answer

Check the console for the error just before it stopped. "Out of memory" means the game needs a bigger size, fewer mods or a smaller view distance. A crash right after adding a mod usually means that mod. Restoring the latest backup is the quickest way back.

Question 40

The server is lagging.

Accepted Answer

Check the memory and CPU graphs in the panel. If memory is at the limit, move up a size or trim mods. High CPU usually comes from too many entities, big farms or a large view distance. A scheduled daily restart also helps long-running games.

Question 41

I am out of disk space.

Accepted Answer

Delete old logs, unused worlds and leftover files in the Files tab. Large old backups on the server itself are a common cause. If you genuinely need more space, open a ticket.

Question 42

My server says it is suspended.

Accepted Answer

A server is suspended when its invoice is 2 days overdue. Pay the invoice in the billing portal and it comes back straight away with your files as they were.

Question 43

Are my servers backed up automatically?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Every server is backed up once a day, overnight US Eastern time, and the backups are stored off the machine your server runs on. Two backups are kept, or five with the Boost add-on; each new one replaces the oldest.

Question 44

How do I restore a backup?

Accepted Answer

In the panel, open Backups, pick the one you want and choose Restore. Restoring replaces the current files with the backup, so anything changed since it was taken is lost. Stop the server first.

Question 45

Can I make a backup before a big change?

Accepted Answer

Yes. In Backups, choose Create backup. It uses one of your backup slots, so if they are all full, download or delete the oldest one first.

Question 46

Can I download my world or a backup?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Download a backup from the Backups tab, or download individual files and folders from the Files tab or over SFTP. Your worlds are yours.

Question 47

What happens to backups when I cancel?

Accepted Answer

They are deleted along with the server at the end of your paid period. Download anything you want to keep before then.

Question 48

How do I install mods or plugins?

Accepted Answer

Upload them to the folder your game or mod loader expects, using the Files tab or SFTP, then restart the server. For Minecraft, plugins go in the plugins folder and mods in the mods folder, matching the server type you run.

Question 49

Can I run a modpack?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Download the modpack's server files from its creator and upload them, or open a ticket and we will help you set it up. Modpacks usually need more memory than the game on its own.

Question 50

A mod broke my server. What do I do?

Accepted Answer

Remove the last mod you added and restart. If the world itself is damaged, restore the most recent backup from before the change. If you are stuck, open a ticket with the console output and we will point you in the right direction.

Question 51

Do you fix problems caused by mods?

Accepted Answer

We will help you find the cause, but mods and plugins are made by third parties and we cannot promise to fix them. A game update that breaks a mod usually needs a new version of the mod.

Question 52

How do I get the free voice server?

Accepted Answer

Order the free Voice 10 size from the voice section of the store. You get one for each active game server. If a game server is cancelled, its free voice server is suspended, and removed after 7 days unless you order another game server.

Question 53

How do people join my voice server?

Accepted Answer

Everyone installs the free Mumble app from mumble.info (on phones, use a Mumble-compatible app such as Mumla on Android). Add a server with the address and port shown in the panel, pick a username, and connect.

Question 54

How do I become admin on my voice server?

Accepted Answer

The first time the server starts, the console shows a line like "Password for SuperUser set to …". Connect with the username SuperUser and that password, then create channels and give your own user admin rights.

Question 55

How do I set a password so only my group can join?

Accepted Answer

In the panel, open Files, edit murmur.ini, set serverpassword= to the password you want, and restart the server.

Question 56

Can I add more voice slots?

Accepted Answer

The slot count comes with the size you order. For more, order a bigger voice size, or open a ticket and we will move you up.

Question 57

How do I get my bot running?

Accepted Answer

Choose Node.js or Python at checkout. Upload your code in the Files tab, set the main file in the Startup tab (index.js or app.py by default), and press Start. Dependencies in package.json or requirements.txt are installed each time the bot starts.

Question 58

Where should my bot token go?

Accepted Answer

In a file your code reads, such as .env, never in code you share. Never paste your token into a ticket. If it has ever been exposed, reset it in the Discord developer portal.

Question 59

Can I deploy my bot from GitHub?

Accepted Answer

Yes. In the Startup tab, set the Git repository address and branch, and turn on automatic updates to pull the latest code on every start. Private repositories need a username and an access token.

Question 60

Can I change the Node.js or Python version?

Accepted Answer

Yes. In the Startup tab, choose a different version from the image list and restart. To switch between Node.js and Python, open a ticket.

Question 61

What happens if my bot crashes?

Accepted Answer

The panel restarts it automatically. If it crashes again within a minute, it stays stopped so it does not loop; check the console for the error, fix it, and press Start.

Question 62

Can I turn on two-factor authentication?

Accepted Answer

Yes, and we recommend it on both accounts. Turn it on in your account settings in the billing portal, and separately under Account in the game panel.

Question 63

I forgot my password.

Accepted Answer

Use "Forgot password" on the login page of whichever account you are locked out of. The billing portal and the game panel have separate passwords.

Question 64

How do I change my email address?

Accepted Answer

Open a ticket from your current address with the new one. We update both the billing portal and the game panel so they stay linked.

Help center

Ordering and setup

Billing and payments

Managing your server

Connecting and fixing problems

Backups

Mods and plugins

Voice servers

Discord bots

Account and security

Getting help