How to Choose Between Host Havoc's Game Server, Ryzen VPS, and Dedicated Server

Pick the game server plan if you want to launch a supported game with mods and automatic backups in minutes, the Ryzen VPS if you need a general-purpose instance with 1–6 vCPUs and root-level control, and a dedicated server if your project needs raw, non-shared performance and you're ready to handle (or pay for) administration. The deciding factors are what you're running, how much control you want, and whether shared resources are acceptable.

Quick comparison

Choose a game server if…

You want to play, not administer. Host Havoc's game server product supports 30+ games, includes automatic backups, and provides Workshop & Mod Installers, so you can pick a game and be running within minutes. This is the right tier when:

• The game you want is on the supported list.
• You want mod/Workshop support without manually wiring it up.
• You don't need root access or to run non-game software.

The trade-off: you're limited to the games and configuration Host Havoc supports, and you don't get a general-purpose machine.

Choose a Ryzen VPS if…

You need compute power but not a whole physical machine. The VPS platform runs on AMD Ryzen hypervisors with NVMe SSDs and offers 1–6 vCPUs with unmetered bandwidth. It fits when:

• You're running something other than a supported game — a custom server, a small web/app stack, a voice server, or a modded setup the game tier doesn't cover.
• You want more CPU headroom than a shared game slot gives you, but don't need dedicated hardware.
• You're comfortable managing the instance yourself.

Because it's a VPS, resources are virtualized — good for most workloads, but not the same guarantee as a bare-metal machine.

Choose a dedicated server if…

Your project is genuinely resource-hungry and you want the whole machine. Host Havoc offers dedicated servers with AMD Ryzen processors, NVMe SSD storage, and unmetered bandwidth, in both unmanaged and managed forms. Pick this when:

• You've outgrown a VPS or need consistent, non-shared performance.
• You're running multiple services or a large community.
• You want the choice of handling administration yourself (unmanaged) or paying for it (managed).

This is the highest-cost, highest-effort tier — only worth it if a VPS can't meet your load.

Two factors that apply to all three

DDoS protection is included as standard on every Host Havoc hosting service. The source states the multi-tiered solution covers 50+ types of attacks, has mitigated 100k+ attacks, and mitigates in under 1 second. If DDoS resilience matters to you, you don't need to upgrade tiers to get it.

Location matters for latency. Host Havoc runs 14 datacenter locations: New York, Montreal, Miami, Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles, Seattle, London, Amsterdam, Frankfurt, Nuremberg, Singapore, and Sydney. Pick the region closest to your players or users regardless of which tier you choose.

A simple decision path

1. Is it a supported game and you just want to play? → Game server.
2. Is it something else, or do you need root access, but shared/virtual resources are fine? → Ryzen VPS.
3. Do you need dedicated, non-shared performance and are willing to manage or pay to manage it? → Dedicated server.

If you're unsure between VPS and dedicated, start on the VPS — it's the cheaper way to find out whether virtualized resources are enough before committing to bare metal.