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What is Gaming Deluxe?
Gaming Deluxe is a UK-based game server hosting provider that has been operating since 2004. It rents pre-configured servers for more than 200 games, including Minecraft, Rust, ARK, Valheim, Palworld and 7 Days to Die, with setup that the company says is usually automatic within about 20 minutes of payment. Servers run on NVMe SSDs and higher-clock CPUs, and DDoS protection is included rather than sold as an add-on. Support is positioned as 24/7 with real people, which matters most when a mod breaks or a server won't start at an inconvenient hour.
Who it suits
- Small friend groups wanting a low-cost Minecraft or Valheim world without running hardware at home.
- Community admins who need mod, map and config help, and who value a UK host for lower latency to European players.
- Clans running persistent servers for shooters or survival games where downtime is visible to everyone.
What to weigh
The main trade-off is managed convenience versus control. You get a working server quickly and help when things go wrong, but you don't get the root-level freedom of a bare VPS or dedicated machine, and very large modpacks or heavily customised setups may hit plan limits. Pricing starts low for small Minecraft slots and rises with player count, memory and game, so compare the specific configuration you need rather than the headline figure.
As a next step, pick your game and check the recommended slot and memory tier against your expected player count, then confirm whether the mods you want are supported before ordering. For independent user feedback, see Trustpilot. If you later outgrow shared hosting, compare a dedicated option such as OVHcloud or Hetzner.
How much does it cost to rent a game server from Gaming Deluxe?
Game server rental at Gaming Deluxe starts at £3.00 per month for a Minecraft server, with most popular titles falling in the £8–£10 per month range. The site lists these starting prices: Minecraft £3.00, Enshrouded £4.32, 7 Days to Die £8.75, Hytale £8.00, Rust £9.90, Palworld £9.99, Valheim £9.99, and Project Zomboid £9.50. These are entry-level configurations; the actual cost rises as you add player slots, RAM, CPU priority or storage, so treat them as a floor rather than a fixed price.
What affects the price
- Game and workload: a small co-op world like Enshrouded costs less than a heavily modded Rust or ARK server.
- Player count and slots: more concurrent players require more CPU and memory.
- Mods and maps: large modpacks and custom maps increase resource use, which usually pushes you to a higher tier.
- Server type: the site also advertises dedicated servers alongside game servers, which sit above shared game hosting on cost.
How to judge value
If you are running a five-person Minecraft world, the £3.00 tier is likely enough and the decision is simple. If you are hosting a public Rust or ARK community with mods, budget closer to the top of the listed range and expect to move up a tier once population grows. The relevant comparison is not the headline figure but cost per player slot at the performance you need; a cheap tier that lags under load is worse value than a slightly dearer one that holds steady.
A practical next step: open the configure page for your specific game, set your expected player count and mod load, and read the resulting monthly figure before committing. That number, not the "from" price, is what you will actually pay.
Which games can I host on a Gaming Deluxe server?
Gaming Deluxe supports 200+ games, with the catalogue centred on survival, sandbox and community multiplayer titles. The games highlighted on its site include Minecraft, Rust, Palworld, ARK, Valheim, 7 Days to Die, Enshrouded, Project Zomboid, Hytale and Arma 3. It also publishes setup guides for DayZ, ARK, Arma 3, Rust and Conan Exiles, which suggests those are actively hosted too.
What that mix suits
- Small friend groups and private worlds: Minecraft, Valheim, Enshrouded, Project Zomboid.
- Larger persistent communities: Rust, ARK, DayZ, Arma 3, Conan Exiles.
- Mod-heavy servers: the site advertises full mod support and "expert configuration included," and its guides cover config, mods, maps and admin.
How to check your specific game
Use the game search on Gaming Deluxe and look for a configure page rather than relying on the homepage list, which only shows a selection. If your game appears, you can order and expect automatic deployment, typically within about 20 minutes according to the site.
One practical caveat: a long supported-games list does not guarantee equal polish for every title. Before committing to a longer billing period, start with the shortest term available and test the specific mods, map rotation and player count your group actually uses.
How long does it take to set up a game server after ordering?
Gaming Deluxe says a server is typically online within about 20 minutes of payment clearing. Setup is automated, so you don't need to open a support ticket to get started: once the order is processed, the server deploys and you can connect, add mods and invite players.
What the 20 minutes actually covers
- Automatic deployment: The order-to-live step is handled by the platform, not by a person manually building your server.
- Payment clearance: The clock starts after payment clears, so delays at your bank or payment provider can push the live time back.
- First connection: You can join as soon as deployment finishes, then configure mods and settings yourself.
Where it can take longer
The 20-minute figure is a typical time, not a guarantee. Expect extra time if you order during a busy period, choose a less common game or a heavily customised configuration, or if your payment needs manual review. For a large community server with many mods, budget extra time for your own configuration after the server is live, even though the deployment itself is quick.
A practical way to plan
If you're setting up for a specific evening session, order well before you need it rather than assuming 20 minutes is a hard ceiling. Order, confirm payment has cleared, then use the wait to gather your mod list, map choices and admin details so you can configure everything as soon as the server appears. If you need a specific launch time, ask support in advance whether your chosen game and spec can be ready by then.
Gaming Deluxe is one option among several UK hosts, so it's worth comparing deployment promises before committing: Gaming Deluxe for its stated 20-minute setup, and other established hosts such as Nitrado or G-Portal if you want to compare typical deployment times and game coverage.
Is DDoS protection included with Gaming Deluxe game servers?
Yes. DDoS protection is listed as always included and free with Gaming Deluxe game servers, not sold as a paid add-on. The same page also states that servers deploy automatically, usually within about 20 minutes, on NVMe storage and CPUs clocked at 5.0GHz or higher.
What that means in practice
For a small community server, the practical benefit is that a grudge attack or a burst of junk traffic does not become a billing decision. You do not have to weigh an extra monthly charge mid-raid or mid-tournament. It also removes one common reason smaller communities delay buying protection until after they have already been knocked offline.
Two caveats are worth keeping in mind:
- "DDoS protection" is a broad label. It can mean always-on network-level filtering, or mitigation that only kicks in when traffic crosses a threshold. The page does not spell out which, or whether there are limits on attack size or duration.
- Protection is not the same as full resilience. A determined attacker can still target individual players' home connections, or exploit weaknesses in game mods and admin panels rather than the server network itself.
How to judge it against alternatives
| Question to ask | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Is mitigation always on, or only on detection? | Always-on filtering usually means a small latency cost; on-demand mitigation can mean a brief outage before it engages. |
| Is there a stated attack-size ceiling? | Large volumetric attacks are where "included" protection sometimes stops being enough. |
| Does it cover the game ports you actually use? | Some hosts protect the main game port but not query, RCON or voice ports. |
| Is it the same for every game and plan? | Cheap entry plans sometimes sit on different network paths than higher tiers. |
Next step
If you run a public server where you expect attention from troublemakers — Rust, ARK, Arma 3 or DayZ, for example — ask support directly: whether filtering is always on, what attack volumes are covered, and which ports are protected. If you only play with a handful of friends on a whitelisted Minecraft or Valheim world, included protection is a nice bonus rather than the deciding factor; prioritise the CPU and storage specs instead, since those shape day-to-day performance more.
For broader comparisons, Gaming Deluxe itself lists its supported games and setup guides, and you can check independent host directories or communities for how other UK providers handle mitigation terms.
What do customers say about Gaming Deluxe's support and reliability?
Customers consistently describe Gaming Deluxe's support as fast, personal and helpful, and its reliability as solid. The Trustpilot material shown on the site rates the host 4.8 out of 5 from 82+ reviews, with three quoted reviewers standing out:
- M (June 2024) says that whenever they had a question — adding maps or mods — the team helped "instantly" and treated them with respect.
- Rob W (October 2023) runs an Arma 3 server and reports "no issues or downtime," calling the support great.
- iraqiboy90 (November 2019) calls it the best game server host with amazing customer service, noting they have used it since the Battlefield 2 era.
What that pattern actually tells you
These are customer observations, not independent benchmarks. Read together, they cluster around three themes: quick human replies, willingness to help with mods and maps rather than just billing, and stability over long periods. The 2019 review is the weakest evidence for current performance simply because it is old, while the 2024 one is the most relevant to how the service runs now.
The reliability claims on the page — 99.9% uptime, instant setup usually within 20 minutes, free DDoS protection and 24/7 support — are the company's own figures, not customer testimony. Treat them as the promise the reviews are testing, not as proof.
A useful next step
Before ordering, search the Trustpilot profile for reviews mentioning your specific game and check the dates. Support quality often varies by game because mod and map help depends on staff familiarity. If you run a modded Arma 3 or DayZ server, the Rob W and M reviews are the closest match to your situation; if you just want a vanilla Minecraft server for friends, the bar is lower and almost any established host will do.
For a wider sanity check, compare against other long-running UK hosts such as ServerPro or community forums where server owners discuss downtime openly.
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