Embedded Files
So you want to run your own game server. Maybe you're tired of dealing with laggy public lobbies, or you've got a friend group that just wants their own private corner of the internet to game in. Whatever brought you here — you've probably already done the rounds with the big names. Nitrado, Nodecraft, the usual suspects.
Let me save you some time and tell you about a hosting company that a lot of people sleep on: Imperium Hosting.
I won't bury the lede. This is a smaller, veteran-owned operation based in the US, founded in 2023. They support over 50 games, have servers on multiple continents, and their Trustpilot score sits at a very healthy 4.8 out of 5 based on real customer reviews. That's not a number you fake.
Let's get into it.
Who Actually Built This Thing?
Who Actually Built This Thing?
Imperium Hosting was founded by Christian Tomlinson, a U.S. Army veteran, with one specific goal: make game hosting feel personal again. Not automated. Not ticket-queue hell. Personal.
That philosophy shows up everywhere. Staff will literally jump into your game with you to help troubleshoot. One customer mentioned they had game nights where Imperium staff asked if they could join — just because they genuinely wanted to play. That's either the most wholesome thing in the game hosting industry, or very good marketing. Based on the reviews, it seems like the former.
The company runs its infrastructure on OVHcloud hardware, which gives them serious reliability backbone — 99.95% uptime SLA, NVMe SSDs, DDoS protection baked in at the infrastructure level. Since moving to OVHcloud, their only downtime has been planned in advance, according to the company's own case study. That's the kind of boring stability you want from a server host.
👉 Start your server with Imperium Hosting
What Games Can You Actually Host?
What Games Can You Actually Host?
The short answer: a lot. Here's a taste of the current library:
Survival & Sandbox
Minecraft Java ($2.99/mo), Minecraft Bedrock ($2.99/mo), Valheim ($12.99/mo), Project Zomboid ($10/mo), Rust ($16.50/mo), DayZ ($16/mo), 7 Days to Die ($13/mo), Palworld ($12/mo), Sons of the Forest ($14.50/mo), Conan Exiles ($16/mo), Enshrouded ($7.50/mo), V-Rising ($14/mo)
Tactical & Military
Arma III ($35/mo), Arma Reforger ($22.99/mo), Squad ($20/mo), EXFIL ($7.99/mo)
Co-op & Crafting
Satisfactory ($12.99/mo), Factorio ($19.99/mo), Core Keeper ($11/mo), Abiotic Factor ($8/mo), Avorion ($9.50/mo)
Racing & Simulation
Assetto Corsa Competizione ($5/mo), American Truck Simulator ($7.50/mo), Euro Truck Simulator 2 ($7.50/mo), Wreckfest 2 ($11.99/mo)
Other Favorites
Garry's Mod ($10/mo), Left 4 Dead 2 ($8/mo), Path of Titans ($16/mo), Terraria ($2.99/mo), Mordhau ($18/mo), Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord ($15/mo)
That's a pretty serious lineup. If you play it, there's a decent chance Imperium hosts it.
👉 Browse the full game server catalog
The Pricing: What You're Actually Paying For
The Pricing: What You're Actually Paying For
Let's talk numbers, because that's what everyone actually wants to know.
Game Servers are priced per slot or per configuration, depending on the game. Entry points are genuinely low — Minecraft starts at $2.99/month, Terraria at $2.99/month, Voyagers of Nera at $5.69/month. For the more complex titles, DayZ runs $16/month and Squad comes in at $20/month.
Minecraft plans start from $2.99 for a basic 2GB RAM/50GB disk space plan, with the price rising to $72 for the maxed-out 20GB RAM/200GB disk space/RealTime CPU plan. That's a wide range, and the flexibility is genuinely useful once you understand what your server actually needs.
GameMaster is the higher tier — a dedicated virtual machine just for your gaming needs. Here's how those break down:
Imperium Seed — 12GB DDR4 RAM, 100GB NVMe SSD, AMD Ryzen 5 3600X — $39.31/mo + $10 setup
Imperium Pulse — 16GB DDR4, 200GB NVMe — $55.48/mo + $10 setup
Imperium Forge — 24GB DDR4, 300GB NVMe — $84.36/mo + $10 setup
Imperium Arsen — 28GB DDR4, 350GB NVMe — $95.67/mo + $10 setup
Imperium Overlord — 32GB DDR4, 400GB NVMe — $110.32/mo + $10 setup
The GameMaster tier is for community admins running multiple game servers at once, or anyone who wants the full dedicated VM experience without having to manage a physical box.
There's also a Reserve Mode option worth knowing about — for $3.99/month, you can pause your active server while keeping all your files, configurations, and world saves intact. So if you're taking a break from a game but don't want to lose your setup, that's a clever solution most hosts don't even offer.
The Discount That's Worth Mentioning
The Discount That's Worth Mentioning
If you're a U.S. or NATO veteran, active duty military, reservist, or first responder — Imperium offers 15% off all services, recurring. Not a one-time coupon. Every month, permanently discounted. You have to apply and verify, but for anyone who qualifies, that's a meaningful ongoing saving.
The company's founder is a veteran himself, and this discount reflects that. It's not a marketing gimmick tacked on for PR — it was baked into the company's founding mission.
Server Locations
Server Locations
Current data center locations:
Seattle, Washington
Hillsboro, Oregon
Los Angeles, California
Vint Hill, Virginia
London, United Kingdom
Strasbourg, France
Beauharnois, Canada
That covers North America and Western Europe reasonably well. If you're in Southeast Asia or Australia, the latency won't be ideal — though the company has reportedly been eyeing expansion into Southeast Asia. Based in Western Europe, a reviewer achieved a steady ping under 40ms at all times.
What Real Customers Are Saying
What Real Customers Are Saying
The Trustpilot reviews are worth reading. Multiple reviewers compared Imperium favorably to competitors, with one calling it "hands down a million times better than Nitrado."
A few patterns stand out across dozens of reviews:
Support response time. One reviewer noted responses that came "within seconds." That's not typical for this industry.
The human element. Staff walked customers through setting up servers for games like Satisfactory, Aska, and American Truck Simulator — and even asked to join game nights.
Complex setups handled well. One experienced DayZ server admin who had previously used HostHavoc, Nitrado, and others called Imperium the best they'd worked with for customer service and troubleshooting.
There's one negative review pattern that does show up: a billing issue where a cancellation request wasn't honored at the expected end-of-period date. It's worth reading the full cancellation terms before signing up, just to avoid surprises. But it appears isolated.
The Control Panel: Functional, Not Flashy
The Control Panel: Functional, Not Flashy
All plans offer DDoS protection, global server locations, extensive customer support, and one-click mod pack installation. The control panel is custom-built — not a reskinned version of something generic — and handles the basics well: file management, scheduled restarts, configuration editing, and sub-user management.
One reviewer's favorite highlight was how easy it is to add sub-users — just go to "Create a Sub User" and get set up in seconds.
It's not the most beautiful interface on the market. TechRadar's review called it "less than ideal looking." But it's functional and fast, and honestly — if it works reliably, I'll take boring over pretty any day.
Free Trials
Free Trials
Imperium also offers game server trials — a lower-commitment way to test the platform before committing to a monthly plan. That's listed in their store under the "Game Server Trials" category.
👉 Try a game server trial first
Is Imperium Hosting Worth It in 2026?
Is Imperium Hosting Worth It in 2026?
Here's my read: Imperium Hosting is genuinely one of the better small-to-mid-tier options in the game server space right now, especially if you value actual human support over ticketing systems and chatbots.
The pricing is competitive. The game library is large. The support reputation is legitimately strong. The veteran ownership adds a cultural dimension that's hard to fake — you can see it in how the staff interacts with customers.
The weak points are minor: the UI could use a design refresh, and the server location options won't suit players in Asia-Pacific well right now. But for anyone in North America or Western Europe hosting for a friend group or small community? Hard to find a better combination of price, reliability, and customer care at this level.
If you've been frustrated with the big automated hosting platforms and want something that actually feels like someone gives a damn about your server — give Imperium a shot. They've got a 48-hour money back guarantee, so the risk is low.
👉 Get started with Imperium Hosting today
Pricing and availability are subject to change. Check the official store for the most current rates.
Page updated
Google Sites
Report abuse