Free Vintage Story Server Hosting: What Actually Works
Compare free Vintage Story server hosting, from LAN and home PCs to cloud tiers with queues, credits, idle limits, or a 24-hour trial.
You will need
- Each player has a separate Vintage Story account
- Decide whether the world must be available outside the home network or while its owner is offline
Yes, free Vintage Story server hosting is possible: you can host on your own PC, use a provider’s free tier, or try a cloud VM. The trade-off is usually who has to keep the server available, how it starts, and how long an unused world stays stored. Every player still needs a separate Vintage Story account. For the full route choice, compare renting a server with a home PC or VPS.
For a group that wants to try a managed world before deciding, we recommend Game Hosting’s Vintage Story plans: one verified, no-card 24-hour trial lets your group try the actual server and panel, including its three free backup slots, then keep the same server, world, settings and backups if you choose a paid plan within seven days. This is a topic-specific way to evaluate a managed setup, not ongoing free hosting; Game Hosting sells the service and publishes this guide. For a broader provider checklist, see how to choose Vintage Story server hosting. For rent-versus-home costs, see the Vintage Story server cost breakdown.
Is Vintage Story server hosting actually free?#
The dedicated server software does not require a separate hosting subscription when you run it yourself. But “free server” can mean several different things: a local session on one network, a home PC exposed to the internet, a cloud account with setup requirements, or a provider account with idle rules or usage credits. None guarantees that a world will be online whenever every friend wants to play.
The game itself is separate. Vintage Story’s current player requirements list 64-bit Windows 10 or newer, macOS 13 or newer, and Linux. The official FAQ says consoles are a future hope, not a current release. Each player needs their own account from the official account store; a host cannot remove that requirement. This is Vintage Story’s own account and mod ecosystem, not Minecraft or Steam Workshop.
| Free route | What makes it cost $0 | Main condition to check |
|---|---|---|
| Open to LAN | Uses the PC already running the world | Friends must be on the same local network; the host must be playing. |
| Home internet or dedicated server | You provide the computer, network and server upkeep | Router access, port forwarding, power and updates remain your responsibility. |
| Cloud VM | A cloud provider’s free resources cover eligible use | Account setup, capacity, Linux and ARM compatibility, and maintenance. |
| Free hosting tier | The provider subsidizes a server under its own rules | Credits, queues, idle shutdowns, region and save retention vary. |
| Short hosting trial | A paid service lets you test it for a fixed window | It ends; save and continuation rules matter. |
Can friends join a free server on your PC?#
For people in the same home, start a world and use Open to LAN. It is the simplest no-rent option, but the game must stay open on the host computer and it is intended for players on that local network. A laptop that sleeps or a game that closes takes the world offline.
Friends connecting over the internet need a route into the home network. Vintage Story’s official self-hosting guide says Open to Internet attempts to create that route through UPnP and gives its success chance as about 50%. That percentage is the game maker’s estimate, not an independent connection test. If it fails, the owner may need router port forwarding or a VPN. The dedicated-server wiki guide documents port 42420 over TCP and UDP for current versions.
A dedicated process can keep running after the owner disconnects from the game, but it still needs a powered-on computer and a reachable internet connection. Official guidance gives a rough starting estimate of 1 GB of memory plus 300 MB per player and recommends four CPU threads; it is not a performance guarantee. When using a dedicated server, the whitelist is on by default since 1.20, so add the right players before they try to join. Do not disable player authentication to make a server “free.”
If you run the current stable version, the official version API listed 1.22.7 on October 12, 2026, with Windows x64 and Linux x64 server packages. The official server guide says 1.22 and newer use .NET 10. Keep clients and server on compatible network versions and check the version again before updating; this guide is not a setup walkthrough.
Can an always-free cloud VM run Vintage Story?#
It can be an option if you are comfortable managing Linux, networking, updates and a world save. Oracle’s current Always Free resources include up to 2 OCPUs and 12 GB of memory on its Arm-based A1 compute shape in the account’s home region. Oracle also warns that capacity may not be available in a region. Its free-tier sign-up usually asks for a phone number and credit card, and the separate $300 promotional credits expire after 30 days; those trial credits are not the same as the Always Free allowance.
There is an extra compatibility step: Vintage Story’s official download API lists x64 dedicated-server packages, while Oracle A1 is Arm. The community-maintained ARM64 server repository provides replacement files for Linux ARM64 and lists a 1.22 release, but its maintainers describe the work as experimental and say broader testing has not been done. Do not treat it as an official ARM client or a turnkey VM image. Before investing in a long-running world, confirm the precise game version, runtime, available capacity, firewall route and a recoverable copy of the save.
A small cloud VM still has an owner: someone must secure the account, configure the network, maintain the server and preserve the world. For the full choice between a home computer, a VPS and renting a game server, use the separate route comparison rather than treating an Oracle account as hands-off free hosting.
Which free Vintage Story server hosts have clear limits?#
Provider pages show why “free” is not one consistent service. The details below were checked on October 12, 2026. They describe published offers; we did not create provider accounts, run a server, test uptime, benchmark performance or restore a world.
| Provider | What its public page says | What to plan around |
|---|---|---|
| Stratum Free | US East (New Jersey), 3 GB memory with a 4 GB burst limit, 10 GB disk and no mod-count limit | Starts on demand and may queue when the node is busy; stops after 30 minutes empty or if nobody joins within 10 minutes. Unused servers are deleted after 21 days, with a warning at 14 days; the free tier has no uptime guarantee. |
| AxentHost | Uses hourly credits: 1 GB costs 5 credits; the page advertises 15 credits each hour on the website, up to 30 additional credits through its apps, plus a daily spin | A 4 GB server costs 20 credits per hour, so the website claim alone does not cover it continuously. The additional app credits and daily spin are part of the provider’s offer, not an uptime measurement. Its page says servers run while credits last. |
| Squadnox | Advertises ad-funded hosting managed through its app, with a create → boost → play flow | The current public page does not state a concrete Vintage Story quota, boost duration or save-expiry period. Check the terms shown in the app before you rely on a session length or retention window. |
Before choosing any free tier, write down the region, how you start the server, what makes it stop, when it is deleted, and how to download the world. Vintage Story worlds use SQLite-backed .vcdbs files. Its server-side and universal mods can be offered to players when they join; client-only mods still need to be installed on each client. Check the official ModDB for current game-version tags and dependencies. Before a provider migration, server update or restore, stop the server, make a separate backup and verify that the copy is actually retrievable. A listed backup control does not prove that your specific world has been restored successfully.
Is a free hosting trial the same as free server hosting?#
No. A permanent free tier can be useful for a group that accepts its region, queue, idle shutdown or deletion policy. A trial is a limited evaluation of a paid service. It can answer a different question—whether the panel, connection and world fit your group—without promising a free server afterward.
Game Hosting currently offers a one-time, verified 24-hour trial for a person, with no card. The timer starts when the server is ready. When the trial ends, the server stops and the world remains for seven days. If you choose Keep this server before the retention period ends, the same order continues as a paid plan and carries over its world, settings and backups. Verification and account/network limits apply, and capacity can vary. The current terms are on Game Hosting’s Vintage Story plans page; this is not an offer of permanent free hosting.
Use those 24 hours to check the controls and access your group cares about; do not leave an important world in a trial without a plan for its files and end date. For a detailed test checklist, the separate free-trial guide will cover that workflow. If you only want a $0 server, a home setup or an ongoing free tier may fit better.
Which free Vintage Story server option should you choose?#
Choose based on who must start the world and how long you need to keep it:
- One household, same network: Open to LAN avoids router configuration, as long as the host is playing.
- Friends over the internet and a spare PC: try the game’s internet route, then consider a dedicated server if you can handle port forwarding, whitelist access, updates and a computer that stays on.
- You can manage Linux and save retention: an always-free VM may work, but check its account conditions and the ARM server layer before building a world there.
- You accept sessions and idle rules: compare the provider’s current credits, queue, sleep and deletion terms; record those terms before creating a world.
- You want to test a managed panel briefly: a 24-hour trial can help, but plan for paid continuation or download the world before its retention deadline.
Free is practical when your group accepts its conditions. If you need predictable availability or want a provider to handle the server process, compare its paid plan and published controls with your home setup. Start with the full host-selection checklist and the cost comparison; neither a trial nor a server slot removes the need to protect your save.
Frequently asked questions#
Where can I host a free Vintage Story server?
You can host a world on a PC you own, try an eligible free cloud VM, or use a third-party free tier. Check whether players can reach it, when it stops and how long the save is retained before you choose.
Can my friends play if the server owner is offline?
Only if the server process continues running on a powered-on home PC, a cloud VM or a hosted service. Open to LAN stops with the host’s game session; a dedicated server can outlast that session, but its computer still needs power and network access.
What happens to my world when a free trial ends?
Game Hosting stops the server at the end of its 24-hour trial and holds the world for seven days. Choosing “Keep this server” in that period continues the same order as a paid plan; otherwise, download a copy before the retention deadline.
Sources checked October 12, 2026#
Vintage Story self-hosting, system requirements, FAQ, official account store, stable version API, dedicated-server wiki, official ModDB, ARM64 server repository, Oracle Always Free resources, Stratum Free, AxentHost Vintage Story, and Squadnox Vintage Story. Provider terms and account capacity can change; confirm the active offer before creating a world.
Quick answers
Where can I host a free Vintage Story server?
You can host on a home PC, use a provider with a free tier, or try a cloud VM. Each route has conditions: your PC must stay on, a free provider may queue or stop an idle server, and a cloud VM needs setup and compatible server software.
Can I play Vintage Story multiplayer for free?
A server can be free to run, but every player joining needs their own Vintage Story game account. A free server does not make the game account free or shared.
What happens to a world after a free hosting trial ends?
For Game Hosting’s one-time 24-hour trial, the server stops when the trial ends and the world is held for seven days. Choose “Keep this server” before then to continue the same order as a paid plan.