Migrating Game Servers to AnubizHost
Game server migrations need careful handling of world saves, mods, plugins, and player data. This guide covers the common server types (Minecraft, Rust, ARK, Counter-Strike, Valheim, Pal World) and the steps to move to an AnubizHost offshore VPS or dedicated with included DDoS protection.
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Choose VPS or Dedicated
Minecraft, Valheim, small CS or TF2 servers: AnubizHost VPS III or IV is enough. Rust, ARK, Pal World with 50+ player slots: dedicated with high single-thread CPU performance. Server location: pick the AnubizHost datacenter nearest your player base for lowest ping.
Provision and Install Game Server Software
Order VPS or dedicated. SSH in. Install the game server: Minecraft via PaperMC or Fabric; Rust via SteamCMD; ARK via SteamCMD; CS2 via SteamCMD; Valheim via SteamCMD; Pal World via SteamCMD.
Open the game ports in ufw or nftables. Each game has a specific port range - check the game's documentation.
Transfer World Data and Configs
Stop the game server on source cleanly (use the server's stop command, not kill - some games corrupt world data on hard stops). Rsync the world directory and configs:
rsync -avHAX /opt/minecraft/world/ root@NEW_IP:/opt/minecraft/world/
rsync -avHAX /opt/minecraft/plugins/ root@NEW_IP:/opt/minecraft/plugins/
rsync -avHAX /opt/minecraft/server.properties root@NEW_IP:/opt/minecraft/For each game, identify the specific world/save directory location. ARK uses Saved/; Valheim uses worlds_local/; Rust uses identity/.
Cut Over Players
Update DNS A record for your game server hostname (e.g. play.example.com). Lower TTL beforehand for fast switchover. Announce the migration in your Discord or game community at least 24 hours in advance.
For games that connect via direct IP (some older games), publish the new IP and run both servers in parallel for 7 days to let players update bookmarks.
DDoS Protection for Game Servers
Game servers attract DDoS more than any other workload. AnubizHost includes DDoS mitigation on all offshore VPS and dedicated. For larger servers or persistent attacks, the Romania and Iceland DCs have higher capacity mitigation pipes. Related reading: DDoS-protected game hosting, offshore VPS, offshore dedicated.
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