Q: Minecraft: how many players can my server handle?

Player capacity depends on your plan size and how heavy your world or modpack is. ||| These are guidelines, not hard limits. Set max players in config at or below what your plan can handle. <h2 id="planguide">Plan guide</h2> | Plan | Recommended players | Notes | | ---- | | Small | 1–2 | Vanilla or light Paper, small builds | | Medium | 3–5 | Most friend groups, light plugins | | Large | 6–10 | More players or moderate plugins | | XL | 11–20 | Big groups — watch modpack weight | <h2 id="whataffectsperformance">What affects performance</h2> <ul> <li>Modpacks — heavy Forge packs need Large or XL</li> <li>Redstone / farms — large contraptions increase CPU load</li> <li>Plugins — many or poorly optimized plugins add overhead</li> <li>Render distance — higher distance = more RAM and CPU</li> </ul> <h2 id="signsyouneedabiggerplan">Signs you need a bigger plan</h2> <ul> <li>TPS drops, block lag, or rubber-banding</li> <li>Frequent "Can't keep up!" warnings in logs</li> <li>Players timing out under load</li> </ul> <h2 id="signsasmallerplanisenough">Signs a smaller plan is enough</h2> <ul> <li>2–3 friends on vanilla/Paper with no lag</li> <li>Server mostly idle except when you're all online together</li> </ul> || Choosing a server type? See Minecraft: Paper vs Vanilla vs Fabric vs Forge | Still need help? Message us in chat with your plan size and mod/plugin list.

Q: Do I pay when my server is stopped?

No. You are only charged while a server is running. ||| Think of it like a taxi meter — it only runs while the engine is on. <h2 id="freezerocredits">Free — zero credits</h2> <ul> <li>Server status is stopped</li> <li>Server was stopped by idle auto-shutdown (no players for 20 minutes)</li> <li>Server was stopped because you ran out of credits (after the grace period)</li> <li>Server exists in your dashboard but has never been started</li> </ul> <h2 id="costscredits">Costs credits</h2> <ul> <li>Any time the server status is running — billed hourly based on your plan size</li> </ul> <h2 id="multipleservers">Multiple servers</h2> You can have as many servers as you want. Each stopped server costs nothing. You only pay for the ones that are actively running at the same time. | Example | Status | Cost | | ---- | | Minecraft survival | Running | Billed hourly | | Factorio factory | Stopped | Free | | Minecraft modded test | Stopped | Free | | Still need help? Message us in chat.

Q: How to create your first server

Creating a server takes about a minute. You are not billed until you start it. ||| Do not press Start until your group is ready to play — that is when hourly billing begins. <h2 id="steps">Steps</h2> <ol> <li>Log in and go to Servers → Create server.</li> <li>Choose a game — Minecraft or Factorio.</li> <li>Pick a region — choose the location closest to most of your players.</li> <li>Choose a size — Small (1–2 players), Medium (3–5), Large (6–10), or XL (11–20).</li> <li>Set a name and handle — the handle becomes part of your address, e.g. <code>mycrew-a8f3.warp.cool</code>.</li> <li>Configure game settings — gamemode, difficulty, max players, MOTD, and more.</li> <li>Click Create.</li> </ol> Your server appears in the dashboard with status stopped. Press Start when everyone is ready to play. <h2 id="tips">Tips</h2> | Pick Paper for Minecraft | Best performance + plugins. Recommended for most groups. | | Pick Forge | Heavy modpacks | | Pick a close region | Lower ping for your players — see Which region should I pick? | | Check your credit balance first | See How credits and pricing work | | Before your first session, buy credits from the Credits page in the dashboard. | Still need help? Message us in chat.

Question 1

Minecraft: how many players can my server handle?

Accepted Answer

Player capacity depends on your plan size and how heavy your world or modpack is.

||| These are guidelines, not hard limits. Set max players in config at or below what your plan can handle.

Plan guide

| Plan | Recommended players | Notes | | ---- | | Small | 1–2 | Vanilla or light Paper, small builds | | Medium | 3–5 | Most friend groups, light plugins | | Large | 6–10 | More players or moderate plugins | | XL | 11–20 | Big groups — watch modpack weight |

What affects performance

Modpacks — heavy Forge packs need Large or XL
Redstone / farms — large contraptions increase CPU load
Plugins — many or poorly optimized plugins add overhead
Render distance — higher distance = more RAM and CPU

Signs you need a bigger plan

TPS drops, block lag, or rubber-banding
Frequent "Can't keep up!" warnings in logs
Players timing out under load

Signs a smaller plan is enough

2–3 friends on vanilla/Paper with no lag
Server mostly idle except when you're all online together

|| Choosing a server type? See Minecraft: Paper vs Vanilla vs Fabric vs Forge

| Still need help? Message us in chat with your plan size and mod/plugin list.

Question 2

How Warp.cool works

Accepted Answer

Warp.cool is pay-as-you-play game server hosting. You buy credits, create a server, start it when your group wants to play, and stop it when you're done.

||| You only pay while the server is ++running++. Stopped servers cost nothing.

The basics

Create a free account — no credit card required at signup.
Buy credits — prepaid currency starting from €5. Credits never expire.
Create a server — pick a game, region, and size. You are not charged until you press Start.
Start when ready — your server gets a permanent yourserver-a8f3.warp.cool address.
Share and play — friends connect using that address in-game.
Stop when done — billing stops immediately and your world is saved automatically.

Why it's different

Unlike monthly subscriptions, you are not paying for 720 hours of uptime you never use. A friend group playing a few evenings a week typically spends a few euros per month instead of a flat monthly fee.

| Monthly host | Warp.cool | | ---- | | Pay every month, server runs 24/7 | Pay only when you press Start | | Good if you play daily | Good for friend groups, weekends, casual sessions |

What you manage vs what we manage

You: game settings, when to start/stop, who you invite, credit top-ups.

We: cloud infrastructure, backups, DNS, server software install, idle auto-shutdown to protect your credits.

Question 3

How credits and pricing work

Accepted Answer

Credits are Warp.cool's prepaid currency. Your server consumes credits only while it is running.

||| Stopped servers cost ++zero credits++. Idle auto-shutdown also stops billing when nobody is playing.

The exchange rate

++1 credit = €0.035 EUR++

| Pack | Price | Credits | | ---- | | Starter | €5 | 100 | | Standard | €15 | 300 | | Pro | €30 | 600 | | Power | €60 | 1200 |

Credits never expire. Buy a pack and use it over weeks or months.

Hourly cost

Each server size has a fixed credit cost per hour. Example — if Medium costs 8 credits/hr:

1 hour = 8 credits = €0.28
3 hours = 24 credits = €0.84
5 hours = 40 credits = €1.40

Check current plan prices on the Pricing page in your dashboard or at warp.cool/pricing.

When am I charged?

| Status | Billing | | ---- | | Running | Credits deducted hourly | | Stopped | No charge | | Idle auto-shutdown | Server stops after 20 min with no players — billing stops, world saved |

Minimum purchase

The smallest pack is €5 (100 credits) — enough for roughly 20 hours on a Small plan or a full weekend of casual play.

|| Running out mid-session? You get a 15-minute grace period — see What happens if I run out of credits?

| Still need help? Message us in chat.

Question 4

Do I pay when my server is stopped?

Accepted Answer

No. You are only charged while a server is running.

||| Think of it like a taxi meter — it only runs while the engine is on.

Free — zero credits

Server status is stopped
Server was stopped by idle auto-shutdown (no players for 20 minutes)
Server was stopped because you ran out of credits (after the grace period)
Server exists in your dashboard but has never been started

Costs credits

Any time the server status is running — billed hourly based on your plan size

Multiple servers

You can have as many servers as you want. Each stopped server costs nothing. You only pay for the ones that are actively running at the same time.

| Example | Status | Cost | | ---- | | Minecraft survival | Running | Billed hourly | | Factorio factory | Stopped | Free | | Minecraft modded test | Stopped | Free |

| Still need help? Message us in chat.

Question 5

How to create your first server

Accepted Answer

Creating a server takes about a minute. You are not billed until you start it.

||| Do not press Start until your group is ready to play — that is when hourly billing begins.

Steps

Log in and go to Servers → Create server.
Choose a game — Minecraft or Factorio.
Pick a region — choose the location closest to most of your players.
Choose a size — Small (1–2 players), Medium (3–5), Large (6–10), or XL (11–20).
Set a name and handle — the handle becomes part of your address, e.g. mycrew-a8f3.warp.cool.
Configure game settings — gamemode, difficulty, max players, MOTD, and more.
Click Create.

Your server appears in the dashboard with status stopped. Press Start when everyone is ready to play.

Tips

| Before your first session, buy credits from the Credits page in the dashboard.

| Still need help? Message us in chat.

Question 6

My server is stuck on Starting or Provisioning

Accepted Answer

Long wait times on first start are normal. A truly stuck server needs support.

||| First start ever: expect 5–15 minutes. Do not create a duplicate server while waiting.

Expected wait times

| Situation | Typical wait | | ---- | | First start ever | 5–15 minutes (sometimes longer) | | Later starts | Usually faster, but still a few minutes | | After stop → start | World restore from backup takes time |

The dashboard shows a provisioning timeline on the server details page. Watch for progress there.

What happens during first start

Cloud VM is provisioned
Game server software is installed
Your configuration is applied
DNS record is created
Server becomes running

When to worry

Contact support if:

Status has not changed for 30+ minutes
Status flips to error or failed
The timeline shows no progress for a long time

What you can try

Refresh the server details page
Wait — do not create a duplicate server while the first is provisioning
Check you have enough credits to run the server

Do not

||| Delete and recreate repeatedly — this creates more provisioning load and won't speed things up.

Share or connect using an IP before DNS is live

Contact support with

Server name / ID
Region
How long it has been stuck
Screenshot of the provisioning timeline if possible

| Message us in chat.

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