Basic
For small sessions with friends.
€6.99/month
cancel monthly
Choose plan
- Players (guide value)approx. 8
- RAM3 GB
- vCores1.5
- NVMe5 GB
- 2 backup slots
Rent a Core Keeper server
Rent your own Core Keeper server: You pay for hardware, not slots. Your friends join with the Game ID of your server – the server generates it itself and keeps it.
Plan
€9.99 /month · approx. 8 players
Start with Advanced- Cancel monthly
- DDoS protection included
- Server in Germany
Join Game Preview
WorldAfterWork
Game IDfrom the console of your server
This is how your players join: in the Join Game menu they enter the Game ID of your server. Your server generates it itself; it is shown in the console and in the file GameID.txt.
Core Keeper server: plans and prices
Every plan includes DDoS protection, the panel and hosting in Germany. The plans differ in hardware – we do not limit slots.
Advanced
For regular groups and weekly sessions.
€9.99/month
cancel monthly
Choose plan
- Players (guide value)approx. 8
- RAM6 GB
- vCores3
- NVMe10 GB
- 3 backup slots
Included in every plan
- DDoS protectionIncluded with every server at no extra charge. With your own IP address: your own filter and protection panel.
- Backups2 to 3 backup slots depending on the plan – with one click or on your own schedule.
- Console and filesLive console, file manager in the browser and SFTP.
- Grows with youAdd RAM, cores or storage one by one – for good, or as a boost just for one evening.
- Co-adminsSeparate logins for friends and admins, with exactly the permissions you grant.
- Personal supportMon–Fri 9 a.m.–6 p.m. by ticket.
13th-generation Intel processorDDR4 memoryNVMe SSDData center in GermanyAvailability as set out in the Service Level Agreement
With monthly billing you can cancel monthly. Up to 15% cheaper when you pay in advance. Final prices, no setup fee. Player numbers are guide values.
Set up and manage your Core Keeper server
Real screenshots from the game server panel. Everything runs in the browser – no FTP program and no SSH.
Screenshot from the Nexthosting panel (example server). Arrow keys switch between the areas.
Settings you control
- WorldThe name of your world – 3 to 60 characters. The default is “Neuer Server von Nexthosting”.
- Player countThe developer’s default is 8 players. You can set more, but the developer warns that this needs more resources and can make the session unstable.
- Direct connectionIf you like, your server also accepts connections by address, port and password – for friends who do not play through Steam.
- Game IDYour server generates it on the first start and keeps it. You can also set one of your own.
- New worldWorlds are numbered from 0 to 29: a new number starts a new world, and the old one is kept. For new worlds you choose the seed and the mode – Normal, Hard, Creative or Casual.
- UpdatesOn every start your server checks Steam for a new version. You can turn this off.
All of this is in the panel under “Startup settings”. Admins are appointed in the pause menu of the game; that is also where they ban players.
How your players join the server
Your friends join with the Game ID of your server. You pass it on to everyone who should play.
In the game
- Open the Join Game menu.
- Enter the Game ID of your server in the Game ID field.
The menu remembers servers you have played on before.
The Game ID
- Where it comes from
- Your server generates the Game ID itself. After the start it is shown in the console – in the line
NH_GAME_ID– and in the fileGameID.txt. - Passing it on
- Everyone who should play needs it from you.
- Stays the same
- Your server keeps its Game ID across restarts. As an admin you generate a new one in the game – with the button next to the Game ID.
Nexthosting Schutz
Players stay connected. Flooders get locked out.
Every game server at Nexthosting is protected against DDoS attacks at no extra cost. With a dedicated IP address, your server gets a filter all to itself – and you get the panel where you watch every attack bounce off.
All quiet. Blue means your players. They walk through the gate – that is your server's port.
Example, no real data
Arriving right now242
Turned away1
Let through238
packets per second
Moving example from the protection panel: small squares run towards a wall. Blue squares – the players – pass through the gate to the server, during an attack too. Sand-coloured squares – the attack – get stuck at the wall.
Sand stays outside
Senders that open connections in bulk are locked out automatically while an attack is running. You lift any lock with one click.
Blue keeps playing
Existing connections are never cut. Regulars – anyone who has spent a while on your server – get in straight away, even in the middle of an attack.
Your situation room
You see where it comes from
The map shows the traffic to your server, country by country. Block a country with one click – or allow only the ones you choose. If you like, the protection blocks attacking countries by itself while an attack is running.
Every attack is put on record
Course, waves and senders, minute by minute – as a PDF and as a table. One click reports the attack to Nexthosting: an urgent notice at once, followed by a full report as a PDF. On request with a confirmation you can hand to the police or other authorities.
You decide how strict
Three protection levels – and if you like, the protection tightens by itself when an attack starts. You are told by e-mail and Discord as soon as an attack begins and when it is over. Plus: a test of the protection at the push of a button, co-managers for your community's admins, and traffic per port.
What the protection costs
- With every game server
- The data centre's basic protection against DDoS attacks. At no extra cost.
- With a dedicated IP address
- A filter for your address alone, and the protection panel with it – for €3.79 a month plus a one-time setup fee of €4.99, with no further charge. Usually set up within a few minutes; you can also add it later.
Order a Core Keeper serverCompare plans
You pick the dedicated IP address as an add-on while ordering. Server location: a data centre in Germany.
Included for free: your server’s live status
Your players can see for themselves whether the server is up and how full it is right now.
- In Discord
- A message in your channel that updates itself: status, players, map and address. No bot needed.
- On websites and forums
- A banner as an image, for a signature for example. You copy the embed code in the panel.
Included with every game server at no extra charge, you switch it on in the panel. Player count and map are available for games with a server query, online or offline is always shown.
Example: a Discord channel shows the status message of a server with 12 of 50 players, ping, uptime and address. Below it is a forum post whose signature contains the status banner of the same server. Both show the same player count.
Frequently asked questions about your Core Keeper server
Costs, setup, player numbers and cancellation – answered briefly.
From €6.99 per month (Basic plan). The largest plan, Advanced, costs €9.99 per month. The plans differ in memory, cores and storage. These are final prices, and there is no setup fee.
After payment, your server sets itself up. You open the panel straight from your customer account.
In the Join Game menu: they enter the Game ID of your server in the Game ID field. The Game ID is shown in the console of your server after it starts. The menu remembers servers your friends have played on before.
The Game ID is the identifier players use to join your server. Your server generates it itself: after the start it is shown in the console – in the line NH_GAME_ID – and in the file GameID.txt. You pass it on to everyone who should play.
The Game ID stays the same across restarts. As an admin you can generate a new one in the game; you set one of your own in the startup settings.
According to the developer, yes: with a direct connection, PC players on Steam, Epic Games, GOG and the Microsoft Store play on the same server. To allow this, switch on “Direct Connection” in the startup settings. Your server then also accepts connections by address, port and password – the address and port are in your panel, and you set the password under “Direct Connection Password”.
With a direct connection your server takes about a minute and a half longer to start.
We do not limit slots – you pay for hardware. The player numbers on the plans are guide values; how many your server really handles depends on your world. The developer designed Core Keeper for 1 to 8 players. You can enter more in the startup settings, but the developer warns that this needs more resources and can make the session unstable.
Yes. You can upgrade at any time; the change takes effect immediately and the difference is charged pro rata. Downgrades take effect at the end of the term. You can also add just RAM, cores or storage. Your data stays in place.
Yes. You book your own IP address as an add-on to your server. With it, you get up to 100 ports of your choice and the protection panel.
Yes, in every plan. Backup slots: Basic 2, Advanced 3. Back up with one click or set up your own schedule in the panel; restoring also takes one click.
In a data center in Germany. What applies to availability is set out in the Service Level Agreement.
Yes. With monthly billing you can cancel your server monthly. Paying in advance makes it up to 15% cheaper; the chosen term then applies. If you only need a break, you can pause the server – then you pay only for keeping your data.