How to Reduce Lag on Your Game Server (2026 Guide)

Understanding Server Lag

Lag is the number one complaint in multiplayer gaming. Whether you're hosting Minecraft, Valheim, ARK, or Rust, server lag ruins the experience for everyone. But most lag issues have straightforward solutions.

There are two main types of lag:

• Server-side lag (low TPS): The server can't keep up with game calculations
• Network lag (high ping): Data takes too long to travel between player and server

Common Causes of Server Lag

1. Insufficient Hardware

The most common cause is simply not enough resources. Game servers, especially modded ones, are resource-hungry. If your host is overselling shared hardware, you'll feel it.

Solution: Choose a host like DoomHosting that uses dedicated resources and high-frequency CPUs rather than shared virtual cores.

2. Too Many Entities or Loaded Chunks

In Minecraft, too many mobs, dropped items, or loaded chunks tank performance. In Valheim, it's terraforming changes and building complexity.

Solution:

• Set entity limits and mob caps
• Reduce view/simulation distance
• Use server-side performance mods (Lithium, Starlight for Minecraft)
• Clear unnecessary entities regularly

3. Unoptimized Plugins or Mods

A single poorly coded plugin can bring a server to its knees.

Solution:

• Use Timings or Spark profiler to identify slow plugins
• Remove or replace problematic mods
• Keep everything updated to the latest versions

4. Server Location

If your server is in Europe but most players are in North America, everyone gets 100+ ms ping.

Solution: Choose a hosting provider with data centers close to your player base. DoomHosting offers multiple locations to ensure low latency for your community.

5. Insufficient RAM

Running out of RAM causes garbage collection stalls that freeze the server.

Solution:

• Allocate enough RAM for your player count and mods
• For Minecraft: 4GB for vanilla (10-20 players), 6-8GB for modded
• Use appropriate JVM flags (Aikar's flags for Minecraft)

Quick Optimization Checklist

• Use the latest server software version
• Install performance optimization mods
• Set appropriate view/render distance
• Configure entity and mob limits
• Allocate sufficient (but not excessive) RAM
• Choose a server location near your players
• Schedule automatic restarts every 6-12 hours
• Monitor performance with profiling tools
• Keep backups before making changes

Game-Specific Tips

Minecraft

Use Aikar's JVM flags for optimal garbage collection:

java -Xms4G -Xmx4G -XX:+UseG1GC -XX:+ParallelRefProcEnabled -XX:MaxGCPauseMillis=200

Valheim

• Reduce m_dataPerSec in server config for large builds
• Keep world age reasonable — old worlds accumulate terrain modifications

ARK: Survival Evolved

• Lower MaxStructuresInRange to prevent structure spam
• Reduce tamed dino limits
• Use DestroyWildDinos command periodically

Need Better Performance?

If you've optimized everything and still experience lag, it might be time to upgrade your hosting. DoomHosting's game servers run on the latest AMD Ryzen hardware with NVMe storage — purpose-built for gaming performance.

Explore our game server plans and feel the difference.