Best BedWars plugins
The best BedWars plugins are Screaming BedWars, BedWars2023 and BedWars1058, all 3 free and open source. The Minecraft versions they run on decide which one fits your server:
| Plugin | Minecraft versions | Latest release | Good to know |
|---|---|---|---|
| Screaming BedWars | 1.8.8 to 26.3; its docs recommend 26.1.2 | 0.2.44, June 2026 | Paper, Spigot and Purpur. A BungeeCord mode that also works with Velocity, and CakeWars, EggWars and AnchorWars variants. |
| BedWars2023 | 1.8.8 and selected versions up to 1.21.8 | 5.0.0, April 2026 | A fork of BedWars1058 started in March 2023. Spigot or Paper only, Java 11 or newer, and the TAB plugin for its scoreboards. |
| BedWars1058 | Selected versions from 1.8.8 to 1.20.6 | 25.9, September 2025 | The original, with arena groups, a language per player and BedWarsProxy for networks. Spigot or Paper only. |
Start with Screaming BedWars unless you need something only the other two have. It is the only one of the three that follows new Minecraft releases, and its arena rebuild after a game is quick. BedWars2023 suits owners who already know BedWars1058: the same commands, with releases that still come.
How to make a BedWars server
To make a BedWars server, run Paper with Screaming BedWars and Multiverse-Core, load a map and turn it into an arena:
- Order a 12 GB plan for one full game of 16, or 8 GB for a solo game of eight, and choose Paper on a version your plugin supports, such as 26.1.2.
- Install the plugins by putting Screaming BedWars and Multiverse-Core in the plugins folder, then restart.
- Upload the map: copy the map's world folder to the server, load it with
/mv import <world> normaland go there with/mv tp <world>. - Set up the arena with the commands in the table below, then save it.
- Let players in: place a sign with
[BedWars]on the first line and the arena name on the second, or tell players to type/bw join <arena>.
BedWars setup commands
BedWars setup in the table below takes 11 different commands in Screaming BedWars and 14 in BedWars1058 or BedWars2023, each run in game while you stand in the right spot. Screaming BedWars puts them all under /bw admin <arena>; BedWars1058 and BedWars2023 share their own set, because one is a fork of the other:
| Step | Screaming BedWars | BedWars1058 and BedWars2023 |
|---|---|---|
| Create the arena | /bw admin <arena> add, then pos1 and pos2 at opposite corners of the map | /bw setLobby in the main lobby first, then /bw setupArena <world> with the world name in lower case |
| Waiting lobby | /bw admin <arena> lobby | /bw setWaitingSpawn, and /bw waitingPos 1 and 2 around it |
| Teams | /bw admin <arena> team add Red RED 2 for a red team of two, at least 2 teams | /bw createTeam Red red, then /bw setMaxInTeam 2 |
| Team spawn | /bw admin <arena> team spawn Red | /bw setSpawn Red |
| Bed | /bw admin <arena> team bed Red, looking at the head of the bed | /bw setBed on the team's island |
| Generators | /bw admin <arena> spawner add iron true, with bronze, iron and gold built in | /bw addGenerator on each island, and on a diamond or emerald block for the middle |
| Shop and upgrades | /bw admin <arena> store add | /bw setShop and /bw setUpgrade |
| Spectators | /bw admin <arena> spec | /bw setSpectSpawn |
| Finish | /bw admin <arena> save | /bw save, then /bw enableArena <world> |
The Screaming BedWars arena guide covers the extras, such as diamond and emerald spawners, which you add in its config file first.
What Minecraft version should a BedWars server run?
A BedWars server should run the newest version its plugin supports, 26.1.2 for Screaming BedWars, and let 1.8.9 players join through ViaVersion, ViaBackwards and ViaRewind. Many BedWars players still prefer 1.8.9 for its combat, and ViaRewind lets 1.7 and 1.8 clients onto a newer server, as long as ViaVersion and ViaBackwards run next to it.
For the fights themselves, add OldCombatMechanics. It can remove the attack cooldown and bring back other 1.8 mechanics on 1.9 and newer, per world, so the arenas fight like 1.8 while the lobby stays vanilla. Running 1.8.8 itself still works with all 3 plugins, but PaperMC lists 1.8.8 as unsupported, so that server gets no more fixes.
How to make a BedWars server for Java and Bedrock
To make a BedWars server for Java and Bedrock, run the Paper server above on a crossplay plan, where Geyser and Floodgate let Bedrock players on phones and Windows join the same games. Console players get in too, in one of the ways on our page about a Minecraft server for Xbox, PlayStation and Switch. Bedrock Dedicated Server cannot run BedWars plugins, so a Java server with Geyser is the simplest way to give Bedrock players BedWars, in the same games as their Java friends. All 3 hosts sell crossplay plans with Geyser and Floodgate set up; at Astroworld Hosting and Lodehost they cost €2.00 a month more than the Java plan, and at Cheapest Minecraft Hosting the price stays the same. Our page on Minecraft crossplay hosting explains the setup and what Bedrock players cannot do there.
How much RAM does a BedWars server need?
A BedWars server needs about 7 GB of RAM for a solo game of eight players, 12 GB for one game of 16 in teams of two or four, and 17 GB for up to 30 players online, by the finder's rule for plugin servers. A BedWars map is a few islands in the void, so a game loads far less world than a survival server and these numbers are on the safe side. What adds memory is every arena world loaded at the same time.
| Players online | RAM needed | Plan size | Lowest price for that size |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 to 10 | 7 GB | 8 GB | CheapestMinecraftHosting Plus, €6.40 a month in Poland (Warsaw) |
| 11 to 20 | 12 GB | 12 GB | CheapestMinecraftHosting Builder, €9.60 a month in Poland (Warsaw) |
| 21 to 30 | 17 GB | 24 GB | CheapestMinecraftHosting Crew, €19.20 a month in Poland (Warsaw) |
How to run BedWars on a BungeeCord or Velocity network
A BedWars network runs each game on its own small server behind a BungeeCord or Velocity proxy, so restarting one game server leaves the lobby and the other games running. In Screaming BedWars you turn on the bungee section in config.yml and name the hub server players go back to after a game; behind Velocity, also turn on bungee-plugin-message-channel in velocity.toml. BedWars1058 and BedWars2023 have a BungeeCord mode too, with BedWarsProxy installed on the lobby servers.
Every server in a network is its own plan. For one or two games among friends, a single server is simpler and cheaper. Our page on Velocity server hosting explains how to set up the proxy.
Best BedWars server hosting plans
The best BedWars server hosting for one full 16-player game is a 12 GB plan, with reserved threads for a public server:
For 11 to 20 players with a few plugins on Java in Poland (Warsaw), the finder recommends Cheapest Minecraft Hosting Builder: 12 GB, AMD Ryzen 9 7950X, DDR5, for €9.60 a month when you pay monthly. The best plans at the other two hosts are Astroworld Standard Performance at €23.95 and Lodehost Standard at €23.95.