How to make a Minecraft server creative
To make a Minecraft server creative, change 2 lines in server.properties and restart: gamemode=creative makes creative the default, and force-gamemode=true switches every player to it each time they join, including players who started out in survival.
To change one player instead, run /gamemode creative <player>. On Java it needs operator rights at permission level 2, so if the command does nothing, make yourself an operator first by typing op <your name> in the server console. With EssentialsX installed, /gmc does the same.
How to make a superflat creative server
To make a superflat creative server, set level-type=flat in server.properties before the world is created. The setting does nothing for a world that already exists, so stop the server and change level-name to a new name: the next start builds a flat world, and the old one stays on the disk.
The layers come from generator-settings, and the Minecraft Wiki's Superflat page shows the format. Two more lines help on flat land: generate-structures=false keeps villages off it, and difficulty=peaceful stops the slimes that keep spawning on superflat land.
How to set up a plot server with PlotSquared
To set up a plot server, run Paper with PlotSquared and WorldEdit or FastAsyncWorldEdit, then create a plot world: a grid of roads with square plots that players claim one by one.
- Install the plugins. Put PlotSquared and FAWE or WorldEdit in the plugins folder and restart. PlotSquared 7 needs Java 17 or newer.
- Create the plot world with Multiverse-Core,
/mv create plots normal -g PlotSquared, or answer the questions of/plot setup. - Let players claim:
/plot autotakes the nearest free plot,/plot claimtakes the one they stand on, and/plot homebrings them back. - Share a plot:
/plot trust <player>lets a friend build at any time and use WorldEdit there,/plot add <player>only while the owner is online, and/plot deny <player>keeps someone out. - Grow or reset:
/plot mergejoins neighbouring plots, and/plot clearwipes one back to an empty plot.
Plots are protected from the start: explosions are off, and players without the bypass permission can use WorldEdit only on plots where they may build, up to 50 million blocks at a time. PlotSquared's code is open source under GPL-3.0, but the ready-made download on SpigotMC is a paid premium resource. The PlotSquared command list has the rest.
WorldEdit vs FastAsyncWorldEdit
WorldEdit vs FastAsyncWorldEdit comes down to 2 things: your server software and the size of your edits. WorldEdit runs on Paper, Fabric, Forge and NeoForge, while FAWE, a fork built for big edits, runs only on Paper, Spigot and Purpur.
The size of the edits matters for memory. WorldEdit keeps each player's last 15 edits in memory for //undo by default, so a few huge pastes can fill a small plan; FAWE saves that history to disk and runs edits in the background. On a Paper creative server with large builds, we would choose FAWE, and PlotSquared works with both.
How to make a creative copy of your Minecraft server
To make a creative copy of your Minecraft server, clone the survival world into a second world on the same server with Multiverse-Core, turn that world to creative, and give it its own inventories. It takes 2 plugins and 2 commands:
- Clone the world:
/mv clone world world_creativecopies your survival world under a new name. - Make it creative:
/mv modify world_creative set gamemode creative. - Keep the items apart with Multiverse-Inventories, which gives each world its own inventories, so nothing taken in creative reaches survival.
The copy is a snapshot of the day you made it, which makes it a safe place to try a big build before anyone spends real blocks on it in survival.
How much RAM does a creative server need?
A creative server needs about 4 GB of RAM for five players on vanilla, 6 GB for ten, and 8 GB for ten builders with WorldEdit and a plot plugin, by the finder's rules. Creative players fly, so they reach new land much faster than in survival, and every chunk they load costs memory. A world border keeps that in check, and superflat land is quick to generate.
| Server | Players online | RAM needed | Plan size | Lowest price for that size |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vanilla creative | 2 to 5 | 4 GB | 4 GB | CheapestMinecraftHosting Starter, €3.20 a month in Poland (Warsaw) |
| Vanilla creative | 6 to 10 | 6 GB | 8 GB | CheapestMinecraftHosting Plus, €6.40 a month in Poland (Warsaw) |
| Plot server with WorldEdit | 6 to 10 | 8 GB | 8 GB | CheapestMinecraftHosting Plus, €6.40 a month in Poland (Warsaw) |
| Plot server with WorldEdit | 11 to 20 | 13 GB | 16 GB | CheapestMinecraftHosting Pro, €12.80 a month in Poland (Warsaw) |
| Public plot server | 31 to 50 | 28 GB | 32 GB | CheapestMinecraftHosting Guild, €25.60 a month in Poland (Warsaw) |
How to make a Bedrock creative server
To make a Bedrock creative server, set gamemode=creative in its server.properties before anyone joins, because on Bedrock the setting only applies to a player's first visit. Add allow-cheats=true if you want to switch players with /gamemode. For flat land, create a Flat world in the game, upload its folder to the server's worlds folder and set level-name to it. Bedrock Dedicated Server runs no plugins, so for plots and WorldEdit run Paper on a crossplay plan, where Bedrock players claim plots with the same commands.
Best Minecraft creative server hosting plans
The best Minecraft creative server hosting for ten builders is an 8 GB plan, and building does not need the fastest one:
For 6 to 10 players with 10 to 25 plugins on Java in Poland (Warsaw), the finder recommends Cheapest Minecraft Hosting Plus: 8 GB, AMD Ryzen 9 7950X, DDR5, for €6.40 a month when you pay monthly. The best plans at the other two hosts are Astroworld Starter Performance at €15.95 and Lodehost Starter at €15.95.