How much RAM does a Minecraft server need for 10 players?
A Minecraft server for ten players with plugins needs about 7 GB of RAM: 2 GB for the server and 1 GB for every two players. There is no 7 GB plan, so the next size that fits is 8 GB. The extra gigabyte is used quickly once your group finds the End, builds a mob farm and loads thousands of chunks.
On a pure vanilla server you need a little less: ten players need about 5.3 GB. None of the three hosts sells a 6 GB Java plan, so 8 GB is still the size to choose. On a modded server, choose 12 GB, and a large modpack with ten players needs 24 GB.
| Players online | Vanilla | Plugins | Modded | Modpack |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 to 10 | 6 GB | 7 GB | 10 GB | 18 GB |
Best Minecraft server plans for 10 players
The best Minecraft server plan for 10 players with plugins has 8 GB of RAM, on reserved threads if your group builds big farms.
For 6 to 10 players with a few plugins on Java in Poland (Warsaw), the finder recommends Lodehost Starter: 8 GB, AMD Ryzen 9 7950X, DDR5, for €15.95 a month when you pay monthly. As a new customer you pay €6.38 for the first month, 60% off. The best plans at the other two hosts are Astroworld Starter Performance at €15.95 and CheapestMinecraftHosting Plus at €6.40.
| If you want | Host and plan | Memory | Processor | Location | Per month |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lowest price | CheapestMinecraftHosting Plus | 8 GB | AMD Ryzen 9 7950X, DDR5 | Poland (Warsaw) | €6.40 |
| Balanced | Lodehost Starter | 8 GB | AMD Ryzen 9 7950X, DDR5 | Poland (Warsaw) | €15.95 (€13.95 on 24 mo) New customers: €6.38 for the first month, 60% off |
| More performance | Astroworld Starter Performance | 8 GB | AMD Ryzen 9 7950X, DDR5 | Poland (Warsaw) | €15.95 (€13.95 on 24 mo) New customers: €6.38 a month for the first 3 months, 60% off |
Our balanced pick is Lodehost Starter: 8 GB on reserved threads of a Ryzen 9 7950X in Poland with daily backups, for €15.95 when you pay monthly or €13.95 a month on a longer term. The same amount of RAM at Cheapest Minecraft Hosting costs €6.40, on a shared processor with one backup instead of daily backups.
Why a 10 player Minecraft server needs a fast CPU
RAM decides how many players fit on your server. The processor decides how smooth the game feels when everyone is online. Minecraft runs mobs, redstone and farms on one main thread, so one fast core matters more than many slow ones. With ten players and a few large farms, the Performance line on a Ryzen 9 runs noticeably smoother, which is why the finder prefers it.
It costs a few euros more than the standard line, where Lodehost Starter costs €12.95 a month and includes a free website for your server. If your group mostly plays in the evening without heavy redstone, that standard plan is fine. At Astroworld Hosting, Astroworld Starter Performance costs €15.95 a month, and new customers get 60% off the first 3 months in Poland and 20% in Germany.
A Minecraft server for 10 players on Java and Bedrock
In a group of ten there is often someone on Bedrock, playing on a phone, a Switch or an Xbox. In that case, choose Crossplay in the finder. Crossplay plans cost a few euros more because Geyser and Floodgate are already set up, so Bedrock players can join the same Java server with the same address.
Is Minecraft Realms enough for 10 players?
Minecraft Realms is only just enough for 10 players. A Realm holds the owner and up to ten friends at the same time, so a group of ten fits, but there is no room to grow. The bigger limits are elsewhere. A Realm cannot run plugins, so there are no land claims, no homes and no rollback when someone griefs a base, and Java and Bedrock players cannot share one Realm. Most groups of ten want at least one of those things, and that is usually the moment they move to their own server.
Best Minecraft server settings for 10 players
The best setup for a Minecraft server with ten players is Paper with a few changes in server.properties. Paper runs Spigot and Bukkit plugins and uses the processor more efficiently than the vanilla server, and these settings make a noticeable difference:
- view-distance: the default of 10 chunks works for ten players. Lower it to 8 if the server struggles when everyone is online.
- simulation-distance: how far from each player mobs, crops and farms keep running. A value of 6 to 8 saves a lot of processor time on a busy evening.
- max-players: the default is 20, so you only need to change it when more people play at the same time.
Before you invite everyone, pre-generate the world around spawn with a plugin such as Chunky. Then the server does not have to create new terrain while ten people explore at once. Our guide to Minecraft plugin server hosting lists the plugins most servers start with.