How to make a PvP server in Minecraft Java
To make a PvP server in Minecraft Java, run Paper close to your players, choose the combat rules, then add a game mode, an anticheat and a safe spawn:
- Order a plan near your players, with reserved threads if they live in or near Europe, and choose Paper.
- Choose the combat: modern combat needs nothing extra, and 1.8-style fights need OldCombatMechanics.
- Add a game mode: a duels or practice plugin, or EssentialsX kits for a simple KitPvP arena, where
/createkit <name> <delay>saves your inventory as a kit and/kit <name>hands it out. - Install Grim Anticheat, with Floodgate on the same server if Bedrock players join, so Grim can leave them out of its checks.
- Make spawn safe with WorldGuard:
/rg flag __global__ pvp denyturns PvP off in the whole world. Then select the arena with the WorldEdit wand and run/rg define arenaand/rg flag arena pvp allow.
1.8 PvP vs 1.9 combat
The difference between 1.8 PvP and 1.9 combat is the attack cooldown: since 1.9, a sword or axe hits hardest only after a short recharge, while 1.8 has no recharge, so fights come down to clicking speed, aim and movement. 1.9 also brought shields and took away blocking with a sword.
OldCombatMechanics lets one server offer either. Each change is a module you switch on or off: the attack cooldown, 1.8 tool damage, sword blocking, player and fishing rod knockback, golden apples and more. Modesets let players or worlds pick a set, so a 1.8 arena and modern survival run side by side, and on Paper 1.21.11 and newer it can restore 1.8 reach as well.
Players still on a 1.8.9 client can join a modern server through ViaVersion with ViaBackwards and ViaRewind. Keep ViaVersion on the game server itself rather than on a proxy, because Grim checks movement by client version and needs to see it.
Best PvP plugins for KitPvP, duels and practice
The best PvP plugins for KitPvP, duels and practice are these 5, and together they cover most PvP servers:
- Duels Optimised, a free fork of Duels: 1v1 and team queues, party duels, best-of rounds, a kit editor for every player and match replays, with builds up to 26.2.
- Neptune, a free, open source practice core for Paper and Purpur: kits such as Boxing, Crystal and Axe, a kit editor, queues that match players within a ping range, match history and leaderboards.
- EssentialsX kits for a plain KitPvP arena, without a separate game plugin.
- WorldGuard to keep fights inside the arenas and spawn safe.
- Grim Anticheat, free and open source: it predicts what a real client can do and flags reach, speed and timer cheats. Bedrock players who join through Geyser are left out of its checks.
How to get low ping on a Minecraft PvP server
To get low ping on a Minecraft PvP server, put it in the location closest to most of your players: ping comes mostly from distance, and no processor wins it back. Our finder only recommends Poland while the ping from your players to Warsaw stays under 100 ms, and for PvP closer is better still.
That makes PvP a trade-off. Reserved CPU threads are sold only in Germany and Poland, on the Performance lines of Astroworld Hosting and Lodehost. For players in America, Asia or Australia, a standard plan nearby beats a faster processor an ocean away: Astroworld Hosting has 27 locations, Lodehost 5, and Cheapest Minecraft Hosting runs only in Poland. Our pages on hosting in the USA, the UK, Singapore and Australia list the plans there.
How to make a PvP server for Bedrock players
To make a PvP server for Bedrock players, run the Java server on a crossplay plan with Geyser, because Bedrock Dedicated Server cannot run kit, duel or anticheat plugins. Bedrock players see no attack cooldown on their own, so Geyser shows them an indicator next to the crosshair by default. Remember that Grim does not check them, which matters most on a ranked or competitive server. Our page on Minecraft crossplay hosting covers the rest of the setup.
How much RAM does a PvP server need?
A PvP server needs about 6 GB of RAM for ten players on vanilla, 13 GB for twenty with 10 to 25 plugins and 28 GB for a public server of fifty, by the finder's rules. Arenas are small and fights stay in one place, so the memory goes mostly to players and plugins, and the processor decides more than the plan size.
| Server | Players online | RAM needed | Plan size | Lowest price for that size |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PvP among friends, vanilla | 6 to 10 | 6 GB | 8 GB | CheapestMinecraftHosting Plus, €6.40 a month in Poland (Warsaw) |
| KitPvP or duels | 11 to 20 | 13 GB | 16 GB | CheapestMinecraftHosting Pro, €12.80 a month in Poland (Warsaw) |
| Practice server | 21 to 30 | 18 GB | 24 GB | CheapestMinecraftHosting Crew, €19.20 a month in Poland (Warsaw) |
| Public KitPvP | 31 to 50 | 28 GB | 32 GB | CheapestMinecraftHosting Guild, €25.60 a month in Poland (Warsaw) |
Best Minecraft PvP server hosting plans
The best Minecraft PvP server hosting for twenty players is a 16 GB plan with reserved threads in Europe, or the nearest location elsewhere:
For 11 to 20 players with 10 to 25 plugins on Java in Poland (Warsaw), the finder recommends Astroworld Hosting Advanced Performance: 16 GB, AMD Ryzen 9 7950X, DDR5, for €40.95 a month when you pay monthly. As a new customer you pay €16.38 a month for the first 3 months, 60% off. The best plans at the other two hosts are Lodehost Premium at €46.95 and CheapestMinecraftHosting Pro at €12.80.