Where should I host a game server for players in Asia?

Why do some routes look odd?

Because packets follow cables and peering deals, not maps. Manila sits 19 ms from Hong Kong on WonderNetwork, yet 156 ms from Tokyo. Seoul shows 90 ms to Hong Kong there.

Microsoft's backbone gives other numbers for similar pairs. Its median over 30 days to 30 July 2026 is 39 ms from Seoul to Hong Kong, and 95 ms from Sydney to Singapore. WonderNetwork's Sydney test server needs 178 ms for the same trip.

A latency table tells you where to start testing, not what your players will see. We publish no latency or speed figures of our own: we have not measured them. Test from where your users are once the server is yours. The three hubs compared head to head are on the latency between Singapore, Hong Kong and Tokyo.

What if players are spread across Asia?

Pick the port that keeps your worst region playable, or run one machine per region. Between the hubs, WonderNetwork's medians are 30 ms Hong Kong–Singapore, 59 ms Hong Kong–Tokyo and 67 ms Singapore–Tokyo.

Singapore covers most of Southeast Asia and India. Tokyo serves Japan and Korea. Hong Kong suits Taiwan and the Philippines. For Australia the sources disagree: WonderNetwork favours Tokyo, Microsoft's backbone favours Singapore.

Regional advice beyond games is on the best server location for users across Asia. Southeast Asia has its own guide.

How big a machine does a game server need?

Start from the game developer's own figures. Palworld's official guide, for example, recommends 4 or more CPU cores per server. It lists 16 GB of memory, recommends more than 32 GB, and asks for fast SSD storage.

On those figures, before the operating system's own needs:

• Strait 16 (16 cores / 32 threads, 64 GB DDR4 ECC): memory allows two servers at 32 GB each.
• Strait 32 (32 cores / 64 threads, 384 GB DDR5 ECC): cores allow eight servers at 4 cores each; memory is not the limit.

That is arithmetic on the developer's numbers, not a test. Real player counts depend on the game, its mods and the map.

What does a whole machine add over a game host?

Control. The processor, memory and disks are reserved for your machine; no neighbour shares them. Root over SSH from the first minute: add a public key at checkout and password login stays disabled, or leave it out and a temporary root password comes with the server, to be changed when you first log in.

With Proxmox VE you can split the machine into several virtual servers, one per game. Install Debian, Ubuntu, AlmaLinux or Rocky Linux, or Proxmox VE to split the machine into your own virtual servers. Windows is not offered, so the game must ship a Linux server build. Palworld's guide lists Linux 64-bit and its default UDP port 8211.

Two limits matter for games:

• Traffic: Strait 16 includes 20 TB per 30 days. That averages about 62 Mbit/s over 30 days, on a 1 Gbit/s port.
• Attacks: No DDoS mitigation is promised beyond what the datacenter network applies by itself.

How fast is a server ready?

Within the hour at Copperstrait, and usually much sooner. Once your crypto payment is confirmed, the team sets up the machine and hands it over in minutes, with one hour as the upper limit; the dashboard tracks it until the IP address shows.

In Copperstrait's survey of 33 hosts selling bare metal in Asia on 2 November 2026, the median stated setup time was 48 hours. Stated times ranged from 3 minutes to 10 business days. Before you fix a launch date with any host, read its stated maximum, not its typical case.

What does a game server cost at Copperstrait?

The same in all three ports: Strait 16 $143.25, Strait 32 $356.25, Strait 32F $828.68, per 30 days. There is no setup fee, on the first order or on any renewal.

Longer terms cut the monthly price: Rent a server for 30 days, 3 months (91 days, 10% off), 6 months (182 days, 20% off) or 12 months (365 days, 30% off): a longer term is the 30-day price times 3, 6 or 12, less the discount, rounded down to the cent (Strait 16: $386.77 for 3 months, $687.60 for 6, $1,203.30 for 12). A renewal keeps your term and starting price unless you pick another term for the next renewal in the dashboard. Every plan and the price rule are on how much a Copperstrait server costs. Comparing two ports for a Japanese or Korean audience? See Singapore or Tokyo.