Choose a server size
SLASHPLAY servers come in four sizes, from SMALL to XLARGE. See what each gives you, how the hourly price scales, and how to pick or change a size.
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A server’s size decides how much CPU and memory it gets, and so how much it costs per hour. There are four sizes, the same for every game. This page shows what they are, how the price is worked out, how to pick one, and how to change it later.
The four sizes
| Size | CPU | Memory | Price for a 3-token game |
|---|---|---|---|
| SMALL | 1 | 2 GB | 3 tokens/hr ($0.03) |
| MEDIUM | 2 | 4 GB | 6 tokens/hr ($0.06) |
| LARGE | 4 | 8 GB | 12 tokens/hr ($0.12) |
| XLARGE | 8 | 16 GB | 24 tokens/hr ($0.24) |
Every size has 2 GB of memory per CPU. You can’t mix and match, which keeps the machines evenly used and the prices simple.
Most games on SLASHPLAY (CS2, Counter-Strike: Source, Garry’s Mod, Team Fortress 2, Minecraft) are “3-token games”: they cost 3 tokens an hour on SMALL, and the right-hand column applies to them as written.
How the price is worked out
Each game has a base price at the size it’s tuned for. The price of any other size scales from that base, with memory counting for 70% and CPU for 30%:
price per hour = base × (0.3 × CPU ÷ game's CPU + 0.7 × memory ÷ game's memory)The result is rounded to a whole token, and is never less than 1. Memory weighs more because it’s what really limits how many servers fit on a machine.
Example: a 3-token game (tuned for 1 CPU / 2 GB). MEDIUM has twice the CPU and twice the memory, so it costs 3 × (0.3 × 2 + 0.7 × 2) = 6 tokens. LARGE is 12, XLARGE is 24. This is the table above.
Example: Palworld (10 tokens, tuned for 4 CPU / 8 GB, which is LARGE).
| Size | Palworld price |
|---|---|
| SMALL | 3 tokens/hr |
| MEDIUM | 5 tokens/hr |
| LARGE | 10 tokens/hr |
| XLARGE | 20 tokens/hr |
SMALL is cheaper, but it gives Palworld a quarter of the memory it’s built for, and a server that runs out of memory crashes. For Palworld, start on LARGE.
How to choose
Start small. You can always change the size later, and you only pay for what you run.
- SMALL is right for most small groups: a CS2 match with friends, a Minecraft world for a handful of players, a Garry’s Mod sandbox.
- Go bigger for full lobbies, lots of bots, big modpacks or plugins, large Minecraft worlds, or games tuned for more memory (like Palworld).
- Watch the Monitor tab during a real session. If memory sits near the top, or CPU is pinned at 100%, move up one size. If both stay low, you could save by moving down. See Monitor and history.
Change the size of a server
You can change a server’s size whenever it’s stopped (or crashed). A running server keeps the size it started with.
Steps
- Stop the server with Save & Stop. See Start, stop and restore.
- Open the server page (click Settings on the stopped card) and stay on the General tab.
- Under Settings, click the Size button. It shows the current size and its price per hour.
- In the Resize server window, pick the new size and click Apply.
- Click Restore on the server’s card. It comes back at the new size, with the same world.
If the server is running, the text under the Size button says Stop the server first to change size. You need the Control servers permission to change the size; see Roles and permissions.
Out of memory: the clearest signal
When a server needs more memory than its size allows, the system stops it instantly. The server page then shows This server crashed with the message Your server ran out of memory. It asked for more than its N MB….
Two things to know:
- Because the stop is instant, the last few minutes of play may not have been saved.
- You were only charged for the time it was actually online.
The direct fix is to move up one memory tier. Lowering the player limit, view distance or number of mods also helps. If you’re not sure which size to pick, ask us on Discord.
Troubleshooting
The Size button doesn’t open the Resize server window. The server is still running, so clicking it only asks you to stop it first. Stop it, then change the size.
I changed the size but the server didn’t restart. That’s expected. The new size applies the next time the server starts, when you click Restore.
The price in the deploy window is different from the card. The card shows the game’s base price; the window shows the real price for each size. See the formula above.