Windows Game Server vs Gameplane

Windows Game Server8.6Visit Gameplane8.5Visit

Higher score Windows Game Server #7 in Game Server Control Panels 8.6/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 4 of 4 features Visit site

vs

Gameplane #8 in Game Server Control Panels 8.5/10 Open source ✓ 4 of 4 features Visit Gameplane

• Windows Game Server fits best

  Windows administrators supporting many games

• Gameplane fits best

  Open-source fleets and multi-cluster operators

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Side by side

Feature	Windows Game Server 8.6/10 Visit ↗	Gameplane 8.5/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score	8.6	8.5
Ranking	#7 in Game Server Control Panels	#8 in Game Server Control Panels
Best for	Windows administrators supporting many games	Open-source fleets and multi-cluster operators
Pricing model	Free	Free
Starting price	Free plan	Open source
Free plan	✓ (best)	Not checked yet
Free trial	—	—
Deployment	Self-hosted, Desktop	Cloud, Self-hosted
Platforms	Web, Windows	Web
Support	Community, Docs	Community, Docs
Integrations	3 integrations	17 integrations
Built for	Solo, Small business, Mid-market	Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise
Features Windows Game Server 4/4 · Gameplane 4/4
Server provisioning	✓	✓
Mods and plugins	✓	✓
Scheduled backups	✓	✓
Role access controls	✓	✓
Specs
Supported games	7 Days to Die, Abiotic Factor, American Truck Simulator, ARK: Survival Ascended, ARK: Survival Evolved, Arma 2: Operation Arrowhead, Arma 3, Arma Reforger, ASKA, Assetto Corsa, Assetto Corsa Competizione, ASTRONEER, Barotrauma, Beyond The Wire, Black Mesa, Conan Exiles, Core Keeper, Counter-Strike 1.6, Counter-Strike 2, Counter-Strike: Condition Zero, Craftopia, Cubic Odyssey, Day of Defeat, Day of Defeat: Source, DayZ, Don't Starve Together, Echoes of Elysium, Eco: Global Survival, Empyrion, Enshrouded, Euro Truck Simulator 2, FrozenFlame, Garry's Mod, Grand Theft Auto V (FiveM), Grand Theft Auto V Enhanced (FiveM), GROUND BRANCH, Half-Life 2: Deathmatch, Half-Life Deathmatch, Half-Life: Opposing Force, HumanitZ, Icarus, Insurgency: Sandstorm, Killing Floor 2, Last Oasis, Left 4 Dead 2, Last Oasis Classic, Longvinter, Minecraft: Java Edition, Minecraft: Forge, Minecraft: Spigot, Minecraft: Fabric, Minecraft: Bedrock Edition, Mordhau, Motor Town: Behind The Wheel, Myth of Empires, Necesse, Nightingale, Night of the Dead, No One Survived, Nuclear Option, Operation: Harsh Doorstop, Palworld, PixARK, Plains of Pain, Primal Carnage: Extinction, Project Zomboid, RedM, RePoly, Return to Moria, Rising World, Risk of Rain 2, Rust, RuneScape: Dragonwilds, Satisfactory, Schedule I, SCP: Secret Laboratory, SCUM, Shatterline, Smalland: Survive the Wilds, Sons of the Forest, Soulmask, Space Engineers, Squad, Squad 44, Star Rupture, Starbound, Stationeers, Stormworks: Build and Rescue, Sunkenland, Survive the Nights, Sven Co-op, TABG, Team Fortress 2, Team Fortress Classic, Terraria, The Forest, The Front, The Isle, Unturned, V Rising, Valheim, Vein, Voyagers of Nera, Windrose, Wreckfest, Wreckfest 2, Alien Swarm: Reactive Drop, Automobilista 2, Avorion, Blackwake, Colony Survival, Counter-Strike: Source, CryoFall, Factorio, Farming Simulator 25, Hurtworld, Left 4 Dead, Luanti (Minetest), Mindustry, Minecraft NeoForge, Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord, Multi Theft Auto: San Andreas, Onset, open.mp, OpenRA, OpenRCT2, OpenTTD, Path of Titans, Rising Storm 2: Vietnam, Sapiens, Soldat, Space Station 14, Teeworlds, Titanfall 2 (Northstar), tModLoader, Tower Unite, Trackmania, Unreal Tournament 2004, Urban Terror, Veloren, Vintage Story, Xonotic, Zombie Panic! Source	7 Days to Die, ARK: Survival Ascended, ARK: Survival Evolved, Arma Reforger, BeamMP, Counter-Strike 2, DayZ, Don't Starve Together, Enshrouded, Euro Truck Simulator 2, Factorio, Farming Simulator 25, FiveM, Garry's Mod, Hell Let Loose, Left 4 Dead 2, Minecraft Java, Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord, Nuclear Option, Palworld, Project Zomboid, Rust, Satisfactory, Squad, Team Fortress 2, Terraria, The Isle, tModLoader, V Rising, Valheim
Deployment model	Self_hosted	Self_hosted
Managed server limit	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Our review
Pros	143 built-in plugins plus a graphical creator for unsupported games Multi-machine management with browser dashboard, REST API, and Discord control Scheduled compressed and incremental backups with role-based access controls	Multi-cluster management for k3s, kubeadm, and managed Kubernetes Backups, restores, mod registries, and game templates in one panel OIDC, RBAC, live consoles, tunnels, and server lifecycle controls
Cons	Deployment is limited to Windows 10 or newer and Windows Server 2019 or newer Does not support Linux, Docker, or virtualization deployments Some listed games may have limited real-world validation	Currently in beta Requires a self-hosted Kubernetes deployment Supported-game coverage is narrower than leading products
Our verdict	Windows Game Server (WGS) is a free, open-source control panel for installing, launching, monitoring, updating, backing up, and remotely controlling dedicated game servers. It is designed for Windows administrators managing multiple games… Read the review →	Gameplane is a self-hosted, Kubernetes-native control panel for deploying and managing game servers across k3s, kubeadm, and managed Kubernetes clusters. It is designed for homelabs, gaming communities, hosting operators, and teams running… Read the review →

Strengths and trade-offs

• Windows Game Server — where it wins

  • 143 built-in plugins plus a graphical creator for unsupported games
  • Multi-machine management with browser dashboard, REST API, and Discord control
  • Scheduled compressed and incremental backups with role-based access controls

  Where it doesn't

  • Deployment is limited to Windows 10 or newer and Windows Server 2019 or newer
  • Does not support Linux, Docker, or virtualization deployments
  • Some listed games may have limited real-world validation

• Gameplane — where it wins

  • Multi-cluster management for k3s, kubeadm, and managed Kubernetes
  • Backups, restores, mod registries, and game templates in one panel
  • OIDC, RBAC, live consoles, tunnels, and server lifecycle controls

  Where it doesn't

  • Currently in beta
  • Requires a self-hosted Kubernetes deployment
  • Supported-game coverage is narrower than leading products

• Windows Game Server8.6/10 · Free plan

  A broad, Windows-first control panel for managing dedicated game servers across multiple machines.

  Visit siteFull verdict →
• Gameplane8.5/10 · Open source

  A capable open-source panel for Kubernetes-based fleets, with beta-stage tradeoffs.

  Visit GameplaneFull verdict →