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For a small private Vault Hunters 3rd Edition server, plan on roughly 8 GB of RAM for two to four players, about 10 GB for three players, and around 12 GB for five to 10 players. The official guidance is not consistent: one page uses 4 GB plus 2 GB per concurrent player, while the official wiki uses a more conservative 6 GB minimum or 8 GB recommended base, plus 2 GB per player. Vaults can temporarily consume another 1–2 GB each, so leave operating-system headroom and avoid sizing the machine exactly to the Java heap.
Quick planning numbers
The figures below are practical starting points for a dedicated machine running the server only. They are not hard limits: world size, simultaneous vaults, view distance, CPU speed and other services can move the requirement up or down.
| Concurrent players | Practical starting allocation | When to choose more |
|---|---|---|
| 1–2 | 8 GB | Use more if the machine also runs a client, voice chat, backups or other services. |
| 3–4 | About 10 GB | Move toward 12 GB when several players enter vaults together. |
| 5–10 | About 12 GB | 14–16 GB gives more room for concurrent vaults and bursts of activity. |
| 10 or more | At least 14 GB is a sensible community-oriented starting point | Use the official formula as a conservative ceiling and test under your actual load. |
For a private group of two to four people, an 8 GB machine is the usual entry point. A three-player group often lands near 10 GB in the lower official formula, while a five-to-10-player group should not be planned around a 6 GB machine.
What the official requirements actually say
Official wiki formula
The Vault Hunters Official Wiki’s server-install page lists a minimum of 6 GB plus 2 GB for every concurrent player. Its recommended formula is 8 GB plus 2 GB per player. Applying those formulas produces the following values:
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| Players online | Wiki minimum (6 GB base) | Wiki recommendation (8 GB base) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 8 GB | 10 GB |
| 2 | 10 GB | 12 GB |
| 3 | 12 GB | 14 GB |
| 5 | 16 GB | 18 GB |
| 10 | 26 GB | 28 GB |
The wiki also specifies Java 17, Minecraft 1.18.2, Forge and at least 5 GB of free disk space. Its Forge-install and manual-install portions are marked as not yet completed, so treat the page as a requirements reference rather than a complete current installation procedure. The page points to version 3.18.3 in the CurseForge files tab; that version may no longer be current.
Official how-to-play formula
The official how-to-play page gives a lower base: 4 GB plus 2 GB for every player online at the same time. That works out to 6 GB for one player, 8 GB for two, 10 GB for three, 14 GB for five and 24 GB for 10 players. The same page warns that a server running on the computer where you play needs additional memory, and it advises allocating at least 8192 MB to the client in the launcher.
Why the two official pages disagree
There is no single official RAM number. Both pages scale by approximately 2 GB per concurrent player, but they use different base amounts: 4 GB on the general how-to-play page and 6 GB minimum or 8 GB recommended on the wiki. The wiki is the safer planning reference because it is server-specific and more conservative. The lower formula is useful as a floor for a lightly loaded installation, not as a promise that every world will run smoothly at that allocation.
How vaults change the memory requirement
A normal Minecraft dimension is not the only workload in this modpack. Space-Node’s hardware guide estimates that each active vault can add roughly 1–2 GB temporarily. That is why a server may appear fine with players in the overworld and then run out of memory when several players open vaults together.
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- Count concurrent players, not the number of people on your whitelist.
- Estimate how many of those players may be inside vaults at the same time.
- Keep several gigabytes outside the Java heap for the operating system, file cache and other processes.
- If the machine has less than 12 GB available, Space-Node advises limiting simultaneous vaults to about three or four.
Vault activity is bursty, so adding RAM only after a crash can be misleading: the failure may occur during a short peak rather than during average play.
Java, Forge and machine requirements
Java and Minecraft versions
The wiki identifies Java 17, Minecraft 1.18.2 and Forge for the server. Match the Java and Forge versions required by the exact Vault Hunters edition you install; do not assume that a newer Java runtime or a different Minecraft release will load the same server files.
Disk space
At least 5 GB of free disk space is listed by the wiki. That is a starting requirement for the installation, not a lifetime quota. Worlds, backups, logs and generated chunks grow over time, so reserve additional capacity if you intend to keep automatic backups.
Client memory
The official how-to-play page recommends at least 8192 MB allocated to the client launcher. Client and server allocations are separate: a computer running both must have enough physical RAM for both heaps, the operating system and background applications. Assigning 8 GB to each does not make a 16 GB computer equivalent to a dedicated 16 GB server.
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Set the Java heap safely
For a self-hosted installation, use equal initial and maximum heap values. A typical 8 GB allocation is written as:
java -Xms8G -Xmx8G -jar forge-server.jar nogui
The jar filename depends on the Forge server package, so use the filename created by your installer. The important part is that -Xms and -Xmx match. One Vault Hunters setup guide recommends fixed values because allowing the heap to resize can make memory behavior less predictable.
- Install the required Java 17 runtime and the Forge server files for the same Minecraft and pack version as your clients.
- Check total physical RAM with no game running. Reserve memory for the operating system and any services such as backups or monitoring.
- Set equal
-Xmsand-Xmxvalues below total machine RAM. On a 16 GB machine, an 8–10 GB heap leaves room for the OS; do not assign all 16 GB to Java. - Start the server once, accept the EULA when required, stop it cleanly, then start it again with the final heap flags.
- Have several players join, create or enter vaults, and watch memory use during the busiest activity rather than immediately after startup.
- If the process reaches its heap limit, increase the allocation only when the machine still has unused physical RAM. Otherwise reduce simultaneous vaults or move the server to a larger machine.
RAM is not the only server requirement
Minecraft’s main game loop is heavily dependent on one CPU core. Prism Nodes notes that single-thread clock speed sets the practical ticks-per-second ceiling, so a fast modern core can matter as much as adding memory. More RAM cannot repair low TPS caused by a CPU that cannot process entities, chunk work or redstone quickly enough.
- RAM: prevents heap exhaustion and gives vaults room to load.
- CPU single-thread speed: affects tick rate and responsiveness.
- Disk: needs at least the wiki’s 5 GB free for installation, with extra space for world growth and backups.
- Java/Forge compatibility: a version mismatch can stop the server before RAM becomes relevant.
How third-party recommendations compare
Hosting companies and community guides are not official pack requirements, and their numbers differ by 2–6 GB for the same player count. They are useful as operating targets, especially when they describe production workloads, but they should not be mistaken for a guaranteed minimum.
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| Source | Player range | Published guidance | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|
| BisectHosting, Vault Hunters 3rd Edition page | Not stated | 10 GB | Recommended amount for smooth operation. |
| Space-Node hardware guide | 1–4 | 6 GB minimum / 8 GB recommended | Also lists 8/10 GB for 4–8 players, 10/12 GB for 8–15, and 12/16 GB for 15+. |
| Obsidian Servers | 1–5 | 8 GB minimum / 10 GB recommended | Lists 10/12 GB for 5–10 and 12/14 GB for 10+. |
| ServerPrism | 5–10 | 12–16 GB | Highest range found for this player bracket. |
| Prism Nodes | Not stated | 6–8 GB | Production-based provider guidance, not a pack-author minimum. |
| Vintage Is The New Old fan FAQ | Not stated | 6 GB minimum; 7 GB or more for friends or public hosting | Community guidance. |
| Space-Node setup guide | 2–4 | 8 GB recommended | Lists 12 GB for 5–10; example flags are optional tuning, not official settings. |
For a 10-player server, these third-party figures cluster around 12–16 GB, while the wiki’s formula reaches 26 GB minimum and 28 GB recommended. That spread reflects different assumptions about vault concurrency, optimization, CPU, provider overhead and what “minimum” means. If you cannot test your exact pack version, choose the higher end of the community range and monitor before adding more players.
Self-hosting or managed hosting?
Self-hosting on a spare computer
Self-hosting gives you control over Java flags, Forge files, backups and upgrades. It also makes you responsible for leaving OS headroom, keeping Java and the pack synchronized, and ensuring that a machine running the client does not starve the server. A 16 GB computer can be workable for a small group if the server heap is held around 8–10 GB and no other heavy applications compete for memory.
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A managed plan hides much of the operating-system work and makes it easier to change the allocated RAM as your group grows. Compare the plan’s guaranteed memory, CPU share, storage and backup policy rather than selecting a package solely by its advertised player count. The provider figures above show why two plans labeled for the same number of players can differ substantially.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Troubleshoot by symptom
The server crashes with an out-of-memory error
- Check whether several vaults were active at the time; temporary vault load can add 1–2 GB each.
- Confirm that the Java heap is not set higher than the machine can physically support.
- Increase RAM only if OS headroom remains; otherwise reduce simultaneous vaults or move to a larger host.
The server is laggy but Java still has free heap
Free heap does not prove that the CPU can keep up. Check tick performance and single-core CPU load. A faster processor or fewer simultaneous activities may help more than another 4 GB of RAM.
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Startup fails before players can connect
Verify Java 17, the Minecraft 1.18.2 and Forge requirements listed for the installation, and that every client uses the same pack edition and version. Memory tuning cannot fix an incompatible server jar or loader.
The machine becomes unresponsive
Your heap may be too close to total physical RAM, forcing the operating system to swap. Lower -Xmx until the OS has room, or move the server to a machine with more memory. A fixed, equal -Xms/-Xmx pair makes this behavior easier to observe.
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1Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems2Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches3Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsPractical choices by group size
Two friends
Start at 8 GB on a dedicated machine, keep the heap below total RAM, and increase toward 10 GB if both players regularly enter vaults together.
Three to four players
Plan around 10 GB, with 12 GB preferable when vaults overlap or the server shares hardware with other services. This sits between the lower official formula and the wiki’s more conservative recommendation.
Five to 10 players
Use about 12 GB as a practical starting point and 14–16 GB when the group frequently runs multiple vaults. For a public or unpredictable community, budget closer to the upper end and monitor peak usage.
More than 10 players
Do not extrapolate from an 8 GB small-server setup. Begin with at least the 12–16 GB ranges published by third-party guides, then compare that result with the official wiki formula. A fast single-thread CPU and a plan for limiting simultaneous vaults become increasingly important.
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Vault Hunters changes between editions and pack releases. The figures here focus on 3rd Edition, and the wiki’s reference to version 3.18.3 may be outdated. Confirm the current release’s Minecraft version, Forge build, Java requirement and server files before creating the machine or ordering hosting. If those requirements change, recalculate from the current files rather than treating any RAM number as permanent.
Quick Recap
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