Best Co-op Survival Games to Host This Winter (2026)
Ten co-op survival games you can run on your own server this winter, with player counts, the RAM each developer recommends and the plan that keeps each one online 24/7.
These are ten co-op survival games worth hosting on a dedicated server this winter: Don't Starve Together, Terraria, Necesse, Valheim, Project Zomboid, Core Keeper, Vintage Story, Enshrouded, Palworld and 7 Days to Die. For each one you get the player count, the RAM its developer recommends and the smallest plan that keeps it online 24/7.
Every game links to its page in our games catalog. If you are still deciding whether to pay for hosting at all, read our free vs paid game server hosting guide first.
- Every game starts on Free: all ten can be created on our Free plan (4 slots). Games that need more than Free's 2 GB of RAM and 6 GB of disk run with the hourglass: your free time drains faster, by the multiplier the wizard shows.
- 24/7 from Casual (€3 a month, 2 GB): Don't Starve Together, Terraria, Necesse and Valheim.
- 24/7 from Starter (€5, 4 GB): Project Zomboid, Core Keeper and Vintage Story.
- 24/7 from Pro (€10, 8 GB): Enshrouded, out of Early Access since 15 October, Palworld and 7 Days to Die.
- New this season: Valheim 1.0, Enshrouded 1.0, Palworld 1.0, Project Zomboid Build 42 stable and Core Keeper 1.3 all shipped or ship between July and October 2026.
1. How we chose the list
We are a game server host, so read this as a list of games we run, not a neutral ranking. On 13 October 2026 we took the games our production catalog offers and kept a game only if it passed three tests:
- Co-op survival. The developer's own page sells it as surviving, gathering and building with other players, and a dedicated server keeps the world running for the group.
- Playable this winter. The game is out today (released or in Early Access) and has either a major update between July and October 2026 or a winter season in the game itself. Each entry links the developer's post or wiki page that shows it.
- Hosted by us. It is in our catalog with a plan you can pick today.
Games we host that missed: Sons of the Forest (its last content update is from January 2025 and we could not read its server guide to confirm the limits), Rust (built around PvP and monthly wipes; see our Rust wipe schedule), and ARK: Survival Ascended, which needs Studio (€20, 16 GB) and does not run on Free. The order below runs from the cheapest plan to the biggest, not from best to worst.
"Developer RAM" is what the studio publishes for its dedicated server. Most studios publish nothing, and we say so instead of guessing. "24/7 from" is the cheapest paid plan with enough RAM and disk for the game, and "RAM on that plan" is the memory a server gets there, up to the amount our catalog recommends. "On Free" is the hourglass multiplier: ×1 means your free time runs at the normal pace.
| # | Game | Players (developer or wiki) | Developer RAM | On Free | 24/7 from | RAM on that plan |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Don't Starve Together | 1–64 per server | None published | ×1 | Casual, €3 | 2 GB |
| 2 | Terraria | 1–255, default 16 | Wiki: 500 MB for a small world | ×1 | Casual, €3 | 2 GB |
| 3 | Necesse | 1–250 | None published | ×1 | Casual, €3 | 2 GB |
| 4 | Valheim | 1–10 | None published | ×1 | Casual, €3 | 2 GB |
| 5 | Project Zomboid | Up to 254 (Build 42.20.3) | None published | ×2 | Starter, €5 | 4 GB |
| 6 | Core Keeper | 1–8 | None published | ×1.5 | Starter, €5 | 4 GB |
| 7 | Vintage Story | Default 16 | 1 GB + 300 MB per player | ×1.5 | Starter, €5 | 4 GB |
| 8 | Enshrouded | 1–16 | Server uses up to 6 GB | ×3 | Pro, €10 | 8 GB |
| 9 | Palworld | Up to 32 | 16 GB (8 GB boots) | ×3.5 | Pro, €10 | 8 GB |
| 10 | 7 Days to Die | Not stated | None for the server alone | ×3.5 | Pro, €10 | 8 GB |
Slots also cap players: Free has 4, Casual 6, Starter 10, Pro 30 and Studio 50, as the pricing page shows.
2. Don't Starve Together (free)
Klei's survival game is the classic for a small group that likes to argue about who forgot the firewood. Klei's dedicated server guide gives the -players launch option a range of 1 to 64; Klei publishes no RAM figure. Why now: Winter is a season in the game, 15 days long by default in DST, and Klei's Cursed Confrontations Part 2 update is in beta.
On 1up it runs on Free with 2 GB, and 24/7 from Casual. The panel's default is 6 players, but Free has 4 slots. One step only you can do: generate a server token in the game and paste it into the Klei cluster token field when you create the server. Without it the world only runs offline and nobody can join. Don't Starve Together server page.
3. Terraria (free)
Terraria is co-op survival in 2D: dig, build a town, fight bosses together. The Terraria wiki's server page puts max players between 1 and 255 with a default of 16, and gives "500 MB free RAM for a small world". Why now: 1.4.5 "Bigger & Boulder" shipped on 27 January 2026, and Re-Logic's September State of the Game says crossplay phase one should arrive "in the near future".
On 1up it runs on Free with 2 GB, vanilla 1.4.5.8 or tModLoader, and 24/7 from Casual. Our free Terraria server guide walks through it. Terraria server page.
4. Necesse (free)
Necesse mixes survival with a settlement you grow and staff with settlers. Its wiki, the one the developer's server page points to, sets server slots between 1 and 250. No RAM figure is published. Why now: version 1.3.0 "Rust & Romance" came out on 30 July 2026, and on 7 October the developer promised news about "our plans for the Christmas update".
On 1up it runs on Free with 2 GB, and 24/7 from Casual. Our Necesse dedicated server guide covers server.cfg, ports and commands. Necesse server page.
What Free does not include. One server, 4 slots, 2 GB RAM, 6 GB disk, no backups and no mods. It suits a group of up to four trying a game; for a bigger group or a world you cannot afford to lose, Casual (€3) adds a backup and Starter adds mods.
5. Valheim (Casual)
Iron Gate's Viking survival game is sold "for 1-10 players". Its dedicated server guide lists library requirements but no RAM figure. Why now: Valheim 1.0 and the Deep North came out on 9 September 2026, and the snow biome is exactly what this list is about.
On 1up it runs on Free with 2 GB and stays online 24/7 from Casual. We measured an idle server before lowering its floor to 2 GB; a big world with many players wants Starter's 4 GB. Our Valheim dedicated server guide covers crossplay, uploading a world and mods. Valheim server page.
6. Project Zomboid (Starter)
The Indie Stone's zombie survival sim has the deepest "how did we die" stories on this list. Why now: Build 42 went stable on 29 July 2026, 42.20.3 added "support for up to 254 players", and 42.21 followed on 28 September. The Indie Stone publishes no server RAM figure.
On 1up it runs on Free with the hourglass at ×2 and 24/7 from Starter with 4 GB; the panel's default is 16 players, capped by the plan's 10 slots. Build 41 saves do not load in Build 42, so start a fresh world. Our Project Zomboid Build 42 server guide has the details. Project Zomboid server page.
7. Core Keeper (Starter)
Core Keeper is cozy mining survival underground. The store page says "2-8 player drop-in/drop-out online co-op" and mentions you can "host your own dedicated server"; no server RAM figure is published. Why now: 1.3 "Riders of the Underground" went live on 21 September 2026.
On 1up it runs on Free with the hourglass at ×1.5 and 24/7 from Starter with 4 GB. Our Core Keeper dedicated server guide explains joining by address and port. Core Keeper server page.
8. Vintage Story (Starter)
Vintage Story is the coldest pick here. Its wiki notes that in the default starting area players "regularly experience freezing temperatures and snow", and that crops "may struggle to survive even in a greenhouse" below −10 °C (Seasons). The dedicated server guide estimates "1 GB base RAM + 300 MB per player", and the server config default is 16 players. Why now: v1.22.7 is the current stable release, from 16 August 2026.
On Free it runs with the hourglass at ×1.5. By that formula, 4 GB on Starter covers the estimate for up to ten players, which is also Starter's slot cap; more players means Pro. There is no live guide yet. Vintage Story server page.
9. Enshrouded (Pro)
Keen Games' building and survival game lets you "join up to 16 players in co-op", as its store page says. The developer gives two figures: its recommended server specifications say 16 GB RAM for the machine, and its server FAQ says the server uses about 4.4 GB idle, up to 100 MB more per player, and "should not use more than 6GB". Why now: Enshrouded left Early Access on 15 October 2026.
On 1up it runs on Free with the hourglass at ×3 and 24/7 from Pro with 8 GB, above the 6 GB process ceiling from that FAQ. Our Enshrouded 1.0 server post covers what 1.0 changes. Enshrouded server page.
10. Palworld (Pro)
Palworld's store page lists co-op for up to 4 players and dedicated servers for up to 32. Pocketpair's server requirements say 16 GB, and that "8GB is also bootable, but increases the possibility of server crashes due to out of memory". Why now: Palworld 1.0 came out on 9 July 2026, and the server runs v1.0.5.102999.
On 1up it runs on Free with the hourglass at ×3.5 and 24/7 from Pro with 8 GB, the amount Pocketpair says boots, below its 16 GB; Studio gives the full 16 GB. Watch the Statistics tab with a full server before deciding. Our Palworld dedicated server guide covers settings and the community list. Palworld server page.
11. 7 Days to Die (Pro)
The Fun Pimps' zombie survival game combines base building with a horde night every seventh day. The store page lists online co-op and cross-platform multiplayer but no player count. It gives 12 GB as the recommended RAM for the game and warns that "Running a Dedicated Server and Client on the same computer will double ram requirements"; no figure is given for the server alone. Why now: V3.3.0 stable shipped on 5 October 2026 with a bigger backpack.
On 1up it runs on Free with the hourglass at ×3.5 and 24/7 from Pro with 8 GB, above the 6 GB minimum in our catalog; for a big base and a full horde night, Studio gives it the 12 GB our catalog recommends. The panel's default is 8 players. There is no live guide yet. 7 Days to Die server page.
Which one to pick
- Two to four friends, no budget: Don't Starve Together, Terraria, Necesse or Valheim on Free, at the normal pace.
- Snow and long nights: Valheim's Deep North from Casual or Vintage Story from Starter.
- Zombies: Project Zomboid from Starter, or 7 Days to Die from Pro for horde nights.
- A brand-new 1.0: Enshrouded, out since 15 October, from Pro.
- Big group: Palworld up to 32 players, Necesse and Terraria far beyond that, if your plan has the slots.
Also on Free: Unturned, covered in our free Unturned server guide.
New in beta since this list: three more co-op survival games, each with its own setup guide. Abiotic Factor traps a team of scientists, six by design, in a 1993 research lab and runs on Free or from Casual; Return to Moria is a company of eight dwarves under the Misty Mountains, on Free or from Starter; Soulmask is a tribal jungle survival game that needs 10 GB of RAM, from Studio.
Checked on 13 October 2026 against the plans and versions our production catalog offers (Terraria 1.4.5.8, Palworld v1.0.5.102999, the latest Steam build for the other games); developer pages read the same day.
Change log
- 2026-10-28: links to the new Abiotic Factor, Return to Moria and Soulmask guides.
- 2026-10-26: Starter €5/4 GB and Pro €10/8 GB in the table; Palworld now 24/7 from Pro; Pro 30 and Studio 50 slots; ARK: Survival Ascended from Studio.
- 2026-10-20: every game can now start on Free with the hourglass; 24/7 plans per game updated (Valheim from Casual, 7 Days to Die from Pro); Enshrouded 1.0 is out.
- 2026-10-13: first version.