๐Ÿ”ฅ Updated May 2026

Self-Host Your Game Server
The Right Way

Pterodactyl Panel tutorials, custom eggs, VPS comparisons, and everything you need to run your own game server for under $5/month.

๐Ÿ“– Start Reading ๐Ÿ’ธ Cheap VPS Picks
20+
Free Guides
15+
Custom Eggs
$5/mo
Min. VPS Cost
100%
Free to Use
๐Ÿ“– Latest Guides

Step-by-step tutorials for every skill level.

Beginner

Install Pterodactyl Panel on Any VPS (2026)

A complete, updated guide to installing Pterodactyl Panel using Docker Compose in under 30 minutes. Works on Ubuntu 22/24.

โฑ๏ธ 15 min read ๐Ÿง Ubuntu
Beginner

Best Minecraft Eggs for Pterodactyl (Vanilla, Fabric, Paper)

Download and install working Minecraft eggs for Pterodactyl โ€” Vanilla, Paper, Fabric, and Forge all covered.

โฑ๏ธ 10 min read โ›๏ธ Minecraft
Intermediate

FiveM Server on Pterodactyl โ€“ Full Setup Guide

Run a FiveM GTA roleplay server on Pterodactyl Panel with txAdmin integration. Includes working 2026 egg JSON.

โฑ๏ธ 20 min read ๐Ÿš— FiveM
Beginner

Best Cheap VPS for Game Servers in 2026

Tested comparison of Hetzner, Contabo, Vultr, and BisectHosting. Real benchmarks, real prices, no fluff.

โฑ๏ธ 8 min read ๐Ÿ’ฐ Pricing
Intermediate

Pelican vs Pterodactyl Panel โ€“ Which One in 2026?

Pelican is the spiritual successor to Pterodactyl. Here's a side-by-side comparison of features, stability, and community support.

โฑ๏ธ 6 min read โš–๏ธ Comparison
Intermediate

Valheim Dedicated Server on Pterodactyl (2026 Egg)

Host your own Valheim world for you and your friends. Includes auto-backup egg and proper permissions setup.

โฑ๏ธ 12 min read โš”๏ธ Valheim
Advanced

Nginx Reverse Proxy + SSL for Pterodactyl Panel

Ditch the ugly IP:port URL. Set up a real domain with HTTPS using Nginx + Certbot. Step-by-step with real config files.

โฑ๏ธ 18 min read ๐Ÿ”’ SSL/HTTPS
Advanced

Add a Second Server Node to Pterodactyl (Wings Setup)

Scale beyond one machine. Install and connect a second Wings node to your existing Pterodactyl Panel.

โฑ๏ธ 14 min read ๐Ÿ–ฅ๏ธ Scaling

๐Ÿš€ Recommended VPS Providers

These are the providers we actually use and recommend. Honest picks โ€” game servers need good network and CPU, not just cheap storage.

โš–๏ธ VPS Comparison for Game Servers

Tested for latency, CPU performance, and price per GB RAM.

Provider Starting Price vCPU / RAM DDoS Protection Affiliate Payout Best For
๐Ÿฅ‡ Hetzner โ‚ฌ4.51/mo 2 vCPU / 4GB โœ“ โ‚ฌ10โ€“โ‚ฌ20/ref EU game servers, best value
Contabo โ‚ฌ5.50/mo 4 vCPU / 8GB โœ— โ‚ฌ5โ€“โ‚ฌ10/ref High RAM on budget
Vultr $6/mo 1 vCPU / 1GB โœ“ $100/ref US users, easy setup
BisectHosting $2.99/mo Managed โœ“ 10% recurring Beginners, managed servers
DigitalOcean $6/mo 1 vCPU / 1GB โœ— $25โ€“$50/ref Devs, good docs
๐Ÿฅš Free Custom Eggs

Download and import these straight into your Pterodactyl Panel. All tested and working in 2026.

โ›๏ธ

Minecraft Paper

Auto-updates, Paper API, optimized for performance.

โฌ‡ Download Egg
๐Ÿš—

FiveM + txAdmin

Full FiveM setup with txAdmin web panel built in.

โฌ‡ Download Egg
โš”๏ธ

Valheim

With auto-backup and SteamCMD update support.

โฌ‡ Download Egg
๐ŸŽฎ

CS2 (Counter-Strike 2)

Working CS2 dedicated server egg, updated for 2026.

โฌ‡ Download Egg
๐ŸŒด

Rust

Oxide/uMod support, configurable wipe schedule.

โฌ‡ Download Egg
๐Ÿค–

Generic Node.js Bot

Host Discord bots or any Node.js app on Pterodactyl.

โฌ‡ Download Egg
๐Ÿ

Python App

Run any Python script or bot as a Pterodactyl service.

โฌ‡ Download Egg
๐Ÿ“ฆ

Terraria (tModLoader)

Full tModLoader support, auto-world creation on start.

โฌ‡ Download Egg