Doom Server Hosting
Play classic Doom deathmatch and co-op with your community while the AI copilot keeps the server running.
What do you need for Doom server hosting?
Doom server hosting for classic Doom runs on Zandronum, the source port built for online play. You need the Zandronum server, an IWAD (your own DOOM.WAD or DOOM2.WAD, or the free Freedoom), the PWADs and PK3s you want in the right load order, and UDP port 10666 reachable. A server needs very little: 1–2 GB of RAM. On GameTeam you pay per GB of RAM, from $0.49/GB a week, slots are unlimited (Zandronum itself tops out at 64 clients), and the AI copilot writes the config, the map rotation and the mod order when you ask.
Run your Doom server by just asking.
A Zandronum server is a launch line, a .cfg full of sv_ cvars and a stack of WADs that has to load in the right order. Say what you want to play and the copilot writes all three, reads the console when a mod refuses to load, and handles the troublemaker in chat.
WAD Order, Right
IWAD plus mods in the order you intended — written for you and read back.
Costs Almost Nothing
Doom needs a sliver of RAM; keeping a co-op server up all year is trivially cheap.
Community-Size Slots
Unlimited players — a 32-player deathmatch costs the same as four friends in co-op.
Doom with friends
The original Doom on the Zandronum engine, which is where the game's multiplayer legacy lives: co-op through the campaigns, deathmatch, and decades of community maps and mods. Fast, loud, and every bit as good as it ever was.
Doom server RAM requirements
1-2 GB. Zandronum is very light.
| Your server | Starting RAM | From (Budget, weekly) |
|---|---|---|
| Co-op or deathmatch on Doom / Doom II, a few friends | 2 GB | $0.98 / week |
| Gameplay mods and big map packs, up to 64 clients | 2 GB | $0.98 / week |
Zandronum is a 1990s engine with modern netcode, so 2 GB (our smallest plan) covers almost every server. The exceptions are heavy total conversions and bots on very large maps: the Zandronum wiki notes bots place path markers every 32 units, which can eat memory on huge levels. Add RAM in one click if that is your setup. Player limit: 8-32 depending on the mod and game mode.
How to set up a Doom server on GameTeam
Pick RAM and a location
2 GB is plenty for classic Doom. Choose the location closest to most of your players: we have 25+ across Europe, the Americas and Asia-Pacific, and in an arena shooter ping is everything.
Upload your WADs and pick a mode
Upload the IWAD from your own copy of Doom or Doom II (or use Freedoom) plus any PWADs and PK3s in the file manager. Then tell the copilot the mode, skill and maps, or edit the .cfg yourself.
Send your friends the address
Copy the address from the panel. Players join through a launcher such as Doomseeker, which fetches missing WADs when sv_website points to a direct download, or type connect address:port in the Zandronum console.
Good to know before you start
The WAD load order defines the game: an IWAD plus mod PK3s in the wrong order produces a server that starts but plays nothing like intended.
Doom server settings explained
Zandronum reads its settings from a .cfg file run with +exec on the launch line, next to -iwad for the base game and -file for each mod. Every line is a console variable or command, so the same names work live in the server console or over RCON. These are the ones Doom server owners change most:
| Setting | What it does |
|---|---|
sv_hostname | The name in the server list. The default is "Unnamed Zandronum server", so change it. |
sv_motd | Welcome message shown to players when they connect. A good place for rules and a Discord link. |
sv_maxclients | How many people can connect, spectators included. Default 32, limit 64 (older mods may assume 32). |
sv_maxplayers | How many of them can play at once; the rest spectate. Default 32. |
sv_forcepassword / sv_password | Locks the server: nobody connects without the password. |
sv_forcejoinpassword / sv_joinpassword | A softer lock: anyone can spectate, but joining the game needs the password. |
sv_rconpassword | Password for remote admin. Empty means RCON is off. In game, log in with send_password. |
sv_updatemaster | Lists the server on the master server. Set it to false for a private group server. |
deathmatch / teamplay / ctf / duel / lastmanstanding | Pick the competitive mode by setting one of these to 1. Possession, terminator and domination exist too. |
cooperative / survival / invasion | The co-op modes. Survival and invasion use sv_maxlives for lives per player. |
skill | Difficulty, from 0 (I'm Too Young to Die) to 4 (Nightmare!). |
fraglimit / timelimit | When a deathmatch round ends: frags to win, or minutes on the clock. |
sv_maprotation / sv_randommaprotation | Use the map list built with addmap, in order or shuffled. |
sv_website | A web address launchers use to download PWADs players are missing. It must be a direct download link. |
sv_pure | Checks every client has the exact same WADs as the server. Leave it on outside LAN play. |
Doom server commands
Type these in the server console, or in game after logging in with send_password <rcon password>. Maps use their lump name (MAP01 for Doom II, E1M1 for Doom), not the level title. The copilot can run any of them from the panel for you.
| Command | What it does |
|---|---|
addmap <map> | Adds a map to the rotation. Optional minimum and maximum player counts can follow. |
maplist | Shows the current rotation. delmap removes one, clearmaplist empties it. |
changemap <map> | Switches map through the intermission screen. map <map> skips the intermission. |
playerinfo | Lists players with their index numbers (and IPs, from the server console). |
kick "<name>" | Disconnects a player. Quote the name; kick_idx <number> uses the index instead. |
ban "<name>" <time> "<reason>" | Bans by name: time like 3days, 2hours or perm. |
addban <IP> <time> "<reason>" | Bans an IPv4 address, wildcards allowed for ranges. delban <IP> lifts it. |
forcespec "<name>" | Moves a player to spectators without kicking them. |
addbot | Adds a bot, optionally a named one on a given team. |
say <message> | Sends a message to everyone on the server. |
Can I add mods to a Doom server?
Yes. WAD and PK3 files provide maps, weapon mods and total conversions, loaded from the server startup line and downloaded by clients.
Every server starts from one IWAD: Doom, Doom II or Freedoom. Freedoom is free, but it is not a true Doom II replacement: its maps are not network-compatible with Doom II's. Mods stack on top with -file, in load order, and with sv_pure on, players need the exact same files to join. Point sv_website at a direct download and launchers like Doomseeker grab what players are missing.
Doom server ports
There is nothing to forward on GameTeam. The panel shows your server's exact address and port, which may not be 10666.
Pay per GB of RAM. Never per slot.
You pay for memory, not seats, and billing can be weekly, so you are never locked into a month the group might not play. Change RAM in one click, or switch the same server to another game. The AI copilot is included on every plan.
- ✓ AI copilot included on every plan
- ✓ Unlimited player slots — we never charge per slot
- ✓ Ryzen 9 7950X · NVMe storage
- ✓ DDoS protection included
- ✓ Switch to another game anytime
Hardware & network
Locations
What server owners say
"Honestly didn't expect much from an 'AI manager', but it's how I run my server now. I'll type something like 'why did the server crash last night' and it actually reads the logs and tells me."
Verified review
"I'd been on two other hosts before this. What sold me was the AI manager catching a memory leak in one of my mods and naming the exact one — something I'd been chasing for weeks."
Verified review
"I'm not very technical and setting up servers always stressed me out. Now I just ask the assistant to fix a config, and it either walks me through it or does it for me."
Verified review
Doom server hosting FAQ
How much RAM does a Doom server need?
1–2 GB, and in practice 2 GB, our smallest plan, covers vanilla co-op, 32-player deathmatch and most gameplay mods. Heavy total conversions, or bots on very large maps, are the cases that need more. On GameTeam that is one click, and it costs $0.98 a week at 2 GB.
How many players can join a Zandronum server?
Up to 64 clients, set with sv_maxclients (the default is 32, because older mods assume that limit). sv_maxplayers decides how many of them play; the rest spectate. That cap comes from Zandronum, not from us: GameTeam never charges per slot.
Do I need to own Doom to host a server?
You need an IWAD, the file the game data lives in. Use DOOM.WAD or DOOM2.WAD from a copy you bought (Steam and other stores sell it) and upload it, or run Freedoom, which is free and legal. Freedoom is not a drop-in Doom II: the Zandronum wiki notes its maps are not network-compatible with Doom II's.
Which game modes can a Doom server run?
Zandronum covers co-op, survival (co-op with limited lives), invasion (waves of monsters), deathmatch, team deathmatch, duel, capture the flag, last man standing, possession, terminator and domination, plus modifiers like buckshot and instagib. Each mode is one cvar in the config; tell the copilot which one and it sets it.
How do my friends join my Doom server?
Most players use Doomseeker, a server browser that launches Zandronum with the right WADs. Search for your server name, or add the address from the GameTeam panel as a custom server. Without a launcher, open the Zandronum console and type connect followed by the address and port.
Can I make the server private?
Yes, two ways. sv_updatemaster false keeps it off the public list, so only people with the address find it. Add sv_forcepassword true and a sv_password to lock it completely, or use the join password if you want strangers to be able to watch but not play.
Can I run mods like gameplay overhauls and map packs?
Yes. Upload the PWAD or PK3 files and they load from the launch line with -file, after the IWAD. Load order matters: an add-on that patches another mod must come after it. If the server stops at startup after adding something, the console says which file failed, and the copilot reads it and fixes the order.
How much does Doom server hosting cost?
Doom is priced by the GB of RAM, not by the player: $0.49/GB a week on Budget, or $1.99/GB billed monthly. Doom fits in 2 GB, so a server is $0.98 a week, or $3.98 a month on monthly billing. Slots are unlimited, DDoS protection and the AI copilot are included, and the first 72 hours are money-back.
Same server, any game.
Your WADs, your rules, always up.
Deploy it, drop in your WADs, tell the copilot the mode, and send the marines the address.
Deploy your Doom server