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Eco Server Hosting
Build a civilization — and keep its ecosystem alive — with your community while the AI copilot keeps the world running.
What does it take to host an Eco server?
Eco server hosting needs 4–8 GB of RAM (Strange Loop lists 4 GB for the default 72×72 world), the free Eco Server build (Steam app 739590), ports 3000 UDP and 3001 TCP open, and the .eco files in the Configs folder set up before the world generates. Or host it with us: on GameTeam you pay per GB of RAM, from $0.49/GB a week, every player slot is included, and the AI copilot edits the configs, reads the logs and backs up the world when you ask in plain English.
Run your Eco server by just asking.
An Eco world is a dozen JSON files, a meteor clock and a simulation that never sleeps. Say what the community needs and the copilot changes the right .eco file, restarts the server, and backs up the Storage folder before anything risky.
Runs While You Sleep
The ecosystem keeps simulating around the clock; the world you return to is the one you left.
Whole Community, One Server
Unlimited player slots — the economy can grow without the bill growing per head.
Mods Applied Server-Side
Recipe and rule changes go in once and apply to everyone.
Eco with friends
A survival game where the world is a living system and your industry can wreck it. Players form an economy, write laws, and race to build technology before a meteor hits, and the whole community shares the consequences of how it got there.
Eco server RAM requirements
4-8 GB. The ecosystem simulation runs continuously, so load does not drop when players log off.
| Your server | Starting RAM | From (Budget, weekly) |
|---|---|---|
| Small group, default 72×72 world | 4 GB | $1.96 / week |
| 10–20 players, 100×100 world | 6 GB | $2.94 / week |
| 20–50 players, 140×140 or 160×160 world | 8 GB | $3.92 / week |
World size drives Eco's memory more than player count: every plant and animal on the map is simulated around the clock. A law-heavy late game also leans on storage, which is why Strange Loop suggests an SSD; ours is NVMe. Change RAM in one click from the panel and the world stays as it is. Player limit: 20-50, though a working economy usually needs a committed group rather than a large one.
How to set up a Eco server on GameTeam
Pick RAM and a location
4 GB covers a small group on the default world; go 6–8 GB for a public server on a 100×100 map or bigger. Choose the location closest to most players: we have 25+ across Europe, the Americas and Asia-Pacific.
Shape the world before it generates
World size, seed and the meteor are easiest to set before the first start. Tell the copilot ("140×140 map, meteor on day 45, skill gain ×2") or edit WorldGenerator.eco, Disasters.eco and Difficulty.eco in the file manager.
Make yourself admin and invite people
Add your Steam64 or SLG ID to the admin list in Users.eco (or ask the copilot), set PublicServer if you want a listing, then send everyone the address from the panel.
Good to know before you start
The world size and difficulty are chosen at generation and shape the whole playthrough, since the economy and laws build on top of them.
The most common problem
The ecosystem keeps simulating while nobody is online, so pollution and depletion continue between sessions and surprise groups that play weekly.
Eco server settings explained
An Eco server is configured through the .eco files in its Configs folder, which are JSON text. Each file matches a tab in the official server GUI, but hosted servers rarely get that GUI, so here you edit the files (or have the copilot do it) and restart. Changes to WorldGenerator.eco only apply to a freshly generated world. The ones server owners touch most:
| Setting | What it does |
|---|---|
Network.eco: PublicServer | Lists the server in the in-game browser when true. |
Network.eco: Password | Password to join. Whitelisted players skip it, and the whitelist only works once a password is set. |
Network.eco: Description / DetailedDescription | The server name in the browser, and the long text players see when they click it. |
Network.eco: Max Connections | How many players can be connected at once. -1 means unlimited. |
Network.eco: ServerCategory | Beginner, Established, BeginnerHard or None. Picking one makes new players more likely to find you. |
Disasters.eco: Create Meteor / Meteor Impact Days | Turns the meteor on or off and sets how many real days after the first start it lands (30 by default). |
Difficulty.eco: Skill Gain / Craft Time / Craft Resource multipliers | How fast players earn skill points, how long crafting takes and how many materials recipes cost. |
Sleep.eco: Allow Fast Forward | Lets sleeping players speed up time. Off by default on public servers, because it also speeds up law voting. |
Users.eco: Admins / White List / Black List | Player lists by SLG ID or Steam64 ID. A plain username doesn't work here. |
WorldGenerator.eco: Seed / Dimensions | World seed and size. X and Y must match and be divisible by 4; 160×160 is the largest size Strange Loop supports. |
Backup.eco | How often the server writes backup saves and how many it keeps. |
EcoSim.eco | Atmosphere and growth settings. New values only show up in plants and trees that grow after the change. |
Eco server commands
Eco is run from chat: press Enter in game and type the command. Admin commands need your ID on the admin list first. Use /manage whoami to see your own ID. The copilot can change the same things from the panel.
| Command | What it does |
|---|---|
/manage admin <name or ID> | Adds an admin, or lists admins when used without a name. Short form /admin. |
/kick <player> <reason> | Kicks a player from the server. |
/ban <player> | Bans a player. /unban lifts it. |
/manage whitelist <name or ID> | Adds a player to the whitelist, or shows it. |
/manage save | Saves the world right now. |
/manage whoami | Shows your user ID, which the admin and whitelist entries need. |
/meteor status | Shows how long until impact. Short form /met. |
/meteor addhours <hours> | Pushes the impact back by that many hours without touching the config. |
/climate status | CO2 level, temperature and sea level, so you can see what the community's industry is doing. |
/tp <x> <z> | Teleports you to a map coordinate. |
Can I add mods to a Eco server?
Yes. Eco loads server mods from the Mods folder, and many change recipes or world rules for every player.
Mods go into the Mods folder on the server, and mod.io is the official place to get them. Mods that add items or models only have to be on the server: players receive what they need when they connect, so there is nothing for the community to install. Back up Storage before adding a big mod.
Eco server ports
Nothing to forward on GameTeam: the panel shows the exact address and ports your server uses, which can differ from these defaults.
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
- ✓ 25 GB NVMe storage · 160 Gbps DDoS protection
- ✓ AI copilot included on every plan
- ✓ Unlimited player slots — we never charge per slot
- ✓ Ryzen 9 7950X · Unlimited NVMe storage
- ✓ 480 Gbps DDoS protection
- ✓ Switch to another game anytime
- ✓ Dedicated threads
- ✓ Automatic backups
- ✓ Priority support
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
Eco server hosting FAQ
What is an Eco server?
It is the program that runs an Eco world for a whole community: the ecosystem simulation, the economy, the laws and the meteor countdown. Playing on a dedicated server means the world keeps going between sessions and every member can log in whenever they like, which is how Eco is meant to be played. Strange Loop ships the server free with the game (Steam app 739590).
How much RAM does an Eco server need?
4–8 GB. Strange Loop lists 4 GB for the default 72×72 world. Bigger maps hold more simulated plants and animals, so a 100×100 world runs better on 6 GB and a 140×140 or 160×160 public world on 8 GB. Resizing later is one click in the GameTeam panel.
How many players can join an Eco server?
Set it with Max Connections in Network.eco, where -1 means no limit. In practice 20–50 is the usual range, and world size matters more than the number: Strange Loop recommends 100×100 for small public servers and 140×140 or 160×160 for big ones. We never charge per slot.
Can I host my own Eco server for free?
Yes. Owning Eco on Steam gives you the Eco Server tool at no extra cost. You then need a PC that stays on day and night (the world keeps simulating while everyone is offline), ports 3000 UDP and 3001 TCP forwarded, and a different pair of ports if you play on the same machine. Renting skips all of that and keeps the world up when your PC is off.
How do I make myself admin on my Eco server?
Find your ID with /manage whoami in chat, then add it to the Admins list in Users.eco and restart, or ask the copilot to do it. Use your Strange Loop ID, or your Steam64 ID if your account is Steam-only; a username won't work in the file. After that, /manage admin adds more admins from in game.
Can I change or turn off the meteor?
Yes, in Disasters.eco. Meteor Impact Days sets how many real days after the first start it lands (30 by default), and /meteor addhours pushes it back from chat. Turning Create Meteor off on a running world destroys the meteor, and turning it back on mid-world can have disastrous results, so regenerate the world if you want it back.
Do I need to wipe the world to change its size?
Yes. Anything in WorldGenerator.eco, size and seed included, only takes effect on a newly generated world. Keep the two dimensions equal and divisible by 4. On GameTeam the copilot backs up Storage before it wipes, so the old world can come back.
How much does an Eco server rental cost?
To rent or buy Eco server hosting from us you pay per GB of RAM: $0.49/GB a week on Budget, or $1.99/GB billed monthly. A 4 GB server is $1.96 a week and 8 GB is $3.92 a week. Every slot and the AI copilot are included, and the first 72 hours are money-back.
Is there Eco server hosting in the UK or Australia?
The UK, yes: England is one of our European locations. There is no Australian location; for a community there, Singapore is the closest of our Asia-Pacific sites. You can move the server later without losing the world.
Can Xbox players join an Eco server?
No. Eco is a PC game and has no Xbox or PlayStation version, so an Eco server is for PC players only.
Can I move my existing Eco world to GameTeam?
Yes. Your world lives in the Storage folder (Game.db, Game.eco and its backups), and your settings in Configs. Upload both and start the server. Our support team can do the migration for you if you'd rather not.
How do I update my Eco server?
Stop it and start it again from the GameTeam panel and it updates to the current Eco release, so it matches your players' game. Updates keep the world, but they can reset config files, so the copilot can back up Configs first.
Same server, any game.
Your Eco world, simulating while everyone sleeps.
Deploy the server, tell the copilot how big the world and how far off the meteor, and send the community the address.
Deploy your Eco server