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Quake Live Server Hosting
Run the arena shooter that defined the genre while the AI copilot keeps the server up.
What does it take to host a Quake Live server?
To host a Quake Live server you need the Quake Live Dedicated Server (free through SteamCMD, app 349090), UDP port 27960 reachable, a server.cfg for the name and network settings, a mappool.txt that pairs each map with a game mode, and your SteamID64 in access.txt so you are admin. It needs only 1–2 GB of RAM. For Quake Live server hosting without the Linux homework, GameTeam charges per GB of RAM, from $0.49/GB a week, slots are unlimited, and the AI copilot writes those files when you tell it what you want to play.
Run your Quake Live server by just asking.
Quake Live spreads a server across four plain-text files and a launch line, and each one has its own format. Say what you want, Clan Arena only or a duel ladder, and the copilot edits the right file and restarts. It also checks the log when a Workshop map fails to download.
Your Modes, Written
Game mode and rotation configured by the copilot from what you tell it.
Cheap for Years
Quake needs a sliver of RAM — the server that hosts your regulars costs almost nothing.
One Address, Any Game
Switch the server to another game whenever the crowd does.
Quake Live with friends
Quake III Arena, refined and kept alive: rocket jumps, rail shots, and movement that rewards a decade of practice. Community servers keep the game modes and maps you want and the regulars who still play it seriously.
Quake Live server RAM requirements
1-2 GB.
| Your server | Starting RAM | From (Budget, weekly) |
|---|---|---|
| Duel or a small FFA server | 2 GB | $0.98 / week |
| Busy Clan Arena or CTF with Workshop maps | 2 GB | $0.98 / week |
Quake Live is built on the Quake III engine and barely touches memory, so our smallest plan, 2 GB, already covers it. Workshop maps take disk space, not RAM. What matters more for an arena shooter is ping: pick the location closest to your regulars. Player limit: 16 is typical.
How to set up a Quake Live server on GameTeam
Pick RAM and a location
2 GB is all Quake Live needs. Pick the location nearest your players: we have 25+ across Europe, the Americas and Asia-Pacific, with sub-15ms latency.
Tell it what you play
Ask the copilot for your modes and maps (FFA, duel, CA, CTF, freeze tag and more), and give it your SteamID64 for admin. Or edit server.cfg, mappool.txt and access.txt in the file manager.
Join and invite your regulars
Copy the address from the panel. In Quake Live, open the console and type /connect address:port, or find the server in the browser by its sv_tags.
Good to know before you start
Game mode and map rotation are set through server configuration rather than a lobby.
Quake Live server settings explained
A Quake Live server is split across files. server.cfg holds the server-wide settings, mappool.txt lists map|factory pairs for the end-of-match vote, access.txt stores admins, mods and bans, and workshop.txt lists Workshop item IDs. Gameplay rules belong in factories, not server.cfg: when the mode changes, the factory's settings override it. The settings owners touch most:
| Setting | What it does |
|---|---|
sv_hostname | The server name in the browser. |
sv_tags | Comma-separated tags. The in-game browser filters by tag rather than searching names, so tags are how people find you. |
sv_mapPoolFile | Which map pool file to use. The default is mappool.txt; point it at another file to switch the whole rotation. |
g_accessFile | The admin, mod and ban list. Default access.txt, with lines like SteamID64|admin. |
g_voteFlags | A bitmask of call-votes to block: map 1, map_restart 2, nextmap 4, gametype 8, kick 16, timelimit 32, fraglimit 64. Add the numbers. |
g_inactivity / g_dropInactive | Kicks idle players after that many seconds. It is 0 (off) by default, so AFK players can sit on a full server for hours. |
serverstartup | What runs once the server boots. By default it starts a random map from the map pool, so you never set a map by hand. |
zmq_rcon_enable / zmq_rcon_password / zmq_rcon_port | Remote console over ZeroMQ on TCP. Off by default. |
zmq_stats_enable / zmq_stats_password / zmq_stats_port | Publishes live match events as JSON, on TCP at the game port. Stats sites read this. |
fs_homepath | Where the server keeps its own copies of server.cfg and access.txt. Keep your edits here so updates don't reset them. |
Quake Live server commands
Admins type these in the console, prefixed with / in game (or /rcon on a remote server). Your SteamID64 has to be in access.txt first. The copilot can run any of them for you.
| Command | What it does |
|---|---|
map <map> [factory] | Loads a map, optionally with a game mode, e.g. map campgrounds ca. |
map_restart | Restarts the current map and respawns everyone. |
startRandomMap | Loads a random map and factory from the map pool. |
players | Lists connected players with their client IDs and SteamID64s. |
kick <name> / clientkick <id> | Removes a player by name or by client ID. |
ban / unban | Bans a player or lifts a ban. Bans are stored in access.txt, so they survive restarts. |
addadmin / addmod / demote | Gives or removes admin and moderator rights while the server runs. |
reload_access | Re-reads access.txt. Run it after a hand edit, or the next map change overwrites the file. |
reload_mappool | Re-reads the map pool file set in sv_mapPoolFile. |
say <message> | Sends a message to everyone as Server:. |
callvote <vote> <args> | How players start votes (map, kick, timelimit…) unless g_voteFlags blocks them. |
Can I add mods to a Quake Live server?
Server-side scripting and custom maps are supported; there is no broad mod ecosystem to install.
Custom maps and gametypes come only from the Steam Workshop: Quake Live removed the old HTTP and UDP downloads. Put an item's ID (from its Workshop URL) in workshop.txt and the server downloads it on start, so players get it on join. Custom rule sets are factories, JSON files in baseq3/scripts/ ending in .factories, built on a base mode like ca or duel. Python plugins come from the community project minqlx, which also needs Python and Redis on the server.
Quake Live server ports
Nothing to forward on GameTeam. Your server's exact address and port are in the panel, and they may differ from 27960.
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
Quake Live server hosting FAQ
How do I host a Quake Live server?
Install the Quake Live Dedicated Server with SteamCMD (+login anonymous +app_update 349090), start it with run_server_x64.sh, open UDP 27960, set your name in server.cfg, fill mappool.txt and add yourself to access.txt. id's readme is written for Linux and says never to run it as root. Or deploy it on GameTeam and let the copilot write the files.
How much RAM does a Quake Live server need?
1–2 GB. It runs on the Quake III engine and memory is never the bottleneck, so 2 GB, our smallest plan, is enough for any mode. That is $0.98 a week.
How many players can a Quake Live server hold?
Around 16 is typical for community servers, and duel needs only two. The limit is a setting in server.cfg, and we never charge per slot, so a 16-player server costs the same as a duel server.
How do I make myself admin?
Find your SteamID64 (type /players in the console on any server), then add a line like 76561198000000000|admin to access.txt. Edit the file with the server stopped, or run reload_access right away, because the server rewrites it on every map change. Or ask the copilot to do it.
How do I add custom maps to a Quake Live server?
Through the Steam Workshop only. Add the map's Workshop item ID to workshop.txt, restart so the server downloads it, then add mapname|factory to mappool.txt. Players download it on join. If a download fails, the server skips it and starts anyway, so check the log.
Can I run only one game mode?
Yes. List only maps with that factory in the map pool (for example trinity|ca) and add 8 to g_voteFlags, so a callvote map can't switch mode. id's own advice is to leave modes open on public servers, but locking makes sense for duel.
Do players need to own Quake Live?
Yes. Quake Live is a paid game on Steam, and every player needs their own copy to join. The dedicated server itself is a free SteamCMD download.
How much does Quake Live server hosting cost?
GameTeam bills per GB of RAM: $0.49/GB a week on Budget, or $1.99/GB billed monthly. A 2 GB server is $0.98 a week or $3.98 a month, whether it hosts a duel or a full CA match, because slots are unlimited. DDoS protection and the AI copilot come with it, and you can get your money back within the first 72 hours.
Same server, any game.
Your arena, up whenever the regulars are.
Deploy it, tell the copilot your modes and maps, and post the address in your Discord.
Deploy your Quake Live server