Best Multiplayer Games for Low End PCs (With Their Own Server)

The best multiplayer games for low end PCs are Terraria, Minecraft, Core Keeper, Don't Starve Together, Mindustry, Unturned, Team Fortress 2, Left 4 Dead 2, Luanti and Teeworlds. They run on integrated graphics and 4 to 8 GB of system memory, and every one of them has a dedicated server. That second part matters: a weak PC that also hosts the world for everyone else will stutter, so the cheapest upgrade for a low end group is often moving the server off the host's machine.

Here is what people miss. When you host a co-op game from inside the game, your PC runs two jobs: your own client and the simulation for every other player. On a gaming PC you never notice. On a laptop with 8 GB of memory, the second job is what causes the lag spikes, the long autosaves and friends rubber banding. A server somewhere else takes all of that away, and your PC only has to draw your own screen.

Light games with dedicated servers

1. Terraria

Terraria is the gold standard for weak hardware. It is 2D, it runs on decade old laptops, and the content is enormous. The vanilla server is also one of the lightest you can rent. Large worlds and big events with lots of enemies are where hosting from a weak PC starts to hurt, which is exactly when a server pays off.

• Server RAM: 2 GB for vanilla with up to 8 players.

2. Minecraft: Java Edition

Minecraft itself is light, and with Sodium on Fabric it runs on integrated graphics at playable frame rates. The problem on weak PCs is the integrated server: when you open a world to LAN, your PC generates chunks for every friend exploring in a different direction. A dedicated server does that work instead.

• Server RAM: 2 GB for vanilla or Paper with up to 5 friends.
• Tip: best Minecraft server performance mods helps the server side too.

3. Core Keeper

A top down mining and farming game that looks simple but has hundreds of hours in it. Client requirements are modest, and the dedicated server raises the cap from 8 to 100. Automated farms and big explored maps are what a host PC struggles with later in a save.

• Server RAM: 4 GB for up to 8 friends.

4. Don't Starve Together

A 2D survival game that runs almost anywhere. The catch on weak hardware is caves: the game runs the surface and caves as two separate shards, which normally needs a strong PC to host. Our servers run both shards for you, so the low end PC only plays.

• Server RAM: 4 GB for a few friends with caves. See how to set up a Don't Starve Together server with caves.

5. Mindustry

A factory and tower defense game that runs on phones, so it runs on any PC. Late game factories with hundreds of units are where a host's machine starts to lag, and a server handles far more players than a game hosted from a phone.

• Server RAM: 2 GB for a few friends on stock maps.

6. Unturned

Free, low poly and built to run on modest PCs. Zombie survival with vehicles, bases and a huge Workshop. Servers go up to 200 players, so it also suits a big group of friends on old laptops.

• Server RAM: 4 GB for a vanilla map with friends.

7. Team Fortress 2

A free shooter from 2007 that still plays well, and the Source engine runs on hardware most people have in a drawer. Community servers are where the variety is: trade servers, jump maps, custom modes.

• Server RAM: 2 GB for 24 players on stock maps.

8. Left 4 Dead 2

The Source engine again, so it runs on old machines, and co-op is where it shines. When one player hosts a Versus game, that player gets a ping advantage and the round ends if they quit. A server fixes both.

• Server RAM: 2 GB stock co-op or Versus.

9. Minetest (Luanti)

A free, open source block game that runs on Windows, Mac, Linux and Android and copes with very old hardware. With VoxeLibre or Mineclonia it plays close to Minecraft for nothing.

• Server RAM: 2 GB for a few friends.

10. Teeworlds

A free 2D shooter with grappling hooks and very short rounds. If it does not run on your PC, nothing will.

• Server RAM: 1 GB for a full 16 player server.

Games to avoid hosting on a weak PC

Some popular co-op games are fine to play on a mid range PC but painful to host on one, because the host's machine runs the world for everyone:

• Palworld: the server wants 12 to 16 GB of RAM by itself.
• ARK: Survival Ascended: 12 GB or more for a small tribe.
• Enshrouded: 8 GB or more for a small group.
• 7 Days to Die: 8 GB or more, plus heavy CPU use during blood moons.

You can still play these with friends on a modest PC, as long as the world runs on a server rather than on your machine. Can you host a game server on a laptop goes deeper on what a laptop can and cannot carry.

Take the load off the weak PC

A GamezServers server runs the world so your laptop only runs your game. It is live in about a minute, nobody has to keep a PC on or forward ports, and the smallest plans for light games cost a few dollars a month, split between friends if you like. Start with Terraria or see our cheap game server hosting plans.

FAQ

What multiplayer games run on a laptop with integrated graphics?

Terraria, Minecraft with Sodium, Core Keeper, Don't Starve Together, Mindustry, Unturned, Team Fortress 2, Left 4 Dead 2, Luanti and Teeworlds all run on integrated graphics.

Why does my game lag when I host but not when I join?

Because hosting runs the whole world on your PC on top of your own game. Joining only runs your client. A dedicated server moves the world off your PC.

Can a low end PC host a game server?

For a very light game like Terraria or Teeworlds, yes, for a few friends. For bigger survival games the PC will struggle, and your friends will lag when you do.

What is the cheapest server for a low end group?

Teeworlds, Xonotic and other 1 GB games cost 2.99 USD a month. Terraria, Minecraft and Mindustry run on 2 GB for 4.99 USD.