A game server is a program, often running on a dedicated server or cloud instance, that hosts an online match. It receives player inputs, simulates the game world, decides what is true and sends state updates back to every connected client.
Why it matters
The server's location, hardware and design shape the experience. Players far from the server see higher latency. An authoritative server, where the server rather than the client decides outcomes, makes cheating harder. Architectures include dedicated servers run by the publisher, peer-to-peer play where one player hosts, and community-run servers. Real-time games usually send updates over UDP because speed matters more than perfect delivery.
Example
A shooter server loop, simplified:
every tick (e.g. every 15.6 ms):
collect player inputs
update positions and hits
send a snapshot to each clientAt 64 ticks per second this runs about 64 times each second. See tick rate.
Common mistakes
- Choosing a region by price alone and ignoring where most players live.
- Trusting client-reported results without server-side validation.
- Under-provisioning for launch day or event spikes, leading to queues and crashes.
Related
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