Don’t Starve Together Server Hosting (2021)

Although a niche game, you can find plenty of game server hosting companies that provide a package for Don’t Starve Together.

I found 31 different DST server providers when I looked that were worthy of testing.

So I set out and purchased a basic package from each, set it up, tested it out with friends and then sent some support ticket questions to gauge how they were in that department.

What I ended up with at the end of my experiment were 7 established companies that were worthy of hosting your world.

I have summarised what makes each one stand out below and ranked them accordingly.

How do you choose which DST server hosting company is best for you?

To break it down as simple as I can (as you can see my whole process in this supporting guide I wrote) the main factor that comes down to is your budget.

If you can afford to splash out for fancy features and lots of surplus slots great, if not then you may have to be careful and shop with more due diligence.

Sacrificing features such as backups and a nearby data-center may be the sacrifice you make to be able to afford your server if you are on a tight budget.

The most important factors to look for

Best 7 DST Hosting Companies Compared

I have whittled down the 31 possible contenders to just 7 that I felt comfortable handing my money over to and hosting my DST server.

Each of these has been summarised too, so you can easily pick the most appropriate host for your unique situation.

GTX Gaming - Cheapest DST Server Host

Ranks #1 of 7 DST hosts

Visit GTX Gaming

The Positives

Experienced UK based team

Cover almost every game

Loads of server locations

The Negatives

Some regions require additional fee

Control Panel

Image Slideshow

• Control Panel Home
• My Profile Page
• Server List Page

My top choice for DST hosting has got to be GTX Gaming, they have a vast catalog of games and a long history of happy customers.

My test server performed well, I and my 2 friends found it a pleasure to play on for the small test map we put together.

We got as far as building a small basic base before we called the end of the GTX Gaming test, during that time there were no hiccups at all.

Support was quick getting back and answered everything properly so I really can’t complain.

The only letdown for this company is the fact that you have to pay a premium if you live somewhere outside of the USA or EU territories for servers closer to you.

The pricing is in the middle of the range, you pay just under a dollar for each slot (each connected player at one time) but get access to great features.

Streamline Servers - The Best Global DST Host

Ranks #2 of 7 DST hosts

Visit Streamline Servers

The Positives

Passionate about server performance

The Negatives

Usually pretty expensive

If you are looking for a premium DST server provider with lots of awesome features and high-quality hardware then check out Streamline Servers.

This company are known for their addiction to the latest high-tech hardware and have some amazing upgrade packages available.

Obviously, this does come at a cost and it makes them the most expensive DST server provider I could find.

They have data-centers all around the world so you are bound to find a location near you, almost making the higher price worth it for non-EU and USA citizens.

If you are a serious DST player and require stability with your server (such as for live-streamers) then Streamline Servers are a good choice.

Ping Perfect - The Best UK DST Host

Ranks #3 of 7 DST hosts

Visit Ping Perfect

The Positives

Support a community of Twitchers

Wide range of games

Lots of global locations

The Negatives

Support was a little slow

Another DST server host with a price in the middle of the range is Ping Perfect, an established provider with a huge catalog of titles.

They lacked a few of the features that I liked with GTX Gaming above but were a similar price per slot.

Support was great but not quite and concise as fast as the 2 contenders above.

The positive point about these guys is that they offer lots of global locations, the negative is that you have to pay a premium for them.

If you don’t fancy going with GTX Gaming, then you will probably fall onto these guys’ lap unless you can afford to pay a premium for Streamline Servers.

GameHosting.co - Best Niche Specialist DST Host

Ranks #4 of 7 DST hosts

Visit GameHosting.co

The Positives

Niche game provider

The Negatives

Not as established as bigger companies

I ignored the shady reviews left on their Trustpilot page and tried GameHosting.co for myself.

The service wasn’t as bad as some of them make out but then a lot of the aggression tends to lean towards the VPS packages the company offers, nothing to do with the game servers im testing.

The control panel was a bit clunky but my server was smooth when testing Don’t Starve Together on it.

The support tickets took a while to get back but at least the support staff were friendly and knew their stuff about the game.

Unfortunately, they are lacking in data-center locations, not really a problem if you are in the EU or USA.

Nodecraft - Best Free Trial DST Host

Ranks #5 of 7 DST hosts

Visit Nodecraft

The Positives

Niche game provider

Large catalogue

The Negatives

Confusing pricing

With a beautiful custom website and control panel, I found my time testing Nodecraft pleasant.

It seems this provider offers some great features but you do have to pay a slight premium for them.

All in all considering the speed of my server and the support getting back to me I would say that they are good value for money.

What’s great about Nodecraft as well is, they offer many locations for your server to live all around the world, bringing down pings and reducing lag.

4NetPlayers - Best Long Term DST Host

Ranks #6 of 7 DST hosts

Visit 4NetPlayers

The Positives

Large catalogue

The Negatives

Pay for branding removal

If you are going to have your server for a long period of time then check out the offers at 4NetPlayers.

They offer a great value for money package for DST, the problem is that price is only available to those who order for a minimum of 12 months.

I tested with a higher price-per-slot short-term contract server and found the service adequate.

The support wasn’t exactly fast and thorough but the server speed and features made up for it.

Annoyingly they don’t offer servers in many locations and you also have to pay to remove branding from your server (see screenshot above).

Nitrado - Best Short Term DST Host

Ranks #7 of 7 DST hosts

Visit Nitrado

The Positives

Loads of games available

The Negatives

Expensive slot price

If you don’t mind paying a lot of money for a short period of time for a DST server then Nitrado may be just what you are looking for.

These guys offer a 3-day server that isn’t very cost-effective but perfect if you know you only want a short game with a few buddies.

My tests with the company show that the support responded to me fairly quickly and answered me thoroughly.

The company does charge a premium but I wouldn’t say that the performance of the server justified it, bringing them in at the bottom of my list.

Important DST Server Features

Before you go ahead and choose one of the companies above you should probably be aware of the most important features you may need.

Sacrifice these at your will but I definitely recommend looking for a provider who offers these as standard.

Backups

If you take pride in what you and your server’s visitors produce in their time with you then you will back the world up regularly.

Ideally, the game hosting provider you choose for your DST server will do this for you in intervals.

The next step down is an easy system in the back-end so you can do it yourself and download them to restore later.

The worst-case scenario is no support for any of this at all, which you can expect from the budget providers.

DLC Support

As you are probably aware, there are loads of DLC and additional content for Don’t Starve Together.

If you play any of it (such as Reign of Giants) then be sure to check that you can “one-click install” it so you can run it instead of the vanilla option if you desire.