Game Server Optimization and Performance Tuning

Overview

A well-tuned game server provides better player experience with lower latency and fewer lag spikes. This guide covers universal optimization techniques that apply to most dedicated game servers.

System-Level Optimizations

Disable Unnecessary Services

# List running services
systemctl list-units --type=service --state=running

# Disable services you do not need
sudo systemctl disable --now snapd
sudo systemctl disable --now unattended-upgrades

Kernel Network Tuning

sudo tee -a /etc/sysctl.d/99-gameserver.conf <<EOF
# Increase UDP buffer sizes
net.core.rmem_max = 26214400
net.core.wmem_max = 26214400
net.core.rmem_default = 1048576
net.core.wmem_default = 1048576

# Reduce swappiness
vm.swappiness = 10

# Increase max file descriptors
fs.file-max = 100000
EOF

sudo sysctl --system

CPU Governor

# Set CPU to performance mode
echo performance | sudo tee /sys/devices/system/cpu/cpu*/cpufreq/scaling_governor

Memory Management

• Never allocate all available RAM to the game — leave 1-2 GB for the OS
• Add swap as a safety net but aim to avoid using it
• Monitor with free -h and vmstat 1

Scheduling and Priority

# Run game server with higher priority
nice -n -5 ./start-server.sh

# Or adjust after starting
renice -n -5 -p $(pidof server_binary)

Disk I/O

• Use SSD storage whenever possible
• Schedule auto-saves during low-activity periods
• Keep backups on a separate disk or off-server

Network

• Choose a data center close to your player base
• Reduce view/render distance to lower network load
• Consider DDoS protection for public servers

Monitoring

# Real-time resource monitoring
htop

# Network connections
ss -tunp | grep GAME_PORT

# Disk I/O
iotop -o