# Arma 3 Server Hosting

> High-performance Arma 3 servers with instant setup, Steam Workshop integration, dedicated RAM & CPU, full mod support, and 24/7 technical assistance.

Canonical URL: https://xgamingserver.com/arma-3-server-hosting

## Pricing

- Range: $7.00 – $42.00 USD/month
- Plans available: 6

## Server specs

- CPU: AMD Ryzen 9 7950X
- Memory: DDR5 RAM
- Storage: NVMe SSD
- Network: 1 Gbps with DDoS protection
- Locations: US East, US West, Europe, Singapore, Australia
- Setup: Instant activation
- Support: 24/7

## Customer rating

- 4.8 / 5 stars
- 1250 ratings
- 1150 reviews

## FAQ

### How many players can an Arma 3 dedicated server support?

Arma 3 dedicated servers support up to 128 or more players, though practical limits depend on mission complexity and server resources. Small co-op missions run well with 4-20 players on modest hardware, while large-scale King of the Hill or milsim operations with 64-128 players require dedicated CPU cores and 8GB+ RAM. Headless Clients can be connected to offload AI processing, which is critical for maintaining server FPS in AI-heavy missions.

### What maps and terrains are available for Arma 3 servers?

Arma 3 includes Altis (270 km² Mediterranean island — one of the largest maps in any FPS), Stratis (20 km² smaller island), and Malden (62 km² free DLC). Paid DLC adds Tanoa (100 km² jungle archipelago) and Livonia (163 km² Eastern European forest). Beyond official maps, thousands of community terrains are available through Steam Workshop, ranging from desert environments to dense urban cityscapes.

### How do I install mods on an Arma 3 server?

Arma 3 server mods are loaded via the -mod= startup parameter, which accepts a semicolon-separated list of mod folder paths. Mods are downloaded from Steam Workshop and placed in the server directory. Essential mods for milsim include CBA_A3 (Community Base Addons, required by most mods), ACE3 (advanced medical and ballistics), TFAR or ACRE2 (realistic radio communications), and RHS or CUP (real-world weapons and vehicles). Each mod includes .bikey files that must be placed in the server's Keys folder to allow clients running those mods to connect.

### What configuration files does an Arma 3 server use?

Arma 3 servers use three main configuration files: server.cfg controls server name, password, admin password, vote settings, mission rotation, and BattlEye anti-cheat. basic.cfg handles network bandwidth settings like MinBandwidth, MaxBandwidth, MaxMsgSend, and MaxSizeGuaranteed. The server profile (.Arma3Profile) controls difficulty settings including viewDistance, terrainGrid resolution, AI skill and accuracy sub-skills, and the four difficulty presets (Recruit, Regular, Veteran, and Custom). All three files are plain text and editable through a game panel or directly.

### What is a Headless Client and why does my Arma 3 server need one?

A Headless Client (HC) is a special Arma 3 instance that connects to your server without rendering graphics, dedicated entirely to processing AI calculations. Since Arma 3's engine runs AI on a single thread, complex missions with dozens of AI units can tank server FPS. Offloading AI to one or more Headless Clients distributes this workload across additional CPU cores. Mission scripts must be written to detect and assign AI groups to the HC. This is standard practice for milsim units running operations with 40+ AI units alongside human players.

### What mission types and game modes can I run on an Arma 3 server?

Arma 3 supports Zeus (a real-time game master controlling the battlefield live), King of the Hill (large-scale three-faction territory control), Wasteland (PvP survival with base building), Exile (survival mod with territory and economy), Antistasi (guerrilla insurgency against occupying forces), Liberation (cooperative territory capture across the full map), and Invade & Annex (co-op sector clearing). Thousands more community missions are available on Steam Workshop, and the included Eden Editor lets you build fully custom scenarios with SQF scripting.

### What network ports does an Arma 3 server require?

Arma 3 uses three default UDP ports: 2302 for game traffic, 2303 for the Steam query protocol (server browser listing), and 2304 for Steam master server communication. If you run BattlEye anti-cheat (recommended), it uses port 2306. All ports must be open in your firewall for the server to be publicly accessible. When running multiple Arma 3 server instances on the same machine, offset each instance's ports (e.g., second server on 2312, 2313, 2314).

### How much RAM does an Arma 3 server need?

A baseline Arma 3 server with vanilla content and under 30 players uses roughly 2-4GB RAM. With popular mod sets like ACE3, RHS, and CUP loaded, expect 4-8GB usage. Large milsim operations with 64+ players, multiple Headless Clients, and heavy mod packs can push past 8GB. Server performance in Arma 3 depends more on single-thread CPU speed than total RAM, since the Real Virtuality engine is largely single-threaded. NVMe storage also helps with map and mod loading times.

## Related

- [All game servers](https://xgamingserver.com/game-servers.html)
- [Documentation index](https://xgamingserver.com/llms.txt)
- [Full docs](https://xgamingserver.com/llms-full.txt)