Getting started
You have picked a game, picked a size and paid. Here is the rest of it, step by step.
1. Checkout
Section titled “1. Checkout”Checkout runs on the billing portal at billing.hostboi.com, not on this website. If you came from a game page or the plan finder, the game and the RAM size are already filled in; all that is left is your account details, the term (monthly, 3, 6 or 12 months) and payment.
- PayPal is the only payment method. You can pay with a PayPal balance, a linked bank account or a card through PayPal.
- No setup fee is added at the end. The price you see for the term is the price you pay.
- The RAM size is the RAM you pay for. Some games also get a free boost on top — see the free RAM boost.
2. Automatic setup
Section titled “2. Automatic setup”Once the payment clears, the server is created on our panel automatically. There is nothing to install on your machine and no ticket to open. In the normal case it is running within a couple of minutes.
Two emails come out of this:
- A welcome email with your panel account and a link to set your own password. That link is single-use and expires one hour after it is sent.
- The invoice and payment receipt from the billing portal.
If the link has expired, use Forgot password on the panel login page. Those links are also single-use and expire after 20 minutes, and a second request inside that window will not send a new one — wait for the first to expire before trying again.
3. Sign in and look around
Section titled “3. Sign in and look around”Sign in at panel.hostboi.com with the email address you ordered with.
The server is in the sidebar. Inside it you will find:
| Area | What it is for |
|---|---|
| Console | Live output from the game server, and the power buttons (start, restart, stop). |
| Files | A file manager for the server directory. Fine for small edits and config files. |
| Backups | Your backups, a button to take one now, and backup groups for automatic backups. See Backups and restores. |
| Schedules | Recurring tasks — restarts, announcements, saves. |
| Startup | The game’s own settings: world name, password, player slots, and the startup command. |
| SFTP details | Host, port, username and password for file transfers. See SFTP and file uploads. |
Your server starts on its own once the install finishes. The first boot is the slow one: the game files are downloaded and unpacked, which can take several minutes depending on the title. Watch the console and wait for the game’s own “ready” line before you try to connect.
4. Set the game up before you invite anyone
Section titled “4. Set the game up before you invite anyone”Open Startup and set the things your players will need — the world or server name, the join password, and any admin or RCON password the game asks for. Save, then restart from the console so the game picks the values up.
Some games only read a world name when the world is first created, so set these before your players start building. If you are not sure which settings your game reads at boot, the game’s page on hostboi.com/games is the place to check, or ask us in a ticket.
5. Connect
Section titled “5. Connect”The address is shown on the server’s page in the panel, as host:port. Copy it into the game’s multiplayer
screen — Connecting to your server covers where to paste it and the games that use extra
ports.
If something looks wrong
Section titled “If something looks wrong”Open Console first. Nine times out of ten the reason is in the last few lines — a missing password, a mod that failed to load, a port already in use. If it is not obvious, open a ticket and paste those lines in; that is most of the diagnosis already done.