RAM is the one slider that decides whether a server runs well. Use this as a starting point and watch the panel's memory graph for a week.
Minecraft
| Setup | Players | RAM |
|---|---|---|
| Vanilla / Paper, no plugins | 1-5 | 2 GB |
| Paper, 10-20 plugins | 5-20 | 4 GB |
| Paper, 30+ plugins, big world | 20-50 | 6-8 GB |
| Fabric with performance mods | 5-20 | 3-4 GB |
| Modpack, up to 100 mods | any | 5-6 GB |
| Modpack, 100-200 mods | any | 6-8 GB |
| Modpack, 200+ mods (ATM, Vault Hunters) | any | 10-12 GB |
| Bedrock | 5-20 | 2-3 GB |
| Velocity proxy | any | 1 GB |
Other games
| Game | Baseline | Comfortable |
|---|---|---|
| Rust | 8 GB | 12-16 GB (100+ players, plugins) |
| ARK: Survival Evolved | 8 GB | 12 GB (mods, big maps) |
| ARK: Survival Ascended | 12 GB | 16 GB |
| Valheim | 3 GB | 4-6 GB |
| Palworld | 8 GB | 12-16 GB |
| 7 Days to Die | 8 GB | 12 GB (8k maps, overhauls) |
| Satisfactory | 8 GB | 12-16 GB (late game) |
| Discord bot | 512 MB | 1-2 GB (music, images) |
What eats RAM
Loaded chunks (view distance × players), entities, plugins/mods, and for Steam games the map itself. Player count matters less than most people think for Minecraft; for Rust and Palworld it hardly matters at all.
Too much RAM
A Java server with far more heap than it needs has longer garbage-collection pauses. If your 10-player Paper server sits at 30 % of 12 GB, downgrade. You save money and lose nothing. Upgrades and downgrades are prorated; try and adjust.