Grounded dedicated hosting for a small friend group (2026)
Short answer: none of the six hosts we track lists Grounded or Grounded 2. Their Grounded page URLs returned 404 when we checked on 23 Oct 2026. Grounded ships with 4-player peer-to-peer co-op, and there’s no official dedicated server. Here’s what that means for a backyard crew.
RAM and slots: the reality
- Player cap: 4. Grounded and Grounded 2 co-op is built for 4 players, so a host can’t sell you “more slots”.
- No official server build: rented Grounded 2 servers rely on a community framework called Lantern, which runs the Windows game headless. Every player also needs the Lantern launcher, and game updates can break it until Lantern catches up³.
- RAM figures for those community setups run around 8–16 GB on Windows³. That’s more than the lighter games on this site. These are not figures from our six tracked hosts.
- The simplest option for most squads: one friend hosts in-game. The world is only online while that person plays.
³ From third-party Grounded 2 hosting pages and guides seen in search results (Survival Servers, YorkHost, PixelNitro). We haven’t verified them on a host-owned page and show no prices from them. Confirm directly before buying.
Comparison: our six tracked hosts
Price sources: none. No tracked host has a Grounded page. Shockbyte, Apex, Bisect and Nodecraft returned 404 at the URLs we tried. We didn’t find a page for GameTeam or PebbleHost. Every cell is TBD. We don’t invent prices.
| Host | Grounded / Grounded 2 plan | Price | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shockbyte | Not listed (404) | TBD | Check back if it adds Grounded |
| Apex Hosting | Not listed (404) | TBD | — |
| BisectHosting | Not listed (404) | TBD | — |
| GameTeam | Not found | TBD | — |
| Nodecraft | Not listed (404) | TBD | — |
| PebbleHost | Not found | TBD | — |
Smaller hosts outside our tracked six do advertise Lantern-based Grounded 2 servers³. Some need you to supply a second Steam account that owns the game. Read their requirements carefully. Never give a host your main Steam login. No host is crowned “#1”.
Oceania note
With in-game hosting, the crew connects to the host player’s PC, so pick the friend with the best upload and the most central location. For AU/NZ groups that’s usually someone in Sydney or Melbourne. See the Oceania ping guide.
What to do instead (not rankings)
- 4 friends, casual: host in-game for $0 extra. You don’t need a server.
- Want an always-on survival-crafting world now: similar co-op games with real dedicated servers are Enshrouded (Night 15), Valheim (Night 2), Core Keeper (Night 18) and Astroneer (Night 19).
- Budget: most of those start well under the ~$20 line.
Official links (affiliate placeholders)
None of these hosts sells Grounded today. Buttons go to their home pages for the alternative games above. Tracked affiliate URLs will replace the #aff-* anchors once programs approve — see affiliates.md.
Related (pipeline)
Affiliate disclosure
HostForTheSquad may earn a commission if you purchase through links on this page (Shockbyte, Apex, BisectHosting, GameTeam, and others when approved). Commission rates do not decide table rows or “best for” notes. Prices and stock change — always verify on the host’s site before you pay.