Insurgency: Sandstorm dedicated hosting for a small friend group (2026)
Insurgency: Sandstorm is the hardcore tactical shooter — lethal firefights, sparse HUD, co-op Checkpoint or PvP Push — where a passworded friend server beats rolling into a random public lobby. Shockbyte, Nodecraft, GameTeam and BisectHosting sell it. Apex and PebbleHost Insurgency: Sandstorm page URLs we tried returned 404. Prices below were read from each host’s own Insurgency: Sandstorm page. Confirm availability and the bill at checkout.
RAM, slots and mods
- Friend-group fit: Co-op Checkpoint is roughly 8–12 players + bots; PvP modes go to about 28–32 (GameTeam FAQ). Shockbyte’s labeled entry is Grunt · 10 players · 3 GB at $9.99/mo — covers a co-op friend night under ~$20. Nodecraft does not limit slots (FAQ) and marks Budget “Not recommended for this game” — Premium from 2 GB · $9.98/mo recurring is the plan they push. GameTeam FAQ: unlimited slots on a per-GB price. A passworded co-op or small Push night does not need a public 32-slot Warlord box.
- RAM honesty (host claims only): Shockbyte lists 3 GB / 4 GB / 5 GB+ on Grunt / Veteran / Warlord. Nodecraft Budget/Premium cards list 2 / 4 / 6 GB tiers. GameTeam’s FAQ says 4–8 GB (bot-heavy co-op costs more than PvP at the same player count). Bisect prices per GB but did not display a $/GB rate or labeled minimum on the markup we read. Budget toward 3–4 GB for a friend co-op night; step toward 4–8 GB if bots or mods stack — confirm at checkout.
- Mods (host claims only): Shockbyte claims Full Mod Support and Mod.io Integration (and publishes Mod.io install guides). Nodecraft publishes Mod.io add-mod help for Sandstorm. GameTeam FAQ: yes through mod.io (AI copilot can pull mods by ID). Bisect claims Modding Support. Apex and PebbleHost were not confirmed. See Night 6.
Comparison: Insurgency: Sandstorm plans
Price sources: every price comes from the host’s own Insurgency: Sandstorm page (fetched 24 Oct 2026, NZDT). No third-party or search-summary prices are used. Recurring monthly figures are preferred over first-month sale teasers (sales disclosed where shown). TBD means the host page showed no clear plan total, or the page URLs we tried returned 404. Confirm at checkout.
| Host | Entry tier | Bigger tiers | Notes | Oceania | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ShockbyteAU brand | Grunt · 10 players · 3 GB · $9.99/mo Page also offers Quarterly −10% / Annually −25% term discounts — we quote the labeled monthly total |
Veteran · 16 players · 4 GB · $14.99/mo Warlord · 32 players · 5 GB+ · $22.08/mo |
Full Mod Support + Mod.io Integration claimed; auto-updates & backups; DDoS; 72-hour refund; Full File Access | Global locations; Melbourne company (check for an AU node) | Labeled 10-slot / 3 GB co-op friend plan under ~$20 |
| Nodecraft | Premium · 2 GB · $9.98/mo Sale teaser $6.99 first month — we quote the recurring $9.98/mo. Page marks Budget “Not recommended for this game” |
Premium 4 GB · $19.98/mo; 6 GB · $29.98/mo Budget 2 GB · $5.96/mo; 4 GB · $11.92/mo; 6 GB · $17.88/mo (recurring; first-month sales also shown — host marks Budget not recommended) Unlimited slots (FAQ); free trial claimed |
Mod.io add-mod help claimed; Budget (sleeps when unused) vs Premium (24/7); game swap | Sydney / Melbourne / Auckland listed on the Sandstorm page | AU/NZ nodes + Premium under ~$20 (host prefers Premium over Budget) |
| GameTeam | From $0.49/GB (Budget) Host unit is /GB · per week ($1.99/GB · mo also listed); plan totals TBD without a chosen GB amount |
Premium from $0.74/GB Same weekly /GB unit ($2.99/GB · mo also listed); plan totals still TBD without a chosen GB amount |
FAQ: 4–8 GB; 28–32 PvP / 8–12 + bots co-op; mod.io yes; AI copilot claimed; unlimited slots; 72-hour money-back | Global locations (check for AU) | Pay-by-the-GB toward 4–8 GB friend co-op |
| BisectHosting | TBD Sandstorm page we read showed “… / GB” without a clear dollar rate |
TBD | Modding Support claimed; swap to 110+ games; NVMe; DDoS; page showed an out-of-stock notice for a location | 21 locations; confirm AU / APAC stock (out-of-stock notice on page) | Check price and stock at checkout |
| Apex Hosting | TBD Sandstorm page URLs we tried returned 404 |
TBD | Not confirmed | EX Series copy lists AU hardware on other games — not verified for Sandstorm | Home CTA / check directly |
| PebbleHost | TBD Sandstorm page URLs we tried returned 404 |
TBD | Not confirmed | Sydney listed for Minecraft | Home CTA / check directly |
Sources (host-owned): shockbyte.com, nodecraft.com, gameteam.io, bisecthosting.com (features / “… / GB”; clear dollar rate not displayed; out-of-stock notice). Apex, PebbleHost: no host-owned Sandstorm product page confirmed (404). No host is crowned “#1”. Confirm slots, RAM and the recurring bill at checkout.
Oceania note
Sandstorm’s lethal TTK and Push/Checkpoint timing punish long routes harder than a slow craft loop. AU/NZ groups should check Nodecraft’s listed Sydney / Melbourne / Auckland nodes first, then Shockbyte (Melbourne company; global locations claimed), GameTeam’s global map, or Bisect stock (21 locations; out-of-stock notice on the page we read). Apex and PebbleHost were not confirmed for Sandstorm — their Oceania notes on other games do not transfer here. See the Oceania ping guide.
Budget note and shortlist (not rankings)
- Labeled 10-player / 3 GB under ~$20: Shockbyte Grunt, $9.99/mo — confirm term discounts vs monthly at checkout. Step to Veteran ($14.99 / 16 players / 4 GB) if the squad grows.
- AU/NZ + Premium under ~$20: Nodecraft Premium 2 GB, $9.98/mo recurring (first-month sale disclosed separately). Host marks Budget “Not recommended for this game” — prefer Premium; step to 4 GB ($19.98) if bots/mods need headroom.
- RAM toward 4–8 GB (host FAQ): GameTeam Budget from $0.49/GB · week, Premium from $0.74/GB · week — confirm plan total, term and GB at checkout.
- If Bisect price/stock is hidden: use Shockbyte, Nodecraft or GameTeam first; home CTA for Apex or PebbleHost if you want to ask support whether Sandstorm is coming.
- Similar nights: CS2 (Night 27), Squad (Night 42), Mordhau (Night 47), KF2 (Night 48). Also budget under ~$20 and Oceania ping.
Official links (affiliate placeholders)
Buttons below point at official sites today (game pages where the host sells Insurgency: Sandstorm; home where it does not). 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.