How to host a Multi Theft Auto server (2026)

Short answer. You can host a Multi Theft Auto server yourself for free: download the Linux server from linux.multitheftauto.com, add the base config and default resources, then open UDP port 22003 (game), TCP 22005 (HTTP) and UDP 22126 (server list). Or rent a Multi Theft Auto server and skip the install and the ports.

Players join with the Multi Theft Auto client, either from the in-game server browser or by entering your address and port.

Checked on 5 November 2026 against MTA server 1.6.0, build 24153, the version the Linux download page marks as recommended.

This guide uses two sources: the developers' own Linux download page and server manual, and the egg we run on every Multi Theft Auto server we host. To skip to the rental route, go to Option 2.

What you need

• The server software: the free Multi Theft Auto Linux server package, multitheftauto_linux_x64.tar.gz, from linux.multitheftauto.com. Two more downloads from the same site complete it: baseconfig.tar.gz (it holds mtaserver.conf and other essential files) and mtasa-resources-latest.zip (the default gamemodes and maps).
• A machine that stays on: a spare PC, a home server or a cloud virtual machine. This guide uses 64-bit Linux, which is what we run. We have not tested a Windows server.
• RAM and CPU: we are not aware of an official requirements figure, so treat any number you read elsewhere as an estimate.
• Network: UDP 22003 for players, TCP 22005 for the built-in HTTP server and UDP 22126 for the public server list. The last one is always the game port plus 123.
• A player cap: set with maxplayers in mtaserver.conf.

Option 1: host it yourself

These steps are for Debian or Ubuntu and follow the same downloads our install script uses.

Install the server

1. Make a folder and a user for the server.

   sudo apt install curl unzip libncursesw6 -y
   sudo useradd -m -s /bin/bash -U mta
   sudo su - mta
   mkdir -p ~/server && cd /tmp

2. Download the three packages.

   curl -sSL -o multitheftauto_linux_x64.tar.gz https://linux.multitheftauto.com/dl/multitheftauto_linux_x64.tar.gz
   curl -sSL -o mta-baseconfig.tar.gz https://linux.multitheftauto.com/dl/baseconfig.tar.gz
   curl -sSL -o mtasa-resources-latest.zip https://mirror.multitheftauto.com/mtasa/resources/mtasa-resources-latest.zip

3. Unpack them into the server folder.

   tar -xf multitheftauto_linux_x64.tar.gz
   cp -rf multitheftauto_linux_x64/* ~/server
   mkdir -p ~/server/mods/deathmatch/resources
   unzip -o -d ~/server/mods/deathmatch/resources mtasa-resources-latest.zip
   tar -xf mta-baseconfig.tar.gz
   cp -rf baseconfig/* ~/server/mods/deathmatch

   The server binary is mta-server64. The package has no mtaserver.conf and no resources: those come from the other two downloads, so skip neither.
4. Check the version with ~/server/mta-server64 --version. The download page documents this command and shows output such as MTA:SA Server v1.6-release-24153.

Write the settings

Open mods/deathmatch/mtaserver.conf. It is XML, and these are the settings that matter first, as documented on the MTA wiki:

• servername: the name shown in the server browser.
• serverport: the UDP port players connect to. Default 22003.
• maxplayers: the number of slots. The wiki lists 32 as the default.
• httpport: the TCP port of the built-in HTTP server. Default 22005.
• password: players must enter it to join. Blank means no password.
• ase: 1 reports your server to the public list, 0 keeps it off.

Edit the file while the server is stopped.

Open the ports

• Game: UDP on serverport (22003). For example sudo ufw allow 22003/udp, and forward it on your router.
• HTTP: TCP on httpport (22005).
• Server list: UDP on serverport plus 123 (22126 by default), needed if ase is 1. The wiki says an additional UDP port must be available for the list to work.

Start it and join

1. Start the server from the server folder: cd ~/server && ./mta-server64. It is ready when the console prints Server started and is ready to accept connections!
2. Make yourself admin. In the server console type addaccount YourName YourPassword, then shutdown and wait for it to stop fully. Add <object name="user.YourName" /> inside the Admin group in mods/deathmatch/acl.xml and start again. Log in from the game with login YourName YourPassword. See How to Become an Admin on Your Multi Theft Auto Server.
3. Join it. Open the Multi Theft Auto client and find your server in the browser by name, or connect by address and port. A new server can take a little while to show in the public list.
4. Update by stopping the server and repeating step 2 and the first cp of step 3. That package holds only an empty mods/deathmatch folder, so copying it over leaves your resources and config in place.

Option 2: host it on PlayNHost

Renting removes the downloads, the ports and the update routine. You still choose a name, your admins and your resources.

1. Pick a plan. Open the Multi Theft Auto server hosting page and compare the plans: SABRE (12 players), INFERNUS (20) and HYDRA (35) at the time of writing. Press Create Server (Customize Plan on HYDRA) and finish the order. Prices change, so check them on that page.
2. Wait for the install. The server appears in the panel. Its Console prints Server started and is ready to accept connections! when it is ready.
3. Name it. On the Settings tab set Server Name and, for a private server, Server Password. List in the public server browser sets ase, which reports the server to the public list. Then restart. Players can always join by address and port. MTA's docs say the public list also needs UDP port game port plus 123 to be reachable, and that port is not one of the two ports your server is given, so if the server does not show in the list, open a ticket.
4. Add your resources. Upload a resource folder or zip into mods/deathmatch/resources with the Files tab, then type its name in Resources started on boot (several names separated by commas, using letters, digits, dot, dash and underscore only) and restart. See How to Install Resources and Gamemodes on Your Multi Theft Auto Server.
5. Make yourself admin with the same addaccount and acl.xml steps as above, using the Console and the Files tab.
6. Invite your players. Follow How to Connect to Your Multi Theft Auto Server.

What the panel does for you:

• Your ports are assigned and passed to the server at start, so you never edit serverport or httpport.
• Four keys in mtaserver.conf are written from the panel at every start: servername, password and ase from the three settings above, and maxplayers from your plan's player count. A hand edit of those four is overwritten at the next start, so change the first three in the panel. Everything else in the file is yours. See How to Change Your Multi Theft Auto Server Settings.
• A resource only runs if mtaserver.conf names it, and a start typed in the console is gone after a restart. The names in Resources started on boot are written into the config between marker comments at every start, so removing a name from the box removes its entry. A name with no matching folder or zip gets a warning in the Console.
• With Auto-update server on (the default, under Show advanced on the Settings tab), each start checks the MTA download for a changed build and installs it only if it changed. Your resources, mtaserver.conf and acl.xml are not touched.

Self-hosting or renting: an honest comparison

• Cost: the server software is free. Self-hosting costs power, hardware and bandwidth, or a cloud machine. Renting is a monthly fee set by the plan.
• Uptime: a home server is only up while your PC, power and internet are. A rented server runs on the host's hardware.
• Exposure: at home, players connect to your public IP address and you look after the firewall and router. A rented server keeps your home IP out of it.
• Setup: self-hosting needs the command line, three downloads, three ports and a manual update. Renting needs a name, a password and your resource list.
• Control: self-hosting gives you every file. On our servers you change the main settings in the panel and still have the Files tab for mtaserver.conf, acl.xml and your resources.

Ready to skip the setup? See the Multi Theft Auto server plans. Server not in the list? Read How to Fix a Multi Theft Auto Server Missing From the List.