A RimWorld Open World server needs little memory, because each colony runs in RimWorld on its player's own PC. The server stores accounts, colony saves, settlements and the world, and passes messages between players. A PlayNHost Open World test server with no players and no world yet used about 57 MB of its 2 GB, and it reached Online in about 11 seconds.
Why so little?
Open World is not a shared simulation. Its Workshop page puts it this way: "you can experience all your normal and casual adventures that you would in a singleplayer, but now connected with a bunch of other players". RimWorld itself, with all its pawns, raids and mods, runs on each player's computer. The server program is a small .NET application that keeps the shared data: who is where on the world map, factions, trades and the save of each colony.
So the speed of a colony in game depends on that player's own PC and mod list, not on the server.
What PlayNHost measured
| Measurement | Result |
|---|---|
| Time from Start to Online | about 11 seconds |
| Memory with no players, held for 90 seconds | about 57 MB, flat |
| Plan memory | 2 GB on the 10-player plan |
These figures come from a PlayNHost Open World test server with no players connected and no world generated yet. We have no measurement with a full server; the server's work per player is receiving and storing their saves and passing trades and chat.
What grows over time
Files grow more than memory does:
- Colony saves under
Saves: one per player, and they get bigger as colonies grow. - The game's own backups under
Backups: a full copy of the server's data every 6 hours, never deleted by the game. Delete oldBackup Date ...folders now and then: How to back up and restore your RimWorld Open World server. - Logs under
Logs: one text file per day.
The Overview page shows your server's live memory and CPU use, so you can check it with your own group online. See How to read your server's usage graphs.
Which plan fits?
RimWorld Open World plans on PlayNHost are sized by players: 10 players with 2 GB, 20 with 4 GB and 40 with 8 GB. Pick by the number of players who will be online at the same time: How many players can a RimWorld Open World server have?
