Astroneer is a space exploration and co-op sandbox game developed and published by System Era Softworks. Released into Early Access in December 2016 and launching fully in February 2019, it sends players across procedurally shaped alien planets to gather resources, terraform terrain, and build increasingly complex automation systems, all wrapped in one of the most visually distinctive art styles in recent sandbox gaming.
The core loop starts with a Terrain Tool and a crashed landing pod. Players reshape soil, carve tunnels, and collect resources to feed crafting chains that unlock Chemistry Labs, Trade Platforms, automation modules, and eventually rocket travel between the system's seven planets. Co-op play is where Astroneer shines: up to four explorers share the same persistent world, splitting tasks between base building, cave diving, and planet-to-planet logistics runs in real time.
Sessions run long and the base compounds with every login. One crew member handles power grid expansion while another scouts the next planet for rare resources. Automation chains grow from single extractors into sprawling resource networks that keep running between sessions. With a private dedicated Astroneer server, your world stays online when anyone wants to play, not just when the original host is around.
Astroneer dedicated servers support a range of configuration options including creative mode, difficulty settings, oxygen required toggles, and full player list management with whitelist and ban controls. Server owners can tune the experience from an accessible beginner setup to a strict oxygen-and-storm survival challenge, giving each crew a world tailored to their playstyle.
Astroneer is CPU and RAM sensitive during active sessions. The persistent world simulation tracks terrain deformation states, automation network activity, and resource generation across loaded planets simultaneously. High-frequency CPUs keep the simulation stable when all four players build and dig at the same time, NVMe SSD storage prevents save corruption during automatic checkpoint writes, and DDR5 RAM holds the in-memory terrain state without stuttering even during resource-intensive automation chains.
| Server type | RAM needed | Players | Recommended plan |
|---|
| Vanilla exploration (1-2 players) | 3 GB | 1-2 | 3 GB plan |
| Active co-op (3-4 players) | 6 GB | 2-4 | 6 GB plan |
| Long-session persistent world | 8 GB | up to 4 | 8 GB plan |
A private dedicated Astroneer server keeps your shared world online around the clock, so every crew member can log in independently, continue building where they left off, and contribute to the base without waiting for the host. Your terrain changes, automation networks, and research progress persist between every session, regardless of who was last online.
PingPlayers delivers the performance Astroneer needs for stable co-op sessions, with high-frequency CPUs, automated backups before every major update, 24/7 real human support, and an integrated Ping AI assistant that handles server configuration, player management, and restarts through simple chat commands. No port forwarding, no config file hunting required.
