Switching Games on a Multi-Game Server

A Multi-Game Server can run any of 17 games, and you switch between them yourself from the panel. This guide covers how to switch, what a switch deletes and what stays the same.

4 min read · Updated Oct 5, 2026 · By GuavaHost Team

What a Multi-Game Server is

Most GuavaHost servers are set up for one game. A Multi-Game Server is a plan instead: you choose its RAM and location, pick a starting game at checkout, and change the game later from the panel whenever your group wants to play something else. It can run any of these games, each with its own minimum RAM:

Every plan starts at 12GB, so every game on the list fits every plan. The minimum is the least a game runs on, not what a busy or modded server wants, and each game's own guides in the Help Center say how much RAM it needs for more players.

Back up before you switch

A switch permanently deletes every file on the server: worlds, saves, configs, mods and plugins. Nothing from the old game is carried over to the new one, so save anything you want to keep first:

• Open Backups in your server's menu and click Create backup. See Backups: creating, restoring and scheduling.
• Or download the files to your computer over SFTP. See Uploading files with SFTP.

Your backups are kept when you switch. A backup belongs to the game it was made on, though, so to use one again, switch back to that game first and then restore it.

How to switch

1. Sign in at customer.guavahost.com, open My servers and click Manage on your Multi-Game Server.
2. In the server menu, under Configure, click Change game.
3. Pick the game you want. Your current game is marked.
4. Tick both boxes: I understand every file on this server will be permanently deleted. and I have downloaded or backed up anything I want to keep.
5. Click the button that names your new game, for example Delete everything and install Rust.

The switch takes a few minutes. The server stops, every file on it is deleted and the new game is set up with the ports it needs. Then the game installs, the same way it does on a brand new server, and big games such as ARK or Counter-Strike 2 take longer to download than small ones. When the install has finished, start the server if it is not already running and watch the Console to see it boot.

Choosing how much RAM

Plans start at 12GB, which runs every game on the list, even ARK: Survival Ascended. Extra RAM, up to 24GB, is for bigger worlds, mods and more players. Changing Your Server RAM Up or Down walks through adding it, and you only pay the difference for the rest of your billing period.

How often you can switch

You can switch each server up to 6 times in 24 hours. If you reach that, the panel refuses the next switch until enough time has passed, so it is worth settling on a game before a big session.

Ports and your address

Your main address and port stay the same through a switch, so your players connect to the same place. Some games need extra ports, for example a query or RCON port, and the switch sets those up for you, using your server's spare ports first. They are all listed on the Ports & network card on your server's Overview, and Finding your server IP and port explains what each one is for.

What stays the same and what changes

These stay the same:

• Your server address and main port
• Your plan: its RAM, location, billing cycle and price
• Your backups

These change:

• Every file on the server, which is deleted
• The game itself, its startup settings and any extra ports it needs
• Admin and RCON passwords, which are new after every switch. You find the new ones in Startup settings on the Settings tab.

If a switch will not start

• The server is busy. A switch cannot start while the server is installing, moving to another location or restoring a backup, or while another change to it is still running. Let that finish, then try again.
• The server is suspended. A suspended server cannot be switched. Once it is active again, for example after an overdue invoice is paid, you can switch it.
• You are a sub-user. Only the account that owns the server can switch its game, because a switch deletes everything on it. Ask the owner to do it.
• There are no free ports for the game. Rarely, the machine your server runs on has no spare ports for a game that needs several. Contact support and we will sort it out.

Still stuck? Jump into our Discord at discord.gg/GuavaHost and the team will help you out.

• multi-game
• switch-game
• reinstall
• backups
• ram
• ports

Host a Multi-Game Server From $24.99/mo, with instant setup and DDoS protection.

Still need help? Our team is online 24/7 to answer questions.

Contact support