Best Games That Allow You To Host Your Own Server

For gamers in 2017, it's fair to say that we're quite spoilt for choice. In 24 hours, you could wander around Hyrule in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild on the Nintendo Switch; you could battle Covenant swarms in Halo 5 on the Xbox One; you could even fight for your own life against zombies in The Last Of Us on the PS4. That said, many gamers will agree that PC gaming has perhaps the most variation of all platforms.

From FPS to MMORPG, PC gaming is as diverse as it is entertaining. But the one thing that people really love about gaming on the PC that makes them return again and again? Having your own server. Granted, not every title gives you the option to control your gaming experience, as many developers dislike the idea of players creating their own server, preferring them to play on the official servers. That's understandable, but at the same time, isn't gaming better when you call the shots?

You'll need one of these, a bit of spare time, a good work ethic, and the spirit of going your own way. Once you've got all that, then you'll need to find a game you love to play. These are a few titles where you're able to create your own gaming server and control the rules.

Minecraft

It's hard not to love a game where you can essentially do whatever you want – the world is your playground. To think that groups of hundreds of people have built incredible creations from scratch is still hard to fathom. Blocky versions of the Batcave, the Eiffel Tower, Westeros from Game of Thrones and even the Enterprise from Star Trek: it's all here and more. These creations usually need a lot of help to get off the ground, and it's often due to these private servers that we get to see the finished results. Minecraft isn't just digging and building, but seeing your visions come to life.

Counter-Strike: Global Offensive

Frequently abbreviated to CSGO, this is a team-based FPS that is ruthless, difficult, and incredibly unfair, but despite that, it's a lot of fun too. Due to the intensity of the game, not every player on public servers has the best manners, shall we say. If you're a CSGO noob, you may wish to consider a private server for you and your closest buddies – ones who definitely won't fly off the handle and call you every name under the sun when things don't go to plan. This is also a nice training ground of sorts, whereby you can hone your skills and learn some useful tricks and techniques to one day take into another server. Despite a little controversy, CSGO is a fantastic FPS.

ARK: Survival Evolved

Not many games like ARK come along very often. This is an action-adventure game whereby your mission is quite simple: survive. In a similar way to CSGO and even Minecraft, it could be that you don't like the idea of playing with strangers, as they are repeatedly unpredictable and treacherous. In a game where you're already battling the elements and giant dinosaurs, it makes sense that you don't have to fight a bunch of outsiders as well. Instead, you and your crew can build a base, tame those dinosaurs (not easy), and settle your own colony in the epic open world that is ARK.