We host a lot of Arma Reforger servers, and the question we get most often is some version of "what plan do I actually need, and what am I going to have to configure on day one?" This guide answers both. No marketing filler, just the stuff that matters when you're about to hand over money and then spend an evening wiring up a config file.
Reforger runs on Bohemia's Enfusion engine (the same engine Arma 4 is being built on), supports up to 128 players per server, and has full crossplay across PC, Xbox, and PlayStation 5. That's the shape of the thing. Now the practical bits.
What kind of hardware do you actually need
Reforger is heavier than your average game server. The engine simulates physics, AI, and a lot of terrain, and the CPU does most of the heavy lifting. That said, you do not need to buy the biggest plan on the page on day one.
A small squad server for a tight-knit group runs fine on an entry plan. A standard community Conflict lobby in the 30 to 64 player range wants a tier or two above that. Once you start pushing towards a full 128-player server, or you're running a chunky mod list on top of a populated Conflict map, you want real headroom – that's where the upper tiers earn their money.
We publish current options and pricing on the Arma Reforger hosting page rather than writing numbers here that go stale the moment we change a plan. Pick a tier, and if you outgrow it you can upgrade without rebuilding the server.
What you should look for, regardless of who you're buying from:
- DDoS protection included, not as a paid add-on
- A modern control panel that lets you edit
config.json, view logs, and restart the server without raising a ticket - Automatic backups of your config and world data
- Full Workshop mod support
- Support staff who are actually awake when your server falls over at 10pm on a Saturday
All of that is standard on LOW.MS, which is why we're comfortable sending people straight to the pricing page.
Picking a game mode
This is the decision that sets the tone of your community more than anything else, so it's worth thinking about before you spin the server up.
Conflict is where most groups end up. It's the persistent, objective-driven mode with base building, supply runs, and territory control, and it's what the public server browser is mostly filled with. If you don't know what you want to run, run Conflict on Everon and see who shows up.
Game Master hands a human curator the keys to the battlefield in real time. This is the backbone of the milsim scene – one admin spawns the opposition, places objectives, and runs the session like a tabletop GM. If your community is organised and wants scripted ops rather than public chaos, this is the mode.
Combat Ops is PvE for smaller groups. Structured co-op missions, usually 4 to 16 players, good for training nights or a group that just wants to shoot AI together without the PvP headache.
You can run more than one scenario by rotating them, but pick a primary. Servers that advertise "everything" usually feel like nothing in particular.
Setting the server up
Once the server is provisioned, the flow looks like this.
- Log into the LOW.MS Control Panel and open your Arma Reforger service. You'll see the IP, your game port (typically 2302), and the main action buttons.
- Open
config.jsonthrough the configuration editor and set the server name, scenario ID,maxPlayers,crossPlatform: true, and a strongpasswordAdmin. Our server configuration guide has the full canonical schema if you want a reference. - If you're running mods, add them to the
game.modsarray with their Workshop IDs. The full walkthrough including how the Mod Manager fits in lives in how to install mods on your Arma Reforger server. - Start the server from the panel, give it 30 to 60 seconds to load the scenario, then connect via the in-game browser or direct IP.
If you're brand new to all this, the Arma Reforger getting started guide walks through the first-boot steps in more detail. And when something inevitably misbehaves, the troubleshooting KB is where I'd go first.
Crossplay and mods, 2026 edition
This one confuses people because the answer changed. Reforger supports crossplay between PC, Xbox, and PlayStation 5, and since Update 1.4 in May 2025 PS5 players can also join modded servers. Mods work on all three platforms.
The caveat: individual mods can still be flagged PC-only or PC/Xbox-only by the author. That's a Sony restriction on mods that use script code rather than pure data assets, and it's decided per-mod by whoever publishes it. Check the platform tags on each Workshop page before you assume a mod list will work for your console players.
If you want a good mod to start with, Game Master Enhanced (Workshop ID 5964E0B3BB7410CE, by the zen-mod team) is a genuine quality-of-life improvement for anyone running Game Master ops. You might have heard people mention RHS or Overthrow – those are Arma 3 classics that have inspired community projects, but there isn't a direct Reforger port, so don't go looking for them on the Workshop expecting the Arma 3 version.
Keeping it running
Reforger servers are generally happy if you leave them alone, but a couple of habits help:
- A scheduled restart every 6 to 12 hours clears accumulated memory and keeps things smooth. The Scheduled Tasks feature in your panel handles this.
- Watch RAM usage in Current Activity & Stats during your first few busy sessions. If you're regularly pegged at the top, that's your signal to upgrade rather than waiting for a mid-event crash.
- Pin your mod versions when you're running an event. A mod updating mid-session on a few players while everyone else is still on the old version is a recognisable flavour of pain.
A note on Arma 4
Reforger runs on Enfusion, which is the same engine Bohemia is shipping Arma 4 on, so the time you spend learning the config format and modding workflow now isn't going to be thrown away later.
Growing a server worth joining
Three things make more difference than any setting you can tweak:
- Give the server a clear name that tells people the region, mode, and mod situation at a glance ("EU | Conflict Everon | Lightly Modded" beats "LOW.MS Server #4")
- Run a Discord alongside the server for crossplay coordination, event scheduling, and support – Xbox and PS5 players especially rely on this
- Pin your mod list and versions somewhere public so joiners know exactly what they're installing
That's genuinely it. Pick a plan, wire up config.json, choose a scenario, and go host a round. If you want us to do it, we're here.