DDoS attacks (Distributed Denial of Service) are unfortunately a common problem for game servers. Jealous players, competing servers, or simple trolls can make your server unreachable. In this article, we explain what DDoS is and how to protect against it.
What is a DDoS attack?
A DDoS attack floods your server with massive amounts of traffic from thousands of sources simultaneously. The goal is to overload your server so it no longer responds to legitimate players. The difference from a regular DoS attack is the "Distributed" part: the traffic comes from thousands of compromised computers (a botnet), making it difficult to block.
Types of attacks
| Type | What it does | Impact |
|---|---|---|
| Volumetric (UDP flood) | Floods the network connection with data | Server unreachable, high ping |
| Protocol (SYN flood) | Abuses TCP/IP protocol | Server cannot accept new connections |
| Application layer | Targets the game application itself | Server crashes or freezes |
Why are game servers attacked?
- Revenge: a player who got banned taking revenge.
- Competition: competing servers trying to steal players.
- Extortion: "Pay or we keep attacking."
- Boredom: unfortunately, sometimes just because they can.
How DDoS protection works
Professional DDoS protection filters traffic before it reaches your server:
- All traffic first passes through a scrubbing center.
- The scrubbing center analyzes each packet.
- Malicious traffic is dropped.
- Legitimate traffic is forwarded to your server.
This happens in milliseconds, so players notice nothing.
What can you do yourself?
- Hide your server IP: use a proxy or protected IP. If attackers do not know your real IP, they cannot attack you directly.
- Choose a good provider: providers like HostValues have DDoS protection built into their network.
- Rate limiting: set connection limits to mitigate flood attacks.
- Firewall rules: block traffic from known bad IP ranges.
- Avoid conflicts: handling problem players professionally reduces the risk of revenge DDoS.
What does a hosting provider offer?
At HostValues, DDoS protection is included as standard with all game hosting plans. The network is protected by enterprise-grade filtering that can absorb attacks up to hundreds of Gbps without impacting your server.
Can I set up DDoS protection myself?
On a VPS or dedicated server, you can set up basic protection with iptables/nftables, fail2ban, and rate limiting. But against large volumetric attacks (10+ Gbps), you need network infrastructure that only datacenters and specialized companies provide.
How long does a DDoS attack last?
From a few minutes to hours or even days. Most attacks on game servers last less than an hour, because the attacker pays per minute of attack (stresser services). With good protection, you barely notice it.
Is DDoS illegal?
Yes, in virtually all countries. A DDoS attack is a criminal offense that can lead to imprisonment and fines. Using booter/stresser services is also punishable, even if you are "just testing."
Protect your game server with HostValues game hosting with built-in DDoS protection.
