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SPECIFICTION
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Amazon GameLift Servers

aws.amazon.com

From $1/mo WebWindowsLinuxiOSAndroidAPI
Visit aws.amazon.com
Spec score 8.2 #7 of 29 in Game Networking Middleware

What it is

Amazon GameLift Servers is a paid service for deploying, operating, and scaling dedicated cloud servers for session-based multiplayer games. It supports managed EC2 fleets, managed container fleets, and Anywhere fleets using customer-managed resources. AWS says servers can run in 26 Regions and 9 Local Zones across five continents, with 99.99% availability, while autoscaling can launch thousands of servers and reduce unused capacity. FlexMatch matches up to 200 players using rules such as skill or latency. Enhanced DDoS Protection is enabled by default at no additional charge, and Player Gateway can hide server IP addresses through relays. Integrations include Unreal Engine, Unity, O3DE, C++, C#, Go, Pragma, Heroic Labs/Nakama, and AccelByte. Dashboards, logs, CloudWatch alarms, and telemetry integrations support operations. Player platforms include PC, PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo, mobile, web, and AR/VR, with cross-play on shared servers. New AWS customers may use the Free Tier for up to 12 months, subject to limits. Managed container fleets run on Linux only.

Spec sheet

Purpose
Amazon GameLift Servers deploys, operates, and scales dedicated cloud servers for session-based multiplayer games.Read 7 Oct 2026 · docs.aws.amazon.com
Security
Service API clients must support TLS 1.2 or later, and fleets run in logically isolated VPCs with configurable inbound port and IP ranges.Read 7 Oct 2026 · docs.aws.amazon.com
Backend integrations
The feature page names Pragma, Heroic Labs/Nakama, and AccelByte as game backend integrations.Read 7 Oct 2026 · aws.amazon.com
DDoS protection
Enhanced DDoS Protection is enabled by default at no additional charge; Player Gateway offers relay-based protection that hides server IP addresses.Read 7 Oct 2026 · aws.amazon.com
Development tools
AWS offers game client SDKs for C++, Unreal, C#, and Unity, and backend and resource management access through AWS SDKs, the service API, CLI, and CloudFormation.Read 7 Oct 2026 · docs.aws.amazon.com
Engine integrations
AWS provides plugins for Unreal Engine and Unity, plus server SDKs for C++, C#, and Go; its feature page also lists O3DE support.Read 7 Oct 2026 · docs.aws.amazon.com
Free Tier
New AWS customers can use Amazon GameLift Servers without service charges under the AWS Free Tier for up to 12 months, subject to usage limits.Read 7 Oct 2026 · docs.aws.amazon.com
Global hosting
AWS says the service can deploy game servers in 26 Regions and 9 Local Zones across five continents, with 99.99% availability.Read 7 Oct 2026 · aws.amazon.com
Hosting choices
The service supports managed EC2 fleets, managed container fleets, and Anywhere fleets using customer-managed hosting resources.Read 7 Oct 2026 · docs.aws.amazon.com
Matchmaking
FlexMatch can match up to 200 players into one game session using custom rules such as skill or latency criteria.Read 7 Oct 2026 · aws.amazon.com
Notable limit
Managed container fleets run on Linux only.Read 7 Oct 2026 · docs.aws.amazon.com
Observability
The service provides dashboards, automatically collected game server logs, CloudWatch alarms, and telemetry integrations including Amazon Managed Service for Prometheus and Amazon Managed Grafana.Read 7 Oct 2026 · aws.amazon.com
Scaling
The service can launch thousands of game servers at once and autoscale in response to demand, scaling down unused capacity.Read 7 Oct 2026 · aws.amazon.com
Supported player platforms
AWS lists PC, PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo, mobile, web, and AR/VR headsets, and says cross-play can connect players across platforms on the same servers.Read 7 Oct 2026 · aws.amazon.com

Plans and prices

Player Packages $20 a month Monthly Player Packages charge 50,000 player packages per month free tier Read 21 Sep 2026 · aws.amazon.com
Managed hosting Priced on request Managed EC2 and managed container fleets · Compute billed by instance usage · Data transfer charges may apply Read 20 Sep 2026 · docs.aws.amazon.com
Matchmaking Hours $1 a month Monthly Matchmaking Hours charge 5 matchmaking hours free tier Read 21 Sep 2026 · aws.amazon.com
Anywhere hosting Priced on request Usage-based; charges are based on game sessions placed on Anywhere compute and server process connection minutes; no compute charges for resources you supply and manage. Uses game hosting resources supplied and managed by the customer Read 7 Oct 2026 · docs.aws.amazon.com
Managed container hosting Priced on request Usage-based; compute billed by Amazon EC2 instance usage and data transfer; managed container fleets run on Linux only. Linux only; generation 6 and later instances have free network bandwidth Read 7 Oct 2026 · docs.aws.amazon.com
Managed EC2 hosting Priced on request Usage-based; compute billed by instance usage, with costs varying by AWS Region, instance family, type, size, operating system, and Spot or On-Demand choice; data transfer may also apply. Linux and Windows Server 2016 game servers; Windows licensing can increase instance costs by almost 2x; generation 6 and later instances have free network bandwidth Read 7 Oct 2026 · docs.aws.amazon.com

Every Amazon GameLift Servers plan and price →

Strong points and limits

Strong points

  • Deploys across 26 Regions and 9 Local Zones
  • Autoscaling can launch thousands of servers
  • FlexMatch supports up to 200 players
  • Default enhanced DDoS protection
  • Supports managed and customer-managed hosting

Limits

  • Managed container fleets run on Linux only
  • Compute and data transfer charges may apply
  • Usage costs vary by hosting choice

Who it suits

Game developers and operators needing dedicated multiplayer hosting, matchmaking, autoscaling, and cross-platform servers may fit GameLift Servers. It supports both AWS-managed fleets and customer-supplied Anywhere resources.

Verdict

GameLift Servers covers hosting, matchmaking, scaling, security, and operational visibility for multiplayer sessions. Its broad engine and player-platform support is paired with usage-based hosting charges and a Linux-only managed-container option.

Where Specifiction places it

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