Hosting a Unity Netcode for GameObjects server

Short answer

Yes, by design. If your NGO game already runs as a dedicated server on Linux x64 and listens with Unity Transport on a UDP port, NetCraftGames can host it: we deploy the build, verify it, and give your clients the address and port. Unity ended Multiplay Game Server Hosting on March 31, 2026, so NGO teams need somewhere else to run the server; NetCraftGames is one option once it launches. NGO, Relay, Lobby, Matchmaker and Distributed Authority are not affected by that change, per Unity.

What to set in your project

NGO reaches the network through the Unity Transport component. For a dedicated server you set the connection data so the server listens on all interfaces, for example:

var utp = NetworkManager.Singleton.GetComponent<UnityTransport>();
utp.SetConnectionData("0.0.0.0", 7777, "0.0.0.0");
NetworkManager.Singleton.StartServer();

Clients connect to the public address and port from the connection configuration NetCraftGames gives you. Do not hard-code 127.0.0.1 in the server build.

What you provide

• A Linux Server build (File > Build Profiles > Linux Server), packed as .tar.gz.
• The declared UDP port, a health reply and, ideally, a join probe.
• A loopback player-count endpoint if you want automatic idle shutdown.
• A save path under /game/ if your server writes state we should preserve.

Steps

1. Build for Linux ServerUse File > Build Profiles, add the Linux Server platform, switch the profile and build. The output is a headless executable such as UnityServer.x86_64 with its data folder.
2. Listen on 0.0.0.0Call SetConnectionData("0.0.0.0", port, "0.0.0.0") on the Unity Transport component in the server path and start with StartServer(). Pick one UDP port and keep it fixed.
3. Add a health and join probeReply to a small UDP or HTTP request on a declared port with a known answer, so a join is proven and not only a socket.
4. Report players and savesExpose a loopback player-count endpoint, and write saves under /game/saves, so idle shutdown can save before it stops the machine.
5. Pack it cleanlyRun tar -czf server.tar.gz . from the build folder after confirming it contains no links, no executables you do not need and no secrets.
6. Submit, apply the config, testAfter launch, submit the archive, apply the connection configuration to your client and join from another network before inviting players.

Honest gaps

• Not certified. The exact Unity and NGO package versions, a headless start, a client join and scene synchronization still need to be proven with real machines.
• UDP only in this lane. The manifest example for NGO declares UDP. Unity WebGL clients using WebSockets are not a tested lane; see browser WSS for the browser path.
• Relay and Lobby are Unity services you can keep using; NetCraftGames does not replace them.
• No anti-cheat and no host migration.
• Not every Unity networking game uses Netcode for GameObjects. If your Linux build's Managed/ folder holds no Unity.Netcode.Runtime assembly because the server is written on plain sockets, the code reading raises a non-blocking advisory. The right choice is then Custom native TCP/UDP (direct) on the engines page: configuration and deployment only, direct to the server's public IP and port with no gateway, and you supply the join probe.

Frequently asked questions

Written by Charging Bull Software. Facts on this page are checked against the product source and dated sources listed above; where something is not proven, the page says so.