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03Game server panel

Pause your game server instead of cancelling

Pause your Nexthosting game server when you are not playing for a while – data stays stored, you only pay for storage. Costs and how to resume.

In short

If you are not playing for a few weeks, you do not have to cancel: pause the server in the customer account (Server pausieren). It is stopped, and its data is packed and stored. Instead of the plan price you only pay for storage – €0.05 per GB of packed data per month, at least €0.99 (as of October 2026). You can resume at any time.

How a pause works

Section titled “How a pause works”
Pause and resume
  1. Start the pausein the customer account, confirm the terms
  2. Server is stoppedData is packed and transferred to storage
  3. Checkonly afterwards is the data removed from the host
  4. Server pausednot reachable, cannot be started; you only pay for storage
  5. Resumeat any time in the customer account
  6. Data comes backa few minutes or longer, depending on the amount of data
  7. Server is running again

Who can pause?

Section titled “Who can pause?”
What kind of contract do you have?
Monthly contract, active, not cancelled, not lockedPausing possible – with a stored credit card or SEPA mandate, or at least €10 balance
Prepaid (paid in advance)Cannot be paused – the server runs out at the end of the period anyway
Contract locked or cancelledCannot be paused

The payment method or balance is needed because the pause is billed afterwards. How to top up your balance is explained under Balance and automatic renewal.

What does the pause cost?

Section titled “What does the pause cost?”
Item Rule
Price €0.05 per GB of packed data per month
Minimum €0.99 per month
Billing by the day (one thirtieth of the monthly price per day), in arrears
Full months with your contract’s regular invoice
Remaining days when resuming; the day of resuming counts

As of October 2026. Before pausing, the customer account estimates the packed size and shows you the price. Billing is based on the actual size shown in the customer account after pausing. Packed, server data is usually smaller than on the server.

Example: Your server takes up 8 GB packed. 8 × €0.05 = €0.40 – that is below the minimum, so you pay €0.99 per month. Only from about 20 GB of packed data does it get more expensive.

What happens to the month I have already paid for?

Section titled “What happens to the month I have already paid for?”
  • A billing period that has already been paid is not refunded. Until it ends, the pause costs nothing.
  • An invoice for the next period that has already been created but not yet paid is cancelled.
  • If you resume the server within the paid period, no additional fee arises.
  • If you resume it after the paid period, a new billing period at the plan price begins on the day you resume. It is charged immediately, together with the remaining days of storage.

Pause the server

Section titled “Pause the server”
  1. Create a backup first or download important data – the pause is not a backup.
  2. Log in to the customer account and open your game server’s contract.
  3. Choose Server pausieren. The page shows the estimated size and the price.
  4. Confirm the terms and start the pause.
  5. In the panel your server then only shows “Server pausiert” (server paused).

Resume the server

Section titled “Resume the server”
  1. In the customer account open the contract, or in the panel the page of your paused server.
  2. Choose Fortsetzen (resume).
  3. Wait until the data has been transferred back. Depending on the amount of data this takes a few minutes or longer.
  4. Start the server in the panel.

What you should know beforehand

Section titled “What you should know beforehand”
  • Term and cancellation do not change because of the pause. You can also cancel during the pause.
  • When the contract ends, the stored data is permanently deleted. If you need it, resume the server beforehand and back it up.
  • No backup service: storage does not replace a backup. Your own backups are not affected by the pause.
  • During the pause, plan changes, boosts, upgrades and other additional services are not possible; a scheduled boost does not take place. FastDL ends immediately.
  • Open invoices: if you fall behind on payment, the normal rules on lock and contract end also apply to a paused server. While it is locked, it cannot be resumed.

In short – the add-on terms, section 9b, are what is binding.

Frequently asked questions

Section titled “Frequently asked questions”

Pause or cancel – which is better?

Section titled “Pause or cancel – which is better?”

If you want to keep playing in a few weeks or months, pause: the world is kept, and you only pay for storage. If you do not want to keep playing at all, cancel and back up your data first. See Contracts and cancellation.

Can I get to my files during the pause?

Section titled “Can I get to my files during the pause?”

No. The data is stored packed, and the server is neither reachable nor can it be started. Back up what you need beforehand.

How long can a pause last?

Section titled “How long can a pause last?”

The terms do not state a fixed maximum duration. The pause lasts until you resume or the contract ends.

Further reading

Section titled “Further reading”