Jagex answers this in one line in its dedicated-server guide: "RAM required is 2Gb + 1Gb per player." The guide's own example is six players, which is the server's cap — and that comes to 8 GB. That formula is the only official memory figure that exists for the RuneScape: Dragonwilds dedicated server, and it is the reason our smallest Dragonwilds plan is 8 GB rather than something smaller. This article explains what the formula means, what it does not tell you, and what we will publish once we have our own measurements.
| Players | Jagex's formula | RAM |
|---|
| 1 | 2 + 1 | 3 GB |
| 2 | 2 + 2 | 4 GB |
| 4 | 2 + 4 | 6 GB |
| 6 (the cap) | 2 + 6 | 8 GB |
The 2 GB is the base: the server process, the loaded world, whatever the engine keeps resident with nobody connected. The 1 GB per player is what each connected player costs the server on top of that — the area of the world around them that has to be simulated, their inventory and character state, the network buffers for their connection.
The point most people miss is that the cap is six. Jagex's guide says the server supports up to six players as of the 0.11 update in March 2026, and nothing in the 1.0 release notes or the 1.0.0.4 patch notes changes that. So the formula has a ceiling: 8 GB is the largest figure Jagex's own rule ever produces. You cannot make a Dragonwilds server need 12 GB by adding players, because you cannot add a seventh.
Why 8 GB is the floor for a hosted server
If you are choosing a machine or a plan for a group, size for the six-player case even if you usually play as three. Players come and go, the RAM is needed at the peak not the average, and Jagex's number is a requirement, not a suggestion. A server sized for four players that seats six is the one that misbehaves on the evening everyone shows up.
That is why every Dragonwilds plan at Connect starts at 8 GB: the Bronze plan is 8 GB, and it matches Jagex's formula at the game's cap. The six-player limit is the game's, so it applies to every plan.
Jagex's guide gives the RAM rule and nothing else: no CPU requirement, no disk size, no bandwidth, no idle or loaded figures, no note on whether memory grows as a world ages. We are not going to fill those gaps with guesses.
It is worth being honest about the state of the wider information, too. Host guides publish memory tiers that disagree with each other and with Jagex's formula, and none of them says where the number came from. Some sell tiers below 8 GB for six players; others sell tiers well above. Without a measurement attached, a tier is a price point, not a specification.
The questions the formula leaves open — the ones we intend to answer with numbers — are:
- Idle memory. What the server uses with the world loaded and nobody connected. The formula implies about 2 GB; the real figure decides how much headroom a plan has.
- Memory per player, measured. Whether a player really costs 1 GB, or whether Jagex rounded generously.
- Growth over time. Whether a world that has been built on and explored for weeks uses more memory than a fresh one. In several survival games it does, because placed objects and explored terrain stay resident. For Dragonwilds nobody has published a figure.
- What happens after a patch. Whether an update changes the baseline.
What we will publish, and when
We run the official dedicated server on our own Linux nodes, which means we can measure it rather than repeat the formula. The plan is to record idle memory with a fresh world, then memory at one, three and six connected players, on a stated build and stated hardware, and to repeat the run after a patch to see whether the baseline moves. When those numbers exist they will replace this section, with the build number attached so you can tell whether they still apply.
Until then, the honest answer to "how much RAM does a Dragonwilds server need" is Jagex's: 2 GB plus 1 GB per player, 8 GB for a full server.
Choosing between 8, 12 and 16 GB
Our three Dragonwilds plans are Bronze at 8 GB, Rune at 12 GB and Dragon at 16 GB. All three run the same official server, in the same regions (US East, London, Frankfurt), with the same six-player cap, the same backups, file manager, SFTP and DDoS protection. The only difference is memory.
- Bronze, 8 GB — Jagex's formula at the cap. The plan to start on for any group, including a full six.
- Rune, 12 GB — headroom above the formula for a group that wants margin over the minimum: a long-lived world, a server that stays up around the clock, or simply not wanting to think about it.
- Dragon, 16 GB — double the formula, for people who want the largest margin available.
We are not going to tell you that 12 GB makes the game smoother or that 16 GB loads faster, because we have not measured it and Jagex has not said it. What we can say is that none of the three raises the player cap, and that your world is a .sav file you can download from the file manager at any time, so choosing a plan is not a one-way door.
More on how the cap and the roles work in Owner ID and Player ID explained, and the whole install in the dedicated server setup guide. If you would rather skip the sizing question, RuneScape: Dragonwilds server hosting at Connect starts at the 8 GB Jagex's formula asks for.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much RAM does a RuneScape: Dragonwilds dedicated server need?
Jagex's guide says 2 GB plus 1 GB per player. For the six-player cap, that is 8 GB.
Is 4 GB enough for a Dragonwilds server?
By Jagex's formula, 4 GB covers two players. It is not enough for a full six-player server.
Does more RAM let more than six players join?
No. Six is the game's own cap on the dedicated server as of Jagex's guide, and no plan or machine changes it.
Does the server need more RAM as the world gets older?
Jagex has not said, and we have not measured it yet. We will publish figures for a fresh world and for a played world once we have them.
What CPU or disk does the server need?
Jagex's guide gives no CPU, disk or bandwidth figure, only the RAM rule. We will publish what we observe on our own nodes rather than repeat unattributed numbers.
Which Connect plan should I pick?
Bronze (8 GB) is Jagex's formula at the cap and is the right starting point for any group. Rune (12 GB) and Dragon (16 GB) add headroom above the minimum; they do not change the six-player limit.