How do I get more RAM for my server?

Upgrade to a higher plan tier from the Client Area. Each plan tier provides more allocated RAM. After upgrading and restarting your server, the new memory limit takes effect automatically — no additional configuration required.

How do I know if I need more RAM?

Common signs: out-of-memory errors in the server console, frequent crashes, server lag even with few players online, or difficulty loading large modpacks or world files.

Do I pay full price when upgrading mid-cycle?

No. You only pay the price difference for the remaining days in your current billing period, not the full new plan price.

Do I get credit when downgrading?

Downgrades don't automatically issue credit. Open a Billing Ticket to request account credit for the unused time on your current plan.

Will my server files be affected when I upgrade?

No. Upgrading your plan does not affect your server data, world files, or configuration. Only your allocated resources (such as RAM) change.

Upgrade or Downgrade Your Service | WinterNode Help Center

Upgrade your WinterNode plan to increase your server’s resources, or downgrade to a lower tier — both can be done at any time from the Client Area. When upgrading mid-billing-cycle, you only pay the difference for the remaining days, not the full new plan price.

How Pro-Rata Pricing Works

Upgrades are pro-rated based on where you are in your billing cycle. The system calculates the price difference between your current plan and the new plan, then charges you only for the days remaining until your next renewal.

Here’s a quick example. Say you’re on a $10/mo plan and want to upgrade to a $20/mo plan, with 15 days left in your billing cycle:

Price difference: $20 - $10 = $10/mo
Remaining days: 15 out of 30
Upgrade invoice: $10 × (15/30) = $5.00

You pay $5.00 now, and your next full renewal bills at the new $20/mo rate.

Want more storage space?

Game Servers — Storage is unmetered. If you need more space, contact our support team and we’ll increase your allocation at no extra cost. You don’t need to upgrade your plan. See Unmetered Storage & Requesting Increases for details.
VPS — Each VPS package includes a storage range you can adjust independently using the “Upgrade/Downgrade Options” button in the Client Area sidebar (separate from “Upgrade/Downgrade”, which changes your full package). If you need more storage than what’s available within your current package’s range, you’ll need to upgrade to a higher VPS package. Note: storage cannot be downgraded once your upgrade has been processed.
Web Hosting & Discord Bot Hosting — Upgrade your plan to get more storage allocation.

Need more CPU resources?

Game Servers — Game server plans use a fair usage CPU model. Your server can burst above its baseline when needed; there is no hard per-server CPU cap. Upgrading your game server plan does not change your CPU allocation. See How CPU Fair Usage Works for details.
VPS — CPU core allocation on a VPS can be adjusted independently of the full package. In the Client Area, use the “Upgrade/Downgrade Options” button in the sidebar (separate from the “Upgrade/Downgrade” package button) to change your CPU core count.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Log into our Billing Client Area.
Click on the the Services tab.
Select the service you wish to upgrade, downgrade, or change.
Multiple Services with the Same Package?
If you have multiple services with the same package, open up the individual services and find what Server Name was assigned when you originally ordered. Unfortunately, this field does not update with changes from the Game Panel. Still having trouble deciding which server is what? Open a Support Ticket.
Select “Upgrade/Downgrade” from the left hand sidebar.
If you do not see this button, you may have an exclusive package. However, all publicly listed plans should have an upgrade button.
Select the package and cycle you wish to change to by pressing “Choose Product”.
You will see all available upgrade options from your current plan. Higher tiers provide more allocated RAM.
Downgrading?
Remember, downgrades don’t automatically credit unused time. Open a Billing Ticket to request account credit for the remaining days on your current plan.
Pay the new invoice.
If you lost the invoice or aren’t sure where to find it, follow the steps below:
1. Navigate to the Client Area home.
2. Click on the “Invoices” button on the top right of the page.
3. Select the most recent unpaid invoice.
Restart your server to apply the new resource limits.

Upgrading for More RAM

Game server plans are tiered by RAM allocation. Upgrading to a higher plan increases the memory available to your server. After upgrading and restarting, the new limit applies automatically — no changes to your server configuration are needed.

Signs your server may need more RAM:

Out-of-memory crashes — your console shows errors like java.lang.OutOfMemoryError
Lag with few players — performance degrades even at low player counts
Modpack instability — heavily modded servers frequently require 8 GB or more
World loading failures — large worlds take excessively long to load or fail to load entirely

Minecraft RAM Recommendations

Vanilla servers on recent versions generally need around 6 GB — without the performance optimizations that Paper provides, they tend to use more memory for the same workload. Plugin-based servers running Paper or a Paper fork (such as Purpur) also perform well at 6 GB as a baseline; we strongly recommend Paper over Spigot for any plugin server. Modded servers — especially those running larger Forge or Fabric packs — typically hit their sweet spot around 8 GB or more. Keep in mind that every server is different; your actual needs will vary depending on player count, world size, and the specific mods or plugins you’re running. These are general guidelines, not guarantees. If you’re using Aikar’s Flags or other JVM optimizations, they continue to apply after upgrading with no adjustments required.