A game server is server that runs locally or remotely used by clients for multiplayer video games. Majority of video games that are played on the Internet are able to run through a connection to a game server. A game server is also referred to as a host or a shard. It is known as a host when one of the game clients also functions as the server while it is referred to as a shard in the context of multiplayer games where there is a large number of players.

Companies that rent out game servers are also known as game service providers or GSPs. Members of gaming clans, a term used to refer to a group of players playing online games together, often donate cash each month in order to pay for the monthly fee of the servers they rent out. There are two types of game service providers, namely those that are based on the operating system of Windows and those that are based on the operating system of FreeBSD and Linux. GSPs often have web tools to allow clients to configure and control the game server.

There are two basic types of game servers. These are listen servers and dedicated servers. Listen servers run on the same machine as the game client. This allows the client to host and play the game at the same time. The main problem with a listen server is that the server also shuts down when the client is disconnected since the server and host client run together. Listen servers are only able to support a limited number of players due to CPU and bandwidth requirements. Such servers are usually run by an individual in a LAN setting.

The second type of game server is the dedicated server. Dedicated servers run on a separate unit which is usually found in a data center. Such servers have a high bandwidth and are able to support a large number of players at the same time. Dedicated servers are preferred over listen servers when it comes to computer-based multiplayer games, especially games that involve a huge number of players.