Nitrous Networks
Nitrous Networks, founded 2010 in Bristol, UK, is a self-serve subscription game and voice server hosting provider offering Minecraft, Garry's Mod, Rust, CS:GO, and 20+ other titles across 11 global data centres to individual gamers and gaming communities.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2010
- HeadquartersBristol, United Kingdom
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Nitrous Networks does
Nitrous Networks, founded in July 2010 by Jordan Bryant and operating as a trading name under Hydra Communications Ltd (England & Wales company number 07780501), is a UK-based dedicated game and voice server hosting provider. The company serves individual gamers, gaming clans, content creators, and small community operators with self-serve subscription hosting for over 20 game titles including Minecraft, Garry's Mod, Rust, CS:GO, ARK: Survival Evolved, Terraria, Team Fortress 2, and Conan Exiles, alongside Teamspeak 3 voice servers and Linux/Windows Virtual Dedicated Servers. Cumulative served customer count stands at 138,579 across 212,093 deployed servers since inception, with 721 currently active servers and an average ticket response time of 29 minutes.
The technology stack is built on SSD storage with Intel CPUs, premium T1 network providers, and enterprise DDoS protection delivered through a partnership with Voxility across global filtering points of presence. The proprietary NiTROPanel control panel, launched in October 2012, provides Minecraft operators with differentiated tooling including backup management, a player manager with head-skin rendering, MySQL/phpMyAdmin, custom .nn.pe/.nitrous.it hostname provisioning, scheduled tasks, map installer, dedicated sub-server manager, and sub-user administration. Non-Minecraft titles run on TCAdmin, the industry-standard game server control panel. Infrastructure spans 11 data centre locations in the UK (London core routing at Telehouse North and Telecity Harbour Exchange 8/9; Bristol owned facility with capacity for 25 racks), Germany (Frankfurt, Hetzner), France (Roubaix), Netherlands (Amsterdam), Canada (Quebec), and the United States (Buffalo, Atlanta, Phoenix, Kansas City, Ashburn).
The business model is purely subscription-based via self-serve online ordering at billing.nitrous-networks.com, with no contracts, monthly/quarterly/semi-annual/annual billing options, a 7-day money-back guarantee, and cancel-anytime policy. Pricing spans £2.50/month for entry Teamspeak 3 voice servers to £60/month for premium Minecraft Community Tier dedicated nodes, with the bulk of Minecraft tiers priced £4-£30/month, Garry's Mod at £6-£10/month, Rust at £16/month, CS:GO at £4.50-£6.50/month, and Linux/Windows VDS at £20-£40/month. Customers can upgrade, downgrade, or change game titles and locations at any time, pro-rated. The company has been funded exclusively by a founder startup loan from Jordan Bryant's father and a 10% equity injection from Harry Beasant in December 2010, with no external institutional capital raised. Customer acquisition relies on the website, Twitter (@nitrousnetworks), and partnership-driven distribution through Buycraft/Tebex (since 2012, free 30-day premium trial) and Enjin (since 2012, 45 days free advanced plan).
Nitrous Networks firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Nitrous Networks
- Legal name
- Hydra Communications Ltd
- Website
- https://nitrous-networks.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2010
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Nitrous Networks, founded 2010 in Bristol, UK, is a self-serve subscription game and voice server hosting provider offering Minecraft, Garry's Mod, Rust, CS:GO, and 20+ other titles across 11 global data centres to individual gamers and gaming communities.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Nitrous Networks industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Game Server Hosting
- NAICS
- Consumer Electronics and Appliances Rental (532210)
- SIC
- Services-Computer Rental & Leasing (7377)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Infrastructure & Hosting for iGaming (Cloud, CDN, DDoS, Uptime/Monitoring) (MPAEAKAM)
Keywords
Where Nitrous Networks is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Bristol
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices11 records
Markets served
Nitrous Networks business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Game Server Hosting: Monthly recurring subscription revenue from renting game server slots. Customers pay monthly, quarterly, semi-annually, or annually. No contracts required - cancel anytime.
- Virtual Dedicated Servers: Monthly recurring revenue from Linux and Windows virtual dedicated servers with varying CPU, RAM, and storage configurations.
- Teamspeak 3 Voice Server Hosting: Monthly recurring subscription for Teamspeak 3 voice servers with up to 200 slots.
- Add-on Services: Additional revenue from product add-ons such as dedicated IP addresses.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Monthly | Minecraft Server - Stone Tier (2GB RAM, 1-4 Players) |
| Subscription | Monthly | Minecraft Server - Iron Tier (3GB RAM, 1-8 Players) |
| Subscription | Monthly | Minecraft Server - Gold Tier (4GB RAM, 1-12 Players) |
| Subscription | Monthly | Minecraft Server - Diamond Tier (5GB RAM, 1-20 Players) |
| Subscription | Monthly | Minecraft Server - Obsidian Tier (6GB RAM, 1-30 Players) |
| Subscription | Monthly | Minecraft Server - Bedrock Tier (8GB RAM, 1-40 Players) |
| Subscription | Monthly | Minecraft Server - TNT Tier (10GB RAM, 1-60 Players) |
| Subscription | Monthly | Minecraft Server - Community Tier (16-32GB RAM, 400-800+ Players) |
| Subscription | Monthly | Garry's Mod Server - Basic |
| Subscription | Monthly | Garry's Mod Server - 32 Slots |
| Subscription | Monthly | Rust Server |
| Subscription | Monthly | Teamspeak 3 Voice Server |
| Subscription | Monthly | Linux VDS - Entry (2x 4.0Ghz Cores, 6GB RAM, 60GB SSD, 5TB BW) |
| Subscription | Monthly | Linux VDS - Standard (4x 4.0Ghz Cores, 12GB RAM, 100GB SSD, 5TB BW) |
| Subscription | Monthly | Windows VDS - Entry (2x 4.0Ghz Cores, 6GB RAM, 60GB SSD, 5TB BW) |
| Subscription | Monthly | Windows VDS - Standard (4x 4.0Ghz Cores, 12GB RAM, 100GB SSD, 5TB BW) |
| Subscription | Monthly | CS:GO Server - 64 Tick |
| Subscription | Monthly | CS:GO Server - 128 Tick |
| Subscription | Monthly | Terraria Server |
| Subscription | Monthly | Conan Exiles Server |
| Subscription | Monthly | ARK: Survival Evolved Server |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels5 records
Nitrous Networks product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Nitrous Networks rents dedicated game server, voice server, and virtual dedicated server capacity to individual gamers and gaming communities on a self-serve subscription basis. Servers are provisioned instantly after payment across 11 global data centre locations, with management handled through either the proprietary NiTROPanel (Minecraft) or TCAdmin (all other games), and all services include SSD storage, DDoS protection, and premium T1 network connectivity.
Product overview
Nitrous Networks is a dedicated game, voice, and virtual server hosting provider founded in 2010. The core offering consists of game server hosting for over 20+ titles (including Minecraft, Garry's Mod, Rust, Terraria, CS:GO, Team Fortress 2, Conan Exiles, ARK: Survival Evolved, and many more), supported by two distinct control panel platforms: NiTROPanel (proprietary, in-house Minecraft control panel with backup management, player tools, MySQL databases, and multi-server management) and TCAdmin (industry-standard panel for other games). The product portfolio also includes Teamspeak 3 voice server hosting across 8 global locations, Virtual Dedicated Servers (VDS) in both Linux and Windows variants, and a dedicated Minecraft Community Tier for large networks. Free add-ons include web hosting, MySQL databases with phpMyAdmin, Buycraft/Tebex monetization integration, and Enjin CMS integration. All services include DDoS protection, SSD storage, and premium network connectivity via T1 providers.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Minecraft Server Hosting Java Edition Minecraft server hosting supporting Vanilla, Bukkit/Spigot/Paper, SpongeVanilla, Forge, Fabric mod loaders and hundreds of modpacks including FTB, Tekkit, All The Mods, and Enigmatica. Supports up to 300 players, uses the proprietary NiTROPanel control plane, includes instant setup, SSD storage, DDoS protection, and is available in 6 server locations.
- Garry's Mod Server Hosting Garry's Mod server hosting supporting multiple gamemodes including Sandbox, TTT, DarkRP, Flood, Zombie Survival, Deathrun, Murder, and PropHunt. Includes unlimited RAM, up to 80 players, full mod support via Steam Workshop, free fastDL, free Mumble, and TCAdmin control panel.
- Rust Server Hosting Rust server hosting with Oxide/uMod mod support, up to 200 players, 8GB RAM, current release builds, DDoS protection, and 7 server locations including London, Amsterdam, Frankfurt, Ashburn, Atlanta, Phoenix, and Quebec.
- Terraria Server Hosting Terraria PC/Steam server hosting with DDoS protection, supporting up to 8 players at no additional slot cost, instant setup, and TCAdmin control panel.
- Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) Server Hosting CS:GO server hosting with 64-tick and 128-tick rate options, supporting up to 64 players or 32 dedicated slots, DDoS protection, Valve server registration support, and Falkenstein, Germany location.
- Team Fortress 2 Server Hosting Team Fortress 2 server hosting with up to 64 players, free Mistforums integration, DDoS protection, Valve server registration support, and TCAdmin control panel.
- Conan Exiles Server Hosting Conan Exiles server hosting with 8GB RAM, 20-70 player support, mod support, DDoS protection, and instant setup.
- ARK: Survival Evolved Server Hosting ARK: Survival Evolved PC server hosting with 8GB RAM, up to 70 players, full mod support, all game content included, DDoS protection, and instant setup.
- Additional Game Server Titles (Hurtworld, Starmade, Blackwake, Pixark, Factorio, Valheim, Unturned, Mordhau, Killing Floor 2, Reign of Kings, Starbound, Space Engineers, Counter-Strike: Source) Additional supported game titles including Counter-Strike: Source, Hurtworld, Starmade, Blackwake, Pixark, Factorio, Valheim, Unturned, Mordhau, Killing Floor 2, Reign of Kings, Starbound, and Space Engineers. Each with varying player caps, mod support, and DDoS protection, managed via TCAdmin.
- Teamspeak 3 Server Hosting Teamspeak 3 voice server hosting supporting up to 200 slots, available in 8 server locations (Bristol UK, London UK, Roubaix FR, Amsterdam NL, Frankfurt DE, Quebec CA, Buffalo NY USA, Atlanta GA USA, Phoenix AZ USA, Kansas City MO USA), with DDoS protection, free web hosting, and free MySQL included.
- Virtual Dedicated Servers (Linux and Windows VDS) Virtual Dedicated Servers in Linux and Windows variants. Linux packages offer 2x 4.0Ghz cores with 6GB RAM/60GB SSD at £20/month or 4x 4.0Ghz cores with 12GB RAM/100GB SSD at £30/month. Windows packages offer the same specs at £30/month and £40/month respectively. All include 5TB bandwidth, DDoS protection, premium T1 connectivity, SSD storage, SolusVM control panel, and free support.
Quantifiable outcome
- 212,093 deployed servers and 138,579 served customers since inception
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Nitrous Networks
Customer profileSegments3 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Nitrous Networks technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration5 records
Feature3 records
Nitrous Networks partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Six partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.
- Astral Game ServersminorMerger in February 2015 took on 300-400 active customers from Astral Game Servers, honouring existing agreements from the previous provider.
- Creeper Host / Acixs HostingminorCollective deal to take on and honour servers from Acixs Hosting after its closure. Close to 250 additional servers migrated free of charge until end of billing cycle.
- VoxilitycorePartnership since November 2014 for enterprise DDoS protection. Voxility provides DDoS protection services at no cost to customers. Dark fibre service between Voxility and Nitrous at Telehouse North in London connected to Juniper MX480.
- Buycraft (Tebex)corePartnership since 2012 originally offering 'keys' for free premium, evolved to 30-day free premium trial. Buycraft/Tebex is provided free to customers for server monetization.
- EnjincorePartnership since 2012 offering 45 days free of Enjin advanced plan to customers. Enjin provides website and community management tools for gaming servers.
- ZareminorReferral partnership for dedicated servers. Customers looking for more powerful dedicated servers are directed to Zare at zare.com/dedicated-servers.
Scale indicators7 records
Recent moves8 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Nitrous Networks competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Streamline Servers: UK-headquartered game server host with similar geographic footprint (UK and European data centers) and comparable Minecraft/modded server offerings.
- PebbleHost: Game server host with strong Minecraft focus and similar control panel approach; competes on price, DDoS protection, and self-serve deployment.
- Apex Hosting: Largest dedicated Minecraft server hosting provider; directly competes head-to-head on Minecraft plans, mod support, and global data center coverage, with similar pricing tiers and self-serve onboarding.
- Bisect Hosting: Game server host covering Minecraft, ARK, Valheim, Rust, and more with a similar self-serve model and comparable global infrastructure footprint.
- Citadel Servers: Game server provider offering Minecraft, Rust, Garry's Mod, and ARK hosting with comparable tiered subscription pricing and DDoS protection.
- ScalaCube: Minecraft and multi-game server hosting provider with comparable subscription tiers, custom panel features, and free add-ons (MySQL, web hosting).
- Shockbyte: Major budget Minecraft and game server host with global presence; competes directly on price (entry tiers at similar price points) and on supported titles including Rust and ARK.
Emerging players
- Server.pro: Game server hosting platform with a strong self-serve web app model; partial overlap on Minecraft/Rust/CS:GO hosting with a more developer-focused positioning.
Broad incumbents
- OVHcloud: Large European cloud and dedicated server provider; supplies infrastructure to many game hosts and competes indirectly via dedicated server and VDS offerings comparable to Nitrous's VDS product line.
- GPORTAL: Larger, well-funded game server host with broader console-game support and a wider catalog of titles; overlaps directly with Nitrous on PC multiplayer games but operates at greater scale.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Nitrous Networks social profiles
Digital presenceNitrous Networks financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Nitrous Networks leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
Nitrous Networks funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Nitrous Networks M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Nitrous Networks
What does Nitrous Networks do?
Nitrous Networks rents dedicated game server, voice server, and virtual dedicated server capacity to individual gamers and gaming communities on a self-serve subscription basis. Servers are provisioned instantly after payment across 11 global data centre locations, with management handled through either the proprietary NiTROPanel (Minecraft) or TCAdmin (all other games), and all services include SSD storage, DDoS protection, and premium T1 network connectivity.
Is Nitrous Networks a public or private company?
Nitrous Networks is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Nitrous Networks founded?
Nitrous Networks was founded in 2010. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Nitrous Networks based?
Nitrous Networks is headquartered in Bristol, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Nitrous Networks make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Game Server Hosting is the primary driver. The others are virtual Dedicated Servers, teamspeak 3 Voice Server Hosting and add-on Services.
Who are Nitrous Networks's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Streamline Servers, PebbleHost, Apex Hosting, Bisect Hosting, Citadel Servers, ScalaCube and Shockbyte. Server.pro is listed as an emerging player. Broad incumbents are OVHcloud and GPORTAL.
Does Nitrous Networks have an API?
No public API is recorded for Nitrous Networks.
What industry is Nitrous Networks in?
Nitrous Networks's product category is Game Server Hosting. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAEAKAM, Infrastructure & Hosting for iGaming (Cloud, CDN, DDoS, Uptime/Monitoring). Its NAICS code is 532210 and its SIC code is 7377.