Dear Metas,
Greetings! We're thrilled to announce that the Once Human Custom Server - Community Server will launch its early access trial on June 5. This marks not only a bold step in exploring a new game mode, but also a key milestone in building a diverse, player-driven ecosystem together with all of you. Let's take a closer look at what the custom server is and address some of your most frequently asked questions.
Ⅰ. What Is the Custom Server?
If you're unfamiliar with the concept of a community server, here's a quick explanation:
The custom server is essentially a player-managed rental server. Meta-Humans can rent servers and customize their gameplay settings to create unique experiences. Once a server is activated, others can join. This model is common in many popular games worldwide and is designed to support players' desire for autonomy and variety.
As a global title, Once Human has always listened closely to player feedback. We've heard your wishes to "be your own GM" and craft a one-of-a-kind world—and the custom server feature is our answer to that call, built to support truly personalized play.
Ⅱ. Build Your Own Custom Server
In most games with community server features, players are required to rent servers themselves and go through complex setup and configuration processes. To make it easier for Meta-Humans to set up and use their own servers—while avoiding common issues associated with third-party rentals such as security vulnerabilities, unstable performance, lack of maintenance, and complicated configuration—we've chosen to offer official server rentals. With complete end-to-end management, we aim to deliver a more reliable and user-friendly custom gameplay experience.
Compared to official servers, running a private server for personal use can incur higher additional costs. That's because Once Human is a complex online game that requires each private server to handle full logic processing, open-world calculations, and data storage. Yet most of these servers host only a small number of players, resulting in high average usage costs. To ensure a smooth experience for everyone, we've decided, after internal discussions, to offer these rentals at cost price, with no markup, allowing Meta-Humans to access professional-level services at a reasonable cost.
After renting a server, you will enjoy:
Diverse adjustable parameters: You can freely customize various settings and enjoy in-server privileges with ease.
Higher-quality server resources: We've optimized server performance to reduce lag and speed up loading for your best experience.
Secure and stable official support: Our team will provide dedicated maintenance and technical support to quickly address any issues during your rental period.
We will also continue optimizing server costs to bring down rental prices over time.
Ⅲ.Custom Server Rules
1. Rental Guidelines
1) The entry point for renting a custom server may vary depending on the game version or platform partner.
2) You can rent a server via the following links:
Rental URLs:https://pay.neteasegames.com/oncehuman/topup
3) Different rental packages offer various durations and maximum player limits. Choose the package that best suits your needs.
2. Server Data Rules
1) Custom servers do not support scenario sign-up or data migration. Each character is bound to a specific server.
Characters from official servers will not appear in custom servers.When a server is reset, characters will retain their original nickname and customization settings, but all other data will be erased. Modified server parameters will remain. To fully reset your server settings, please use the "Reset to Default" option.
When the server host switches scenarios, the server will reset and Meta-Humans will need to create new characters to continue playing.
When a server rental expires, it enters a frozen state where all data is preserved and can be restored upon renewal. If it remains expired for over 30 days, the server and all associated data will be permanently deleted.
2) In the current version, custom servers and official servers are separated, with no data shared between them.
Monetization: Since this is an early-access trial, all monetization features and cosmetic asset transfers are temporarily disabled.
Progression: Items like Starchrom and mods will not carry over between custom servers and official servers.
Eternaland: Access is disabled and does not sync with official servers.
3) Meta-Humans can use character management features to delete unwanted characters.
3. Parameter Adjustment
1) Authorized server hosts can modify a wide range of parameters to control how the server plays.
2) In this early access version, the following scenarios are available: Manibus, The Way of Winter, and Once Human: RaidZone. Other scenarios are not yet available.
3) Most parameter changes take effect immediately; some may require a server restart. Please refer to the instructions.
4) Certain settings are tied to the type of scenario selected.
4. In-Server Permissions
1) The server host has access to a control panel where they can add items and execute various commands.
2)The server host can manage members via the member management page:
The server host can appoint admins, who will have the same management permissions.
Authorized admins can kick members or delete character data. Kicked members will face account-level restrictions. Deleted data cannot be recovered.
3) Each server supports up to 500 registered users. You can:
Enable automatic deletion of inactive characters to free up server space.
Or manually manage and delete characters as needed.
4) You can check the current server parameters via the server settings.
Ⅳ.Early Access Trial Notes
Early access trial period: After the June 5 version maintenance - June 18, 24:00
* The official trial version is expected to launch after the June 19 update.
1. Participant Details
This early access trial will adopt a limited sale + invitation-only model:
Each region will have a limited number of available server rentals. The details will be shown on the rental page.
We will offer free access to Meta-Humans who previously participated in co-dev events or are recognized community contributors.
2. Pricing Details
The early access trial will use trial pricing. Official pricing will be announced on the rental page once the full version is released.
If your purchase doesn't take effect immediately, try re-entering the custom server menu to refresh.
Renewals and package upgrades will not be available during the trial period and will become available once the official version is released.
3. Rebate Event
During the early access trial, any custom server rental fees you pay will be refunded in the form of Crystgin of equivalent value.
Refunds are expected to be delivered within 5 working days after the trial ends. Please keep an eye on your in-game mailbox.
4. Paid Content
To ensure the best possible experience during this trial, paid content features and asset sharing will be temporarily disabled on custom servers.
We plan to launch paid content features in the June 19 update. At that point, purchases made on official server accounts will be fully synced with custom servers. You'll be able to play and pay in either environment without needing to make duplicate purchases.
V. Closing Remarks
Finally, we want to be fully transparent with all Meta-Humans: as this is the first early access trial of the custom server feature, some features may still be incomplete, and unexpected issues may arise during the early stages. If you encounter any issues while playing, feel free to contact us at any time!
Our goal is to identify and fix issues within a real player environment. Every piece of feedback and every suggestion you provide will help us improve the custom server system.
Looking ahead, we plan to expand the customization options available on custom servers—such as custom gear, gameplay modifications, item sales, and more. A variety of powerful features are already under development. Through the gradual rollout of these advanced customization options, we hope each Meta-Human will be able to create their own one-of-a-kind Once Human world.
The custom server is not just a new way to play—it's an important step forward in co-creating a shared game ecosystem together with all of you. We're excited to begin this journey full of possibilities with you on June 5!
Once Human Operations Team
