Relay
Pass-the-baton Minecraft hosting.
Your friends share a Minecraft world. Whoever's online runs the server on their own PC. When they quit, the world saves and the next person picks it up.
How it works
Click Host. Relay pulls the latest world from the cloud, boots a Paper server on your machine, and shows you an address your friends can paste into Minecraft. The traffic between them and you doesn't go through us, so the connection is whatever your home internet can handle.
When you close the app, your world uploads to the cloud as the new latest version. A friend clicks Host the next day. They get the world you left, the same address as always, and the game keeps going. The world lives in the cloud. The server rotates between whoever happens to be online.
Anyone can host
No dedicated machine. No monthly bill. Whoever opens the app and clicks Host runs the server.
The world stays
Worlds sync automatically. Quit at any point and the next person picks up where you left off.
Friends just connect
Every server has a permanent address. Paste it into Minecraft and connect, same as any server.
Plugins sync too
Upload a plugin once. Everyone who hosts that server gets it. No file passing around.
Why Relay?
Every option for running a shared Minecraft world with friends has a catch.
Paid hosting
$7 to $15 a month for a server that sits idle most of the time. You pay even when nobody's playing.
Aternos / free hosts
Shared boxes. Long queues. Servers shut down after a few minutes idle. Ads on everything.
One friend's PC, on forever
One person stuck keeping it running. When their power blinks or they go on vacation, the world is gone.
Relay
Whoever's online hosts. The world syncs between sessions. No bills, no laggy shared box, no one person carrying the group.
See the full breakdown — Relay vs Realms, Hypixel SMP, Aternos & more →
Pricing
Start on Free. Upgrade if your group needs more cloud storage. Hosting itself is free on every tier; that's the whole idea.
Free
- 1 server
- 2 GB cloud storage
- 5 plugins per server
- Custom world types
- Full world file control
Plus
- 5 servers
- 20 GB cloud storage
- Unlimited plugins
- Minigames map included
- Full world file control
Pro
- Unlimited servers
- 200 GB cloud storage
- Unlimited plugins
- All world types
- Full world file control
Paid tiers will be in-app purchases at launch.
Get on the waitlist
Add your email and we'll notify you the day Relay launches — one message, no newsletter, no spam. Or leave it blank to register your interest without sharing an address.
About
Relay is built for small friend groups, not public servers. That's why it can stay cheap to run and simple to use. Servers are invite-only. You decide who's in. Nobody finds you unless you send them a link.
The whole project runs on one tiny cloud machine and the PCs you already have. There's no idle server farm to pay for, which is why the free tier is so generous.
Questions
When does it launch?
Summer 2026. We're putting the finishing touches on it now. Add your email above and we'll send a single notification the day it launches.
Is Minecraft required?
Yes. Relay runs the server, you join with the regular Minecraft Java client. Bedrock isn't supported.
Is Java required?
No, Relay bundles its own Java. You don't have to install or configure anything.
What happens when a host quits?
Relay saves the world to the cloud and the next person who hits Host picks up from there. The world auto-saves every few minutes during play, so a crash loses a couple minutes of progress at most.
How do friends connect?
Every server gets a permanent address. Paste it into Minecraft Multiplayer like any other server. Works the same whether you or a friend is hosting that day.
Is there a storage limit?
Each account gets cloud space based on its tier (2 GB on Free, 20 GB on Plus, 200 GB on Pro). That's used for world snapshots and plugin files.
What about modded servers?
Relay supports Paper plugins (Spigot-compatible). Drop a .jar in the launcher and everyone hosting that server gets it. Forge/Fabric mods aren't supported.
Still have questions?
Didn't find your answer above? Email us directly and we'll get back to you, usually within a day.