Arma 2 Operation Arrowhead Server Hosting

Why Run an Arma 2 Server in 2026

Arma 2: Operation Arrowhead came out on 29 June 2010 and sent the US Army to the fictional Central Asian country of Takistan, three years after the original Arma 2's war in Chernarus. Bohemia built it as a standalone expansion that also integrates with Arma 2, and the pair is still sold on Steam as Combined Operations.

People still play it for reasons Arma 3 does not cover. Some units keep long-running campaigns and mission libraries that were written for Arma 2. Some players simply like its maps, vehicles and pace. And some of the best-known community projects, DayZ Epoch among them, run on Operation Arrowhead and nowhere else.

Whatever brings you back, the server is what keeps it together. A dedicated server holds the mission rotation, the mod set and the rules in one place, stays up between sessions and does not depend on whoever hosted last time having a good connection.

Combined Operations: Two Games on One Server

Operation Arrowhead does not need the original game, but it is designed to merge with it. When both are installed, the result is Combined Operations: Arma 2's 225 square kilometre Chernarus and its armies sit alongside Takistan and the Arrowhead factions, and missions can use units from both.

Our product is set up as Combined Operations, so the server can run missions from either side. What your players need depends on the missions you choose: a Takistan-only rotation works for anyone with Operation Arrowhead, while Chernarus missions need Arma 2 too.

Missions, the Rotation and the Editor

Arma 2 multiplayer is built on missions. Each one is a PBO file that defines the map, the forces, the objectives and the scripts. They live in the server's MPMissions folder, and server.cfg lists which ones the server offers and in what order.

Bohemia shipped Operation Arrowhead with a mission editor and a free tools suite, which is why there are so many community missions: co-op campaigns, Warfare-style battles, insurgency scenarios and training ranges. Players download the mission automatically when they join, so a new mission is as simple as uploading a file.

1. Upload the PBO to MPMissions with the file manager or SFTP.
2. Add the mission to the rotation in server.cfg, with its difficulty if you want one.
3. Restart the server and check the RPT log if the mission does not appear.
4. Keep a backup of the folder before replacing a mission with a new version.

Mods, Keys and Keeping Everyone in Step

Mods in Arma 2 are folders, usually named with an @ in front, that sit beside the game and load from the -mod launch parameter. The server and every player must load the same set. In our panel you set the mod line in the Commandline Manager, so changing a mod pack is a form edit rather than a batch file.

Signatures are what keep a public server honest. Each signed mod comes with a .bikey; copy it into the server's Keys folder and the server accepts that mod's files and rejects edited ones. Version 1.63 fixed random Keys errors with .bikey files, one more reason to stay on a current build.

Write the mod list down and post it where your players will see it, with the exact versions. On a modded Arma 2 server, a player who cannot join is very often running a different version of just one mod.

Version 1.64 and the Settings It Added

Update 1.64, released with the community CorePatch team on 7 November 2019, is the build to run. It brought Windows 10 support, security and crash fixes, and several tools aimed squarely at server admins.

• #maxping, #maxpacketloss and #maxdesync: admin commands, also usable in server.cfg, that remove players whose connection is hurting everyone else.
• kickClientsOnSlowNetwork and disconnectTimeout: server.cfg settings for how patient the server is with poor connections.
• BattlEye in a new folder at the root of the Operation Arrowhead install, with updated server libraries for Windows and Linux.
• A new memory allocator library, the same one Arma 3 uses.

Two Windows 11 hotfixes followed in December 2021, made with the BattlEye team. If anything misbehaves after an update, Steam keeps a legacy branch with the previous build and a 163_backup branch with 1.63, so you and your players can step back together.

Memory, CPU and What Actually Makes It Run Well

Arma 2 is a 32-bit game, and Bohemia's community wiki gives 2047MB as the hard maximum for its -maxMem parameter. The server process stops there. Selling more memory to an Arma 2 server would not make it faster, so every plan includes the free 5GB tier and the price is the slot count alone.

What does make a difference is the processor. AI, physics and every player's position are simulated on the server, and missions with many AI groups are a common cause of low server FPS. Every plan runs on 5.0GHz cores; the 5.2GHz+ and 5.6GHz+ options on the order form are the upgrade to reach for if a busy mission stutters.

The other lever is mission design. Spawning AI only near players, cleaning up wrecks and bodies, and restarting the server before a long session all help more than hardware once the server is on a fast core.

Admins, BattlEye and Running a Public Server

Bohemia describes BattlEye as optional anti-cheat for Arma 2's dedicated servers, and it also adds RCon, remote control of the server. Keep it on for a public server, set a strong RCon password, and use a separate admin password in server.cfg for logging in as admin in game.

Decide early how public you want to be. A password keeps a unit server private; a public server needs rules, a few trusted admins and the 1.64 network limits so one bad connection cannot desync a whole mission. Sub-users in our panel let those admins restart the server or swap a mission without your account login.

Finally, take a snapshot before every change you cannot easily undo: a mod update, a new mission version or a big server.cfg edit. Restoring from the panel is quicker than working out which file broke.

What to Compare Before You Rent an Arma 2 Server

For an old game, the questions are different from a new release.

1. Combined OperationsCheck the server includes Arma 2 content as well as Operation Arrowhead, or you lose Chernarus.
2. Memory you can useA 32-bit server cannot use more than about 2GB. Paying extra for RAM buys nothing.
3. CPU speedThis is the upgrade that matters for AI-heavy missions.
4. File accessMissions and mods go in by file, so a file manager and SFTP are essential.
5. Launch line controlYou should be able to change -mod and other parameters yourself.
6. DDoS protectionPublic PvP servers draw attacks. Filtering should be standard.
7. Billing termsCompare monthly against longer terms and look for setup fees.

Arma 2 Server Glossary

Combined Operations

Arma 2 and Operation Arrowhead installed together, with both games' maps and units.

PBO

Arma's packed file format, used for missions and for mod content.

MPMissions

The server folder that holds multiplayer mission files.

server.cfg

The main server config: name, passwords, mission rotation and network limits.

-mod

The launch parameter that lists which mod folders load.

.bikey

A mod's public key. In the Keys folder it lets the server check that files are genuine.

BattlEye RCon

Remote admin for the server, provided by the BattlEye anti-cheat.

Desync

When a player's game and the server disagree about positions, usually from a poor connection.

Arma 2 Server Help and Next Steps

Official pages and our own guides.

• Arma 2: Operation Arrowhead on SteamThe game, its DLC and the Combined Operations bundle.
• Arma 2 dedicated server, Bohemia wikiBohemia's reference for server files and settings.
• Operation Arrowhead update news1.64 and the Windows 11 hotfixes.
• DayZ Epoch server hostingThe survival mod for Operation Arrowhead, with its database set up.
• Gaming Deluxe control panelWhat the panel does and how to log in.
• Contact support24/7 help with missions, mods and settings.