Dedicated Server optimizations
Provides information about optimizing the build with default and manual optimizations to reduce resource utilization.
Read time 3 minutesLast updated 12 days ago
Dedicated Server build target performs optimizations for networked applications. The build target applies some optimizations automatically by default, while others are optional because their impact depends on the game’s implementation.
Automatic optimizations
By default, the Dedicated Server build target performs the following optimizations:
- Deactivates the Audio Subsystem
- Removes lighting threads
- Removes some Player loop callbacks
- Removes GPU-only assets
Audio Subsystem
The Dedicated Server build target deactivates the Audio Subsystem because builds don’t need audio support when running as a dedicated server. Disabling the Audio Subsystem reduces CPU load.
Lighting threads
The Dedicated Server build target removes process threads related to lighting because there’s no need to render lighting on a server build.
Player loop callbacks
The Dedicated Server build target disables the following PlayerLoop callbacks because they aren’t necessary for a server build.
- Player update loop registration of
SendMouseEvents - Player update loop registration of
UpdateAllRenderers - Player update loop registration of
PlayerUpdateCanvases - Player update loop registration of all audio callbacks such as
UpdateAudio - Player update loop registration of all UI callbacks such as
UIElementsUpdatePanels - Player update loop registration of all input callbacks such as
UpdateInputManager
GPU-only assets
The Dedicated Server build target removes GPU-only assets such as texture pixel data for textures and mesh vertex data, that the server doesn’t need. The build target preserves assets with CPU Read/Write access and assets in the Resource Folders.
Textures and meshes imported with CPU Read/Write access disabled are only accessible by the GPU, whereas the CPU can't access them. Because the Dedicated Server build target doesn’t initialize a graphics device, there’s no need to include this data. Excluding this data reduces the memory usage of the executable.
Refer to the following lists to learn more about which assets the Dedicated Server build target removes and preserves.
Removed:
- Textures with CPU Read/Write access disabled.
- Vertex data for meshes with CPU Read/Write access disabled.
Preserved:
- Textures with CPU Read/Write access enabled.
- Vertex data for meshes with CPU Read/Write access enabled.
- Assets in the protected Resource Folders.
- Texture metadata (such as the texture size value).
- Mesh data that internal systems that run on the CPU require (such as physics), even if CPU Read/Write is disabled.
Note
To learn more about CPU Read/Write access, refer to Texture.isReadable and Mesh.isReadable.
Additional optimizations
You also have an option to apply additional optimizations through Enable Dedicated Server Optimizations property in the Player Settings window. These optimizations remove assets such as Shaders and Fonts. However, applying these optimizations might cause issues if the removed assets are referenced in the game’s implementation.
Assets removed:
- Shaders
- Fonts
In addition to the automatic optimizations applied through the Dedicated Server build target, you can apply the following implementation-specific optimizations manually.
- Use conditional compilation to selectively include and exclude code depending on the build target.
- Separate player-specific and server-specific code through class implementations.
- Remove additional items from the PlayerLoop in server builds. Refer to PlayerLoop and PlayerLoopSystem.
Known limitations
Dedicated server optimizations don't apply to content built with the Scriptable Build Pipeline (SBP). Systems that rely on SBP, such as the Addressables system and Entities subscenes, don't benefit from these optimizations.