How to Make a Minecraft Hunger Games Server

What you need

A Minecraft Java server with Paper, because Hunger Games is a plugin, not a mod: it won't load on Fabric, Forge or NeoForge. NapNodes servers come with Paper on the latest version, so there's nothing to change.

The plugin: here we use HungerGames, by ShaneBee. It's free, it's on Modrinth, and it handles several arenas at once, kits, teams, chests that refill themselves and a border that closes in, and the map goes back to how it was after every match. It's Paper only and today's version needs Minecraft 1.21.11 or later (with Java 25, which the panel sets for new versions): it won't work on a 1.8 server for classic PvP. There are other Hunger Games plugins with other commands; if you use one, follow its page.

An arena: a bounded piece of map, with a centre (the “cornucopia”, with the good chests) and around it as many spawn points as players you want. You can build it yourself or download a ready-made map (respect whatever its author allows). A minigame match doesn't need much RAM: the world is bounded and nobody explores.

Installing the plugin

1. Make a backup

   If the server already has a world, in the panel, “Backups” → create one. (The free server has no backups: if you care about the world, compress the world folder in “Files” and download it first.)

2. Search for HungerGames

   In the panel, “Mods & plugins”: search for “HungerGames” and pick ShaneBee's. Only the versions that work with your Minecraft and server type show up; if none appears for your version, it hasn't been released yet. Press “Install”.

3. Restart

   With “Restart”. The console should show that HungerGames has loaded, and in “Files” the plugins/HungerGames folder appears with config.yml, items.yml and kits.yml.

4. Give yourself permissions

   Creating and editing arenas is for admins. If you're not op, in the console: op YourName (no slash in the console; more in admin commands). With LuckPerms, the permission to create is hungergames.command.create.

Preparing the arena

Before creating anything in the plugin, leave the arena the way you want to play it. The easy way is to have it in a separate world, so nobody breaks it while playing survival: with Multiverse-Core (also in “Mods & plugins”) mv create games normal creates a new world and mv tp games takes you there; if you downloaded a map, upload it as a .zip to “Files”, “Decompress” it and run mv import FolderName normal (all about Multiverse).

Place normal chests around the arena: that's where the loot comes from at the start, at random from what items.yml says. The “bonus” chests, with better loot, are by default barrels, trapped chests and shulker boxes. And if you want the bonus chests to move around every match, place pink wool around the arena (more blocks than chests you want): at the start it disappears and a bonus chest appears in some of those spots.

For the waiting area, put three signs in a row on a wall, side by side. The plugin writes the match status on them, and clicking them is the easiest way for your friends to join.

Creating the arena, step by step

The command is /hg create, followed by the arena name, the minimum players for it to start by itself (2 or more), the maximum (more than the minimum) and how long the match lasts in seconds. For example, /hg create forest 2 12 600 is an arena called forest, for 2 to 12 players and 10 minutes.

1. Type the command

   From the game, inside the arena: /hg create forest 2 12 600. The plugin gives you a stick and tells you what to mark.

2. The two corners

   With the stick, click one corner of the arena and then the opposite one (also higher or lower: it's a box). Everything that happens in the match has to fit inside.

3. The spawn points

   Right-click each block where a player should appear: they spawn on top of that block, facing the way you were facing, so aim at the centre. Place as many as the maximum players.

4. The signs

   Finally, click the left sign of the three on the wall. With that, the arena is ready.

Playing

To join: click the signs, or /hg join forest. To leave, /hg leave, and /hg list tells you who's left in your match. While playing, the plugin doesn't let you use other commands (no /home halfway through a match).

When the minimum players are in, the countdown starts. At the start there are a few seconds without PvP to run (free-roam-time, 25 by default in config.yml), and with 30 seconds left the plugin sends everyone back to their spawn point for the finale. If you want to start without waiting for more people, an admin can use /hg forcestart forest; /hg stop forest ends a match.

When it ends, the plugin rebuilds whatever was broken in the arena. By default players can only break a few blocks (wool, dirt, grass, cobblestone, oak planks, sandstone, stone bricks and glass panes): the list is in rollback → editable-blocks in config.yml.

Tuning it to your taste

Everything about an arena is changed with /hg edit forest … (Tab suggests the options): match time, players, seconds without PvP, how often chests refill, or locations clear_spawns and add_spawn to redo the spawn points. Each arena is saved in its own file, in plugins/HungerGames/arenas.

The border that closes in at the end is off by default: in config.yml, world-border → enabled: true. It's only visible inside the arena and doesn't bother anyone outside. Spectators (eliminated players watch without getting in the way) are also off by default: spectate → enabled: true.

What comes out of the chests is in items.yml (regular, bonus and chest-drop), with how often each thing appears. Kits are in kits.yml: the “default” one is given to everyone on joining, and with /hg kit name each player picks another. If you'd rather start empty-handed, delete the default kit.

In teams: /hg team create name and /hg team invite Player before starting (3 per team at most by default, no damage between teammates). A money prize for the winner needs an economy plugin with Vault (economy on your server); without one, in reward → commands you can put commands that run when someone wins. After editing the files, /hg reload or “Restart”.

When something doesn't work

The plugin doesn't show up in the console on startup: almost always the plugin version isn't the one for your Minecraft, or the server isn't Paper. “Mods & plugins” only offers the ones that work; if you uploaded it by hand, download the right version.

You can't create the arena or it says you don't have permission: you're not op and don't have hungergames.command.create.

Players can't break anything: that's normal, only the blocks in editable-blocks. If you want to break everything, put 'all' in that list (it's rebuilt anyway when the match ends).

Chests come out empty or with little: check items.yml and min-content / max-content in config.yml.

It stutters with lots of people: a small arena helps more than any setting. What measures lag is in the server lag guide.

And if you want it always at hand

To try it with your friends, the NapNodes free Minecraft server is enough: no card, with “Start” whenever you want to play (it turns itself off after 20 minutes with nobody on and, if everything's busy, you join the queue). If it becomes your every-weekend match, with a plan it's always on, with no queues, with backups and with the same world. Want another minigame on the same server? There's BedWars step by step.

Frequently asked questions