Guides
Cobblemon Server Requirements: RAM, CPU & Performance Guide
Running a Cobblemon server? Learn the real RAM and CPU requirements by player count, why Pokémon spawns are resource-heavy, and how to keep TPS stable as your world fills with Cobblemon.
Cobblemon turns your Minecraft server into a Pokémon world — wild Pokémon spawning in biomes, trainers catching and battling them, and persistent creature data tracked for every player. It's an entity-heavy mod, and unlike most mods, the load scales directly with how many Pokémon are currently spawned across all active chunks. This guide covers what your server actually needs to run Cobblemon smoothly.
Whether you're running pure Cobblemon with a few quality-of-life mods, or a full Cobblemon modpack like All The Mons (ATMons), the requirements are different — both are covered below.
Cobblemon — Quick Specs
- Minecraft version: 1.20.1 / 1.21.1
- Mod loader: Fabric or Forge / NeoForge
- Pure Cobblemon RAM (1–5 players): 4–6 GB
- Cobblemon modpack RAM (1–5 players): 8–12 GB
- CPU: 300–400% dedicated CPU — more players means more spawned Pokémon means more AI ticks
- Storage: SSD minimum; NVMe recommended for fast chunk loading as Pokémon data accumulates
Why Cobblemon Is More Resource-Intensive Than It Looks
Cobblemon is lighter than a 200-mod tech pack, but it has a resource profile that surprises new server admins. The reason: Pokémon are entities, and Cobblemon spawns a lot of them. In a standard configuration, the mod targets up to 6 Cobblemon spawned per player within a certain range — across a server with 10 active players exploring different biomes, you can easily have 200–400 Cobblemon entities loaded at once, each requiring AI processing every tick.
Add battles — each active battle runs stat calculations, move resolution, and event hooks every few ticks — and the CPU cost compounds quickly when many players are fighting simultaneously.
CPU pressure
- AI ticks for every spawned Pokémon entity
- Battle calculations during active trainer battles
- Spawn system evaluating biomes each tick
- Passive Pokémon behaviours (wandering, fleeing, following)
RAM pressure
- Persistent Pokémon data per caught creature (stats, moves, IVs, friendship)
- World chunk data with Cobblemon spawn records
- Player party and PC box data loaded into memory
- Cobblemon species data (~900 species) loaded at startup
Pure Cobblemon Server RAM Requirements
"Pure Cobblemon" means the Cobblemon mod plus common companions like Fabric API, Cobblemon Loot, and a few QoL mods — not a full modpack. These numbers reflect consistent TPS, not the minimum to boot.
Cobblemon Modpack Server RAM Requirements
Cobblemon modpacks like All The Mons (ATMons) stack Cobblemon on top of 300+ tech and magic mods. The requirements jump significantly because you're now running Cobblemon's entity system on top of automation, world generation, and everything else those extra mods add.
For a full breakdown of ATMons specifically, see our All The Mons server requirements guide.
Cobblemon CPU Requirements
CPU load in Cobblemon is driven by entity count, not just player count. Two players in the same area generate less entity AI load than two players exploring opposite ends of the world — because each player's loaded chunks spawn their own Pokémon. Spread-out players multiply CPU cost.
- Pure Cobblemon (1–8 players): 260–350% CPU — manageable with dedicated allocation
- Pure Cobblemon (9–15 players): 350–450% CPU — entity load is high; need headroom for battle spikes
- Cobblemon modpack: 400–500% CPU — stack the modpack overhead on top of all of the above
The CPU must be dedicated, not shared. Cobblemon entity AI runs every tick. On an oversold host where CPU is contested, you'll see TPS drops whenever Pokémon are spawned and active — which is essentially always. For the warning signs of overselling, see How to Tell If Your Minecraft Host Is Overselling.
Performance Tips for Cobblemon Servers
Tune the Cobblemon spawn settings
Cobblemon lets you configure how many Pokémon spawn per player and the spawn rate. On servers with 10+ players, reducing the per-player spawn target from the default (around 6) to 3–4 cuts entity count roughly in half without removing the Pokémon feel. Edit config/cobblemon/main.json to adjust spawn settings.
Set a world border early
Each new biome players explore generates new chunks and new Cobblemon spawns. A world border (5,000–10,000 blocks) keeps the explorable area finite, limits chunk count, and reduces the total number of active Pokémon the server needs to track at any given time.
Pre-generate chunks within the world border
Chunk generation competes with Cobblemon AI processing on the same CPU thread. Pre-generating the world before players join moves that cost to setup time, so players load already-generated chunks instead of triggering generation mid-session.
Use Fabric on pure Cobblemon setups
If you're running Cobblemon without a large tech modpack, Fabric lets you add performance mods like Lithium and Starlight alongside it. These reduce chunk loading overhead and entity tick cost, which helps when Cobblemon is already taxing the server. See our server software comparison for more.
Allocate RAM correctly and fix the JVM heap
Set -Xms and -Xmx to the same value so Java doesn't resize the heap during active gameplay. Heap resizing during Cobblemon battles or heavy spawn ticks causes lag spikes. See our JVM flags guide for recommended startup arguments.
Pure Cobblemon vs Cobblemon Modpack: Which Should You Run?
Cobblemon Server FAQ
How much RAM does a Cobblemon server need?
Pure Cobblemon: 4–6 GB for 1–8 players, 7–10 GB for 9–15 players. Full Cobblemon modpack (like ATMons): 8–12 GB for small groups, 12–16 GB for larger communities. Pokémon spawns scale with player count, so more players means more entities and more RAM pressure.
Why does my Cobblemon server lag with few players?
Even with few players, Cobblemon spawns Pokémon across all loaded chunks. If players are spread out and exploring, each loaded chunk set generates new Pokémon entities. The entity AI and spawn evaluation runs every tick regardless of player activity. Tune spawn rates down or reduce view distance to lower entity count.
Does Cobblemon use Forge or Fabric?
Cobblemon officially supports both Fabric and Forge (and NeoForge for 1.20.1+). For pure Cobblemon setups, Fabric is recommended because it lets you pair performance mods like Lithium alongside it. Full modpacks may specify their own loader — follow the pack's requirements.
How is Cobblemon different from Pixelmon?
Cobblemon is a more vanilla-faithful Pokémon mod — Pokémon spawn naturally in biomes, fit Minecraft's visual style, and the mod integrates more seamlessly with the base game. Pixelmon is older, heavier, and has a more traditional Pokémon game aesthetic. For server performance, Cobblemon is generally lighter than Pixelmon at equivalent player counts.
Can I run Cobblemon on shared hosting?
Light Cobblemon setups (1–5 players) can run on entry-level shared plans if the CPU allocation is guaranteed. For 6+ players or a full Cobblemon modpack, you need a plan with dedicated CPU — Cobblemon's entity ticking is constant, and shared CPU contention will show up as TPS drops during peak hours.
Host your Cobblemon server on hardware that keeps up
BiomeHosting provides dedicated CPU allocations and NVMe storage so Pokémon spawn without lag, even as your world grows. View plans sized for Cobblemon and Cobblemon modpacks.