Source: https://gameye.com/glossary/session-based-multiplayer/

---
title: "Session-based multiplayer | Gameye"
description: "Session-based multiplayer is a game architecture where matches have a defined start and end. A server is allocated when the match begins and released when it ends."
---

# Session-based multiplayer

Session-based multiplayer is a game architecture where matches have a defined start and end. A dedicated server is allocated when the match begins and released when it ends. Each match is a discrete session with its own lifecycle.

## Examples

Most competitive multiplayer games use session-based architecture: shooters (10-minute rounds), battle royales (20-minute matches), racing games (5-minute races), and party games (variable-length rounds). The matchmaker groups players, a server starts, the match runs, the server stops.

## Session-based vs persistent

Session-based games allocate and release servers constantly. A game with 10,000 CCU and 15-minute average sessions creates and destroys roughly 40,000 server instances per day. This makes efficient orchestration critical — every second of idle server time between sessions is wasted compute.

Persistent games (survival, MMO) keep servers running for hours or days. The server lifecycle is different: fewer allocations, longer runtimes, and the need for state persistence across sessions.

## Infrastructure implications

Session-based games need fast server allocation (sub-second), efficient container recycling, and elastic scaling. The infrastructure must handle rapid fluctuations in demand — peak hours might need 10x the servers of off-peak. Warm pools and cloud bursting are designed specifically for this pattern.

Building a multiplayer game? Gameye hosts dedicated game servers: ship your server as a Docker container and start one per match with a single API call, in a region near your players.

[See how it works →](https://gameye.com/how-it-works/)

[Back to Glossary](https://gameye.com/glossary/)

## Related terms

- ### Matchmaker

A matchmaker groups players into sessions by running player data — location, skill, latency — through a set of rules to find the best possible match. [Read more](https://gameye.com/glossary/matchmaker/)
- ### Dedicated Server

A dedicated server is a remote machine that runs your game logic independently of any player's client — the authoritative source of truth for every match. [Read more](https://gameye.com/glossary/dedicated-server/)
- ### Session hosting

Session hosting is when a server, or computer, runs your game’s matches. Each match, with a set group of people, is considered a session. [Read more](https://gameye.com/glossary/session-hosting/)