In this article, we’re talking about backend for games — when it’s necessary and when not, what to take into consideration when you implement it, and what obstacles might get in the way of success.
Highlights:
- Game backend infrastructure is not necessary for all games;
- Your game can have its backend built from scratch, or it could be using a backend-as-a-service, depending on your intended functionality;
- It’s important to have your game’s backend both sturdy and flexible, to account for future growth;
- There’s balance to be found between backend cost and its performance, but finding it is easier with an experienced developer.
Game backend, or “server-side”, is the part of a game that handles such important things as game logic, data management, user authentication, and networking. It’s a “backstage” part of the game, the one players don’t see. In locally installed games that don’t require internet connection for anything at all, it’s not even necessary. However, it tends to be crucial for many — but not all — mobile games, due to the intricacies of the mobile gaming market.
In this article, we’d like to offer you, after almost ten years developing mobile games, our insights into the backend game development. We’ll cover the situations when a game needs backend, the types of backend you can use in a game, and offer tips to choosing the optimal backend solutions based on the game specifics.
Meanwhile, if you’re looking for an experienced partner to entrust your game development to — including backend — drop us a line via our contact form, and we’ll get back to you with a consultation and a rough estimate.
The role of a backend in mobile game development
Whether your particular idea needs game backend infrastructure will depend on its intended functionality. For example, here are some things we use backend for in our games:
- Multiplayer and online functionality. The backend is what manages real-time player interactions, matchmaking, leaderboards, and game state synchronization.
- Data storage. We save player progress, stats, inventory, and game settings via backend.
- User authentication and security. Backend handles user login, account management, and prevents cheating or hacking.
- Cross-platform sync. Enabling players to continue their progress across devices requires backend.
- Live game updates. With a backend, you can manage game updates, events, and in-game purchases dynamically without redeploying the whole new version onto a game hosting server.
- Analytics are also attached to backend. You need it to track player behavior, in-app purchases, and ads for monetization strategies.
Not every game needs these features. If it’s a pet project not aimed at either monetization or audience research, it won’t need analytics. If it’s an offline single-player game with no need for any kind of communication or interaction between players (e.g., chat, co-op mode) or competition (leaderboards, PVP battles), it can also work without backend. If it’s a single-clear game with no planned regular updates or fixes? You guessed it, you can forego backend.
Moreover, some of the abovementioned things can be done without backend. For example, simple and lightweight games — like idle and hyper-casual ones — can store player progress data on user devices, without the need for a backend (unless you want it synced between devices). Login data can also be stored locally, and if it’s an offline game, it won’t need hacking prevention.
Finally, some games can be made multiplayer through local LAN connection or via Bluetooth, foregoing backend as well. This can be useful for, among some other things, corporate training or onboarding games.
So when you ponder whether your idea needs a gaming backend, look at the list above. Or contact our team for a professional consultation — we’re always happy to provide guidance in all things gamedev.
Key considerations when choosing a backend
So how do you choose backend when you do need it? What goes into the criteria list to have a server-side that’s perfect for your specific game and the goals you set before you? Here’s a shortish list of things that are important for mobile game backend.
#1 Scalability
In most cases, when you decide to make a video game, you wish for it to become popular, right? That’s only logical, be it for profit or just to share your idea with the world. As a direct consequence of the plan to grow, it’s just as logical to consider scalability as one of the features for backend.
Game backend scalability means that it can handle the number of users without crashing, even in the situations when the audience is growing manyfold overnight.
Part of the scalability parameter is elasticity — the ability of your backend to handle fluctuating player loads, scaling up during peak hours and down when demand drops.
Typically, cloud-based solutions like AWS, Google Cloud, Azure, Firebase offer dynamic scaling. Dedicated servers, on the other hand, provide better control but may require manual scaling.
#2 Latency and performance
Latency (also called “ping” or “lag”) is the term for the game’s delay in reaction to the player’s actions. Low latency is, of course, always better than high, but depending on the type of your game, the issue can be more pressing than usual.
Real-time games require as low a latency as possible — preferably under 100ms — for smooth gameplay. Puzzles, idle, match-3, turn-based games, and some other types can have slightly higher latency without it affecting the players’ experience.
What can a game backend developer do to lower latency and increase performance?
- Use CDNs (content delivery networks) and edge servers to reduce latency for players in different regions;
- Choose low-latency protocols like WebSockets, gRPC, or UDP for real-time games (games not requiring low latency can use HTTP);
- Employ caching strategies (Redis and Memcached are two popular examples) to store frequently accessed data;
- Minimize database query times with indexing and read replicas.
#3 Data and storage management
Proper data and storage management is vital for mobile games, ensuring seamless gameplay, fast performance, security, and scalability. An optimized data system leads to a better user experience and cost savings. This pertains to both single-player experience and real-time multiplayer games.
For multiplayer games, it’s of utmost importance to sync data between clients and servers as fast as possible, so this needs to be at the top of the list when choosing game backend services.
Depending on what data you need to store and sync, you can choose different databases: Relational (PostgreSQL, MySQL) databases are good for structured data like leaderboards; conversely, NoSQL (MongoDB, DynamoDB) databases are better for dynamic and scalable data like player inventories.
#4 Security
Protecting player data from hacks, leaks, and corruption is essential. In online games, this includes authentication, data encryption (AES, SSL/TLS), and DDoS protection. If your game has in-app purchases (IAPs), you should ensure transaction data protection against fraud.
And if yours is a competitive multiplayer game, it will also need anti-cheating systems. For that, consider authoritative servers to validate player actions.
Finally, backup systems prevent data loss.
#5 Cost efficiency
Balancing performance and security with cost is vital, especially for indie and small/medium game companies. This, of course, also includes game backend.
There are open-source backend services, and free or low-cost tiers from popular services like Firebase. However, most of them will have limitations, and you need to include them into your considerations when making a choice.
Although it’s possible to start with affordable options and move the game to a new backend at a later date, the process itself will consume time and money, and will require skilled specialists.
At Mind Studios Games, we do have seasoned backend developers with relevant experience. So if you’re looking for help in this regard, don’t hesitate to contact us.
What can you do to cut costs with your backend? The most straightforward way is to optimize data storage, remove old and unnecessary data regularly. Additionally, employing auto-scaling reduces costs during low traffic periods.
You can also combine cloud and dedicated servers; use cloud storage for static assets — images, sounds — as this tends to be cheaper than using dedicated servers. Of course, your backend specialists should be able to recommend other ways to cut costs without it hurting the game quality.
Backend solutions for mobile games
There are two main options for game backend development: building a custom backend and using a game backend-as-a-service (BaaS).
Custom backend vs. Backend-as-a-Service
In a nutshell, the main difference between custom backend and BaaS comes down to flexibility, control, and development effort.
A custom backend is a fully tailored server-side system that you develop from scratch (or using frameworks like Ruby, Node.js, Django, or ASP.NET). A BaaS solution (PlayFab, Photon, Firebase, etc.), on the other hand, provides pre-built backend services like authentication, databases, leaderboards, and cloud functions.
Here’s a bit of breakdown for main differences between custom and BaaS backends:
Custom backend vs. Backend-as-a-Service |
|
|---|---|
Custom backend | Pros:
Cons:
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BaaS | Pros:
Cons:
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When choosing between custom and BaaS solutions, ultimately, we prefer to approach and assess each game individually. However, if we had to draw a rough picture of which types of games use which backend more frequently, we’d say that custom backend is more popular with developers working on large-scale games, unique multiplayer mechanics, or in studios needing complete backend control; and BaaS solutions are often found in games by indie devs, small teams, or in projects needing a quick and reliable backend without deep customization.
Now, another important matter. If you’re a game developer — as in, a tech specialist — you probably know the difference between the backend and the server. If you’re just a person with a game idea looking for a partner to do the development for you, this information might be new to you: although backend is also known as “the server side”, servers are only part of the backend infrastructure. And most of the time, when developers talk about “getting a server”, what they mean is actually a hosting — the place where the backend (or server code) is deployed.
Now, this might sound confusing, but what you need to understand is that a separate hosting server is something you will most likely only need in a custom backend. If you’re using BaaS, they tend to already have one. Firebase, Playfab, Photon, Mirror all definitely do.
So let’s talk about the types of game servers too.
Game server hostings
There are four main types of server hostings to choose from.
Cloud-based backend servers
Typically offered as BaaS, these are virtual servers hosted on cloud platforms like AWS, Google Cloud, Azure, or DigitalOcean. They allow dynamic scaling, meaning you can increase or decrease server resources based on traffic. They’re a good solution for most small game titles that don’t get (or expect) millions of players simultaneously. At the same time, if your game does unexpectedly get a surge in users, the price of a cloud-based backend might skyrocket.
The benefits of cloud-based solutions are this pay-as-you-go pricing model, easy scalability, and that there’s no need for physical server maintenance. The main concerns are the lack of control and that the game’s latency will depend on the data center locations.
- Best for: Multiplayer games, live-service games, and projects needing global reach & autoscaling (e.g., battle royale games, MMOs).
Dedicated game servers
A dedicated server is a physical machine rented or owned by a game studio. Unlike cloud servers, all hardware resources here are exclusively yours. Not sharing resources means better performance, high bandwidth, and lower latency. You’ll also have full control over server configurations.
However, dedicated servers are more expensive upfront, require maintenance (although if you’re renting, this is done by the owner), and, if you need to scale, you’ll have to update the hardware manually. The latter means you’ll require specialized personnel, and it will take both time and money.
- Best for: Competitive online games, FPS titles, or any game where low latency and stable performance are top priorities.
Hybrid backend servers
Hybrid servers combine dedicated hardware with cloud flexibility. This means some less resource-heavy parts of your backend can be cloud-based (like matchmaking or leaderboards), while critical game logic runs on dedicated servers.
The pros here look like a dream come true for gaming backend — it’s a balance of performance and scalability, optimized costs (dedicated for high-load tasks, cloud for lighter services), and if your dedicated servers fail, cloud backup can take over.
However, hybrid backend for games still requires physical server setup and management, as well as maintenance. All of which are quite complex and can be costly.
- Best for: Games with variable traffic (e.g., games with seasonal spikes, live events, or esports tournaments).
Virtual Private Servers (VPS)
A VPS is a virtualized portion of a dedicated server, where multiple users share a machine but have isolated resources. It’s like a mix between dedicated servers and cloud hosting but with less flexibility than full cloud solutions.
Some indie and small multiplayer games that don’t need extreme scalability but want a balance of performance and cost use VPS as they’re cheaper than dedicated servers, offer more control than cloud-based hosting, and provide decent performance.
The flip side is — scalability is limited because the resources are capped, and your game might be affected by other VPS users on the same machine. Besides, the performance won’t be on par with a dedicated server.
- Best for: We recommend VPS at the start / for soft launch, but as your game grows audience, we advise moving to a dedicated server.
Key backend features for specific game types
Game type |
Backend requirements/features |
|---|---|
Single-player games |
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Real-time multiplayer games |
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Turn-based multiplayer games |
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Live Ops and backend
Live Ops rely on a game server backend to handle real-time data processing, content delivery, and rapid deployment of patches or balance changes, ensuring that your game can deliver content dynamically, without disrupting player experience. This includes continuous updates, time-limited events, hotfixes, etc.
For example, by using microservices and modular architecture in the game backend, developers can roll out small updates that modify only the necessary components, not requiring players to download large updates or go through server downtime. For seasonal events, limited-time game modes, and special challenges, the backend allows real-time event triggers without requiring client-side updates.
Moreover, during major updates or live events, games often experience fluctuating player loads, and handling that is also the job of your game’s backend. This is done with the help of load balancing, auto-scaling, edge computing, and content delivery networks — all of which are backend functionality.
The ability to deploy updates dynamically without forcing downtime or large client-side patches is what makes modern Live Ops-driven games successful. And a flexible backend is crucial for that.
Choosing a backend for your mobile game
Before selecting a backend, the first question you need to ask yourself is:
What type of game am I building?
- A single-player offline game with cloud saves usually requires simple cloud storage, if any. Firebase, AWS S3 can offer solutions that are more than decent here.
- A turn-based multiplayer game needs a database and API-driven backend. Think Node.js, Python, or Firebase.
- A real-time multiplayer title would benefit most from low-latency servers with WebSockets or UDP. Among BaaS services, that would be Photon, Mirror, Nakama.
Game features will also dictate the tech stack for your backend:
| Feature | Tech stack |
|---|---|
| User authentication | OAuth, Firebase Auth, JWT |
| Cloud saves | Firebase Firestore, AWS DynamoDB, PostgreSQL |
| Leaderboards | Redis, Firebase, MySQL |
| Matchmaking and multiplayer | Photon, Nakama, WebSockets |
| In-app purchases | Apple/Google Play Store API, Stripe |
| Game analytics | Google Analytics, AWS Pinpoint |
At Mind Studios Games, we have a custom analytics algorithm that a lot of our outsourcing clients chose to use in their games. It is also, of course, integrated via backend for games. We can also both develop a fully custom backend, and integrate a BaaS into your game.
When you’re choosing technologies and hostings, you’ll need to carefully evaluate your game’s specific needs to balance performance with backend costs.
Performance vs. cost trade-off
Backend costs depend on server usage, storage, and any third-party services you’re using on it. And choosing a backend depends on your game’s complexity, budget, and performance needs.
When you're building a small casual game with cloud saves, even Firebase’s free tier might be a good fit, and Firebase is great for quick setups. But for real-time multiplayer games, you will most likely need a dedicated game server (AWS Gamelift, Photon) to minimize lag — and cutting costs on it might come back to bite you when players abandon your game due to lag.
If your game is not just multiplayer but also launched globally, you’ll need regional servers so that it performs well for all players, regardless of their location. And if you need full control, hosting your own Node.js or Go server might be the best option.
Here’s a rough cost breakdown for different types of backend:
| Backend type | Cost estimate | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Serverless (Firebase, AWS Lambda) | Free for small apps, pay-per-use | Casual games with low traffic |
| Dedicated servers (AWS EC2, DigitalOcean) | $10–$500/month | Scalable multiplayer |
| Managed multiplayer (Photon, PlayFab, Nakama) | Free to $500+ (based on the number of players online at the same time) | Real-time multiplayer |
| Self-hosted (Node.js, Python, C#) | Low cost but requires maintenance | Custom backend needs |
Ask yourself:
- Is my game single-player or multiplayer?
- Do I need real-time networking, or is turn-based enough?
- How much can I afford to spend on backend services?
- Do I want a managed backend or a custom-built solution?
The answers to these questions will direct you to the best backend solution, fully corresponding with your game and business needs. And if you’re struggling to answer some of them, an experienced game backend development team can light the way for you.
Case studies: Successful mobile game backends
Pokémon GO
Pokémon GO's launch in 2016 saw an unexpected surge in traffic, leading to frequent server crashes. Additionally, the game needed to process millions of player locations in real-time and sync real-time game state across global players while minimizing lag.
Niantic initially used Google App Engine for Pokémon GO, but they had to scale rapidly to handle high traffic. They leveraged Kubernetes and Google Compute Engine to dynamically scale resources, and to avoid bottlenecks, they used a distributed caching system and region-based servers. The game became a huge success, not seen by any AR game before or after.
Clash of Clans
Supercell’s star game (one of them) was a target for DDoS attacks due to its huge popularity. To counter that, the developers used request rate-limiting and distributed data centers.
To handle large numbers of players online at any time, Supercell built its backend on top of Google Cloud but optimized it using in-house solutions. And master-slave database architecture allowed them to handle read-heavy operations (like ensuring base-building progress was always saved and retrievable) efficiently.
Among Us
Initially, the team behind the game, Innersloth, had a very limited budget. Then the game went viral in 2020, leading to server overloads with the need to support players communicating in real-time.
What developers did is they scaled using Unity’s game server backend while offloading some services to AWS. Instead of full server-client interactions, the game offloaded minor tasks to players’ devices, making use of Peer-to-Peer (P2P) networking. Finally, the old architecture was upgraded for better scalability.
Genshin Impact
When developing the game, which required massive world data to be synchronized across PC, mobile, and PlayStation, miHoYo created its own cloud infrastructure optimized for open-world syncing. They deployed multiple regional servers to reduce latency and offloaded AI pathfinding processing to players’ devices to minimize backend load.
NanoBytes: ByteWorld
NanoBytes is one of our longest projects, and it also has one of the most powerful backends we have built. It’s a phygital city builder and management game with various quests and multiple minigames that combine physical real-life toys and digital gaming.
For this game, on the backend, we created:
- User authentication
- Cloud saves
- Leaderboards
- Matchmaking
- Multiplayer
- In-app purchases
- Game analytics
- Push notifications
- LiveOps events
- Data saving in CSV
There’s also a web admin panel where game administrators can access and manage the data, as well as create content.
Check the game here: Android, iOS
Conclusion
Backend might not be essential for every single video game, but when it is, it needs to be treated with attention, as it will most likely carry the functionality vital for the game’s success. After all, as the story of games like Among Us teaches us, your title can become an overnight success, and the strength of your backend might be what keeps it afloat.
Moreover, depending on the type and genre of your game, and the features you want it to have, the choice of backend will differ. That’s why, when choosing a development partner to entrust your game backend infrastructure to, you need to carefully assess all the potentials’ experience in the specific niche you’re targeting.
At Mind Studios Games, we know how to build a game backend from scratch, and we also have ample experience with using third-party APIs for faster and cheaper, yet still reliable game backend development. Get in touch with us for an initial assessment, and we’ll offer you insights, advice, and estimations. We’re pretty confident in our abilities on this front.
