Importing Your First Game

Pick a pre-configured game from the public core library and deploy servers in minutes.

The fastest way to get a game running on PingCore is to import a core. Cores are pre-built game configurations that you can drop into your workspace with a single click.

Before you start

You need the cores.browse-public and cores.import permissions. Brand owners have these automatically.

Pick a core from the public library

  1. In the sidebar, expand Games and click Browse Cores

  2. Browse the list of public cores shared by other brands

  3. Use the search box to filter by game name (for example, "Counter-Strike" or "Minecraft")

Each row shows the core name, source game, version, and creation date.

Import

  1. Click the upload icon on the row you want to import

  2. PingCore validates the core and checks that all referenced container images and CDN sources are still available

  3. You are taken to the preview page showing exactly what will be created

The preview breaks down the core into:

  • Game Settings: player counts, memory, CPU limits, supported platforms

  • Branch: platform, RCON adapter, mod provider

  • Data Configuration: CDN source (if any) for game files

  • Template Set: config file templates and field definitions

  • Storage: PVCs and ephemeral volumes

  • Containers: images, ports, env vars, volume mounts, resource limits

  • Deployment Spec: how containers are wired together for deployment

  • Log Files: which files get tracked for the console

If any resources are unavailable (private container images, deleted CDN sources), you see a yellow warning banner and the affected layers are skipped. You can complete the import as a partial import and configure the missing pieces manually.

  1. Review the preview

  2. Click Import Core

PingCore creates the game, branch, template set, storage, containers, and deployment spec in your workspace. You are redirected to the game's overview page.

Deploy servers

With the game imported, deploy servers to make them playable:

  1. Go to Games > Games and click Manage on the game you just imported

  2. On the game overview, click Deploy Servers in the Quick Actions card

    • Or go directly to Games > Deployments > Deploy Servers

  3. Fill out the deploy form:

    • Game: pre-selected from the previous step

    • Deployment Spec: pick the spec to use (most games have one default spec)

    • Location: pick a region from PingCore's 10+ global locations across the Americas, Europe, Asia, and Oceania

    • Count: how many server instances to create

    • Memory / CPU: defaults to the game's minimum; adjust if needed

    • Friendly Name: optional label, helpful if you manage many deployments

  4. Click Deploy

PingCore provisions the servers on the appropriate OS node pool (Windows or Linux, auto-selected from the container configuration) in the region you chose. Status progresses through pending to deploying to active. You can monitor progress at Games > Deployments.

For more on the runtime (managed images, the PingCore supervisor, how OS selection and regions work) see How PingCore Runs Your Servers.

Alternative: create a game manually

If no public core fits your use case, you can build a game from scratch:

  1. Go to Games > Games and click Add Game

  2. Fill in name, min/max/recommended players

  3. Configure branches, template sets, storage, containers, and a deployment spec yourself

This takes much longer than importing a core. Start with a core import whenever possible, even if you plan to customise heavily afterwards.