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 Game Servers in the Quick Actions card

    • Or go directly to Hosting > Deployments > Deploy Game 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

    • Server 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 the deploy button. It names your Server Count, for example Deploy 1 Server or Deploy 3 Servers

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 Hosting > Deployments.

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

See where the game runs

The game's overview has a Where this game runs card. It lists each fleet with its member deployments, their game server counts and the Discovery app the fleet lists on, then any deployments that are not in a fleet. Game servers of a deployment outside a fleet are not listed on Discovery automatically.

While the game has no fleets, deployments or Discovery apps, the card offers Create a fleet (recommended), Deploy without a fleet and Add a Discovery app. Once the game runs somewhere, the same actions sit in the card's header as New fleet, Deploy without a fleet and Add a Discovery app. Each opens its form for this game. A fleet groups your deployments, typically one per location, and lists their game servers for players on a Discovery app. See Fleets Overview.

An action you do not have the brand permissions for stays on the page but does nothing. Hover it to see which permissions it needs. A workspace owner can grant them; if your workspace does not have the feature, contact support. The Deploy Game Servers quick action works the same way.

On Games > Games, each game shows a one-line summary: how many fleets, deployments, game servers in those deployments (hibernated ones included) and Discovery apps it has. Click the line to open the game.

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.