Arma Reforger Server Optimization Guide: Maximum Performance & FPS

Is your Arma Reforger server experiencing lag, low FPS, or poor performance? This comprehensive optimization guide will help you achieve buttery-smooth gameplay for your players with expert configuration tips and performance tweaks.

Understanding Server Performance

Before optimizing, understand these key metrics:

• Server FPS: Target 30-60 FPS for smooth gameplay
• Tick Rate: How often server updates game state
• Network Bandwidth: Upload speed affects player experience
• CPU Usage: Single-threaded performance matters most
• RAM Usage: Memory leaks can cause crashes

Quick Optimization Checklist

✅ Limit server FPS to 30-45 (saves CPU) ✅ Reduce view distances (especially grass) ✅ Optimize player count for your hardware ✅ Remove unnecessary mods ✅ Use SSD for server files ✅ Enable performance logging ✅ Configure proper startup parameters

Config.json Performance Settings

Use our JSON Config Tool to easily apply these optimizations:

View Distance Optimization

View distances dramatically impact performance:

{
  "game": {
    "gameProperties": {
      "serverMaxViewDistance": 2000,
      "serverMinGrassDistance": 50,
      "networkViewDistance": 1500,
      "disableThirdPerson": false
    }
  }
}

Recommended Values by Player Count:

AI and NPC Settings

AI entities consume significant CPU resources:

{
  "game": {
    "gameProperties": {
      "aiLimit": 20,
      "aiLimitGroupModifier": 0.5,
      "timeAcceleration": 1,
      "fastForwardTime": ""
    }
  }
}

AI Optimization Tips:

• Reduce aiLimit to 10-20 for large servers
• Use aiLimitGroupModifier to control group AI
• Disable AI in PvP-focused scenarios
• Test different scenarios for AI performance

Startup Parameter Optimization

Launch parameters significantly affect performance:

Windows Batch File

@echo off
ArmaReforgerServer.exe -config config.json ^
  -profile ServerProfile ^
  -maxFPS 30 ^
  -nothreads 4 ^
  -cpuCount 4 ^
  -logStats 60 ^
  -skipIntro ^
  -noSplash
pause

Linux Launch Script

#!/bin/bash
./ArmaReforgerServer \
  -config config.json \
  -profile ServerProfile \
  -maxFPS 30 \
  -nothreads 4 \
  -cpuCount 4 \
  -logStats 60 \
  -skipIntro \
  -noSplash

Parameter Breakdown

Hardware-Specific Optimization

For High-End Servers (i7-8700K+, 16GB+ RAM)

{
  "game": {
    "maxPlayers": 64,
    "gameProperties": {
      "serverMaxViewDistance": 2500,
      "networkViewDistance": 2000,
      "aiLimit": 30
    }
  }
}

Startup: -maxFPS 45 -nothreads 8

For Mid-Range Servers (i5-6600K, 8-12GB RAM)

{
  "game": {
    "maxPlayers": 32,
    "gameProperties": {
      "serverMaxViewDistance": 2000,
      "networkViewDistance": 1500,
      "aiLimit": 15
    }
  }
}

Startup: -maxFPS 30 -nothreads 4

For Budget Servers (i5-4460, 8GB RAM)

{
  "game": {
    "maxPlayers": 16,
    "gameProperties": {
      "serverMaxViewDistance": 1500,
      "networkViewDistance": 1200,
      "aiLimit": 10
    }
  }
}

Startup: -maxFPS 30 -nothreads 4

Network Optimization

Bandwidth Requirements

Calculate required upload bandwidth:

Formula: (Players × 100 kbps) + 500 kbps overhead

Network Config Settings

{
  "bindAddress": "0.0.0.0",
  "bindPort": 2001,
  "publicAddress": "YOUR.IP.ADDRESS",
  "publicPort": 2001,
  "game": {
    "gameProperties": {
      "networkViewDistance": 1500,
      "battlEye": true,
      "VONDisableUI": false,
      "VONDisableDirectSpeechUI": false,
      "VONCanTransmitCrossFaction": false
    }
  }
}

Network Tips:

• Use wired Ethernet (never Wi-Fi for servers)
• Enable QoS on router for gaming traffic
• Disable bandwidth-heavy applications
• Consider dedicated network card

Mod Optimization

Mods can severely impact performance if not managed properly:

Performance-Friendly Mod Practices

1. Limit Total Mods: Keep under 15 active mods
2. Avoid Large Content Mods: Stick to gameplay tweaks
3. Check Mod Compatibility: Test mods individually
4. Monitor Mod Updates: Outdated mods cause issues
5. Remove Unused Mods: Clean up regularly

High-Performance Mod List Example

{
  "game": {
    "mods": [
      {
        "modId": "PERFORMANCE_MOD_ID",
        "name": "Performance Enhancer"
      },
      {
        "modId": "UI_OPTIMIZATION_ID",
        "name": "Optimized UI"
      }
    ]
  }
}

Avoid Performance-Heavy Mods:

• Large map expansions
• High-poly vehicle packs
• Complex AI behavior mods
• Graphics enhancement mods

Use our Config Generator to manage mods easily!

Operating System Optimization

Windows Server

Power Settings:

1. Control Panel → Power Options
2. Select "High Performance" plan
3. Advanced settings → Processor power management
4. Set minimum/maximum processor state to 100%

Process Priority:

1. Open Task Manager
2. Find ArmaReforgerServer.exe
3. Right-click → Set Priority → High
4. Set Affinity to use all CPU cores

Windows Services to Disable:

• Windows Search
• Superfetch/SysMain
• Windows Update (schedule manually)
• Print Spooler (if not printing)

Linux Server

CPU Governor:

# Set CPU to performance mode
sudo cpupower frequency-set -g performance

# Verify
cpupower frequency-info

Process Priority:

# Start server with high priority
nice -n -5 ./ArmaReforgerServer -config config.json

System Optimizations:

# Increase file descriptor limits
ulimit -n 65536

# Optimize network stack
sudo sysctl -w net.core.rmem_max=26214400
sudo sysctl -w net.core.wmem_max=26214400

Storage Optimization

SSD vs HDD Performance

SSD Benefits:

• 50% faster server startup
• 30% faster mission loading
• Reduced stutter during gameplay
• Better mod loading times

Storage Configuration

Windows:

• Install server on fastest drive
• Disable drive indexing
• Disable Windows Search for server folder
• Enable TRIM for SSDs

Linux:

# Mount SSD with optimal flags
UUID=your-uuid /opt/arma noatime,nodiratime,discard 0 2

# Add to /etc/fstab for persistence

Monitoring Performance

Built-in Performance Logging

Enable detailed logging:

-logStats 60

This creates performance logs in:

• Windows: ServerProfile\logs\
• Linux: ServerProfile/logs/

Key Metrics to Monitor

CPU Usage:

• Target: 60-80% usage
• Problem: 100% usage = need optimization
• Solution: Reduce players or view distance

RAM Usage:

• Target: 60-70% of available RAM
• Problem: Memory leaks cause crashes
• Solution: Restart server daily

Network Traffic:

• Monitor upload bandwidth usage
• Check for packet loss
• Verify stable latency (< 50ms)

Recommended Monitoring Tools

Windows:

• Task Manager (basic)
• Resource Monitor (detailed)
• Process Explorer (advanced)

Linux:

# CPU and RAM monitoring
htop

# Network monitoring
iftop

# Disk I/O
iotop

Advanced Optimization Techniques

Memory Management

Windows:

# Large Page support (requires admin)
ArmaReforgerServer.exe -config config.json -hugepages

Linux:

# Enable huge pages
echo 512 > /proc/sys/vm/nr_hugepages

# Launch with huge pages
./ArmaReforgerServer -config config.json -hugepages

CPU Affinity Optimization

Dedicate specific CPU cores to server:

Windows (PowerShell):

$process = Get-Process ArmaReforgerServer
$process.ProcessorAffinity = 0x0F  # Use first 4 cores

Linux:

# Bind to cores 0-3
taskset -c 0-3 ./ArmaReforgerServer -config config.json

Networking Tweaks

Registry Tweaks (Windows):

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\Tcpip\Parameters]
"TcpTimedWaitDelay"=dword:0000001e
"MaxUserPort"=dword:0000fffe
"TcpNumConnections"=dword:00004e20

Sysctl Tweaks (Linux):

# Add to /etc/sysctl.conf
net.ipv4.tcp_tw_reuse = 1
net.ipv4.tcp_fin_timeout = 30
net.core.netdev_max_backlog = 5000
net.ipv4.tcp_max_syn_backlog = 4096

Troubleshooting Performance Issues

Low Server FPS

Symptoms:

• Server FPS below 30
• Player movement lag
• AI behavior delays

Solutions:

1. Lower view distances by 500m
2. Reduce player count by 25%
3. Remove performance-heavy mods
4. Increase server FPS limit
5. Check CPU temperature (thermal throttling)

High Latency

Symptoms:

• Ping over 100ms
• Rubber-banding
• Delayed hit registration

Solutions:

1. Check upload bandwidth usage
2. Enable QoS on router
3. Reduce networkViewDistance
4. Verify no background downloads
5. Test server location (closer to players)

Memory Leaks

Symptoms:

• RAM usage steadily increases
• Server crashes after hours
• Performance degrades over time

Solutions:

1. Restart server daily (automated)
2. Remove mods one-by-one to identify culprit
3. Update server to latest version
4. Check for mod memory leaks

Stuttering

Symptoms:

• Periodic freezes
• Frame drops during combat
• Load spikes

Solutions:

1. Move server to SSD
2. Increase RAM allocation
3. Reduce AI count
4. Lower serverMaxViewDistance
5. Disable unnecessary mods

Automated Maintenance Scripts

Windows Auto-Restart Script

@echo off
:start
echo Starting Arma Reforger Server...
ArmaReforgerServer.exe -config config.json -profile ServerProfile -maxFPS 30
echo Server crashed or stopped. Restarting in 30 seconds...
timeout /t 30
goto start

Linux Auto-Restart Script

#!/bin/bash
while true; do
    echo "Starting Arma Reforger Server..."
    ./ArmaReforgerServer -config config.json -profile ServerProfile -maxFPS 30
    echo "Server stopped. Restarting in 30 seconds..."
    sleep 30
done

Scheduled Restarts

Windows Task Scheduler:

1. Create task to run restart script daily at 4 AM
2. Set priority to High
3. Run whether user is logged on or not

Linux Cron:

# Add to crontab -e
0 4 * * * /home/steam/restart-server.sh

Performance Benchmarking

Before Optimization

Document baseline performance:

• Server FPS: __________
• Player count: __________
• Average ping: __________
• CPU usage: __________
• RAM usage: __________

After Optimization

Track improvements:

• Server FPS: __________ (+___%)
• Player count: __________ (+___)
• Average ping: __________ (-___ms)
• CPU usage: __________ (-___%)
• RAM usage: __________ (-___GB)

Optimization Checklist

Use this checklist for your optimization process:

• Set appropriate -maxFPS parameter
• Configure view distances for player count
• Optimize AI settings
• Enable performance logging
• Remove unnecessary mods
• Move server files to SSD
• Set process priority to High
• Configure CPU affinity
• Enable large page support
• Optimize network settings
• Set up automated restarts
• Monitor performance metrics
• Test with real players
• Fine-tune based on feedback

Need More Help?

If you're still experiencing performance issues:

• Validate Your Config: JSON Validator
• Generate Optimized Config: Config Tool
• Community Support: Join Our Discord
• Professional Hosting: XGamingServer

Additional Resources

• Server Setup Guide
• Troubleshooting Guide
• PS5 Cross-Platform Setup
• Official Performance Guide

Last Updated: November 2025

Ready to optimize your server? Use our JSON Config Tool to apply these settings easily!