Twelve years ago, a high school student named Mitch Smith had a dream—and just $20 in his pocket. In 2013, he launched Shockbyte with a simple mission: make game server hosting more accessible for everyone. Today, that dream has grown into one of the biggest names in the industry, powering millions of unforgettable gaming moments around the world.
Let’s take a moment to look back at just how far we’ve come together:
2013
Before Shockbyte, Mitch Smith was already deep in the world of Minecraft—running a popular server of his own and learning firsthand what it takes to create an incredible player experience. That passion for gaming and community sparked a bigger idea: what if hosting servers could be easier, more affordable, and more reliable?
With just $20 and a ton of ambition, 15 year-old Mitch founded Shockbyte from his bedroom. What started as a solo project quickly grew into something much bigger—because gamers everywhere were looking for exactly what Shockbyte set out to deliver.
2018
In 2018, Shockbyte gained 35.8k customers, which allowed us to build a strong reputation in the gaming community, setting the stage for our growth into hosting services for other games later on.
2019
We expanded our offerings to include ARK: Survival Evolved, taking our first step into supporting more titles that players love.
2020
A huge year of growth:
- We launched the Minecraft for Educators Program, helping teachers bring learning to life with free servers during a time when the world needed connection more than ever.
- Shockbyte became the largest game server host in the Asia-Pacific, and one of the biggest globally—powering over 250,000 servers for 200,000+ customers.
- We were honored to be featured in The Verge, Fast Company, Computer Weekly, and TechRadar.
- We took the stage at the OVHcloud Ecosystem Experience, sharing our journey with a wider tech community.
2021
We hit a major milestone: 50 amazing team members and support for more iconic games, including Valheim, CS:GO, Garry's Mod, Team Fortress 2, and Terraria. Our family—and our game library—kept growing.
2022
Our first major public event! We teamed up with OVHcloud to participate in Gamescom Asia, stepping further into the spotlight and connecting directly with developers and players.
2023
With 85+ team members working around the clock across the globe, we were able to offer true 24/7 support—because great gaming experiences never sleep.
We also took Shockbyte on the road, attending major industry events like GDC, Insomnia, and more. These events gave us the chance to connect with developers, creators, and players in person—and share our passion for powering the games people love.
2024
We launched our brand-new, state-of-the-art control panel, a huge leap forward in how our users manage their servers.
With lightning-fast load times, intuitive design, real-time updates, and advanced modding tools, it’s never been easier—or more fun—to host your own game server. This was more than an upgrade—it was a game-changer.
Today (2025)
Here’s where we stand:
- Hosting for 50+ different games, including community favorites like Rust.
- 1,000,000+ customers strong, and a player community of 30 million worldwide.
- 13 global server locations delivering lightning-fast, low-latency gameplay.
- And our new control panel? We’re just getting started. We’re constantly adding new features and refining existing ones—because your server management experience should keep getting better with time.
And through it all, one thing hasn’t changed: our commitment to quality, affordability, and the gaming communities that make this all worth it.
From a bedroom project to a global platform, Shockbyte has grown with the people who believed in it—you, our players, our customers, and our team.
Thank you for 12 incredible years. We’re just getting started.
