This guide shows you how to keep Nakama by Heroic Labs for your accounts, social features and matchmaking, and start an Edgegap dedicated game server for each match: when Nakama's matchmaker groups players, Nakama deploys a server near them and sends every player its address.
Once your game server is containerized, Edgegap deploys it worldwide to 615+ Edge Cloud locations (on-demand) from a simple API call and billed exclusively on usage: no entire server to rent, provision or keep running between matches. For persistent servers of reserved capacity, Edgegap offers Private Fleets.
Nakama and Edgegap connect through Edgegap's Nakama Fleet Manager plugin, a verified integration co-maintained with Heroic Labs. It runs inside your Nakama server, so your Edgegap API token stays on your backend and never reaches a game client.
This guide covers:
Preparing a working Edgegap app version and a Nakama server
Connecting your coding agent to Edgegap (optional)
Adding the Edgegap Fleet Manager to Nakama
Configuring it
Reporting the game server's state to Nakama
Starting a server when Nakama's matchmaker finds a match
Testing with two players
You can do it two ways, and mix them:
With a coding agent. Connect Claude Code, Cursor or another agent to the Edgegap MCP server and its agent skills. The agent writes the Nakama module and the game server calls, and checks your app version and deployments. You handle your Nakama and Edgegap dashboards, the secrets, and playtest.
By hand. Every step below also works without an agent.
1. Before you start
A free Edgegap account. Verify your email. No credit card is needed to test.
A working Edgegap app version of your game server: a server you deployed and joined at least once. Nakama deploys that version for every match, so it needs a functional, containerized game server to work end to end. If you don't have one yet, use our guides: Unity Engine, Unreal Engine, Godot Engine or Custom Engine. Note its application name, version name and port name (usually
gameport).A Nakama server you can add a Go runtime module to: self-hosted with Docker, or on Heroic Cloud.
An Edgegap API token, from Dashboard → User Settings → Tokens. It goes only in your Nakama server's configuration. It is organization-wide, so never put it in your game client, your game server, your project files or a chat.
2. Connect your coding agent to Edgegap
Skip this step if you're doing everything by hand.
The Edgegap MCP server lets your agent check your apps and versions, deploy test servers and read their logs on your account. The edgegap-deployments-api agent skill gives it the tested rules for backends that start Edgegap servers, Nakama included.
Claude Code (run in your own terminal, so the token never passes through the chat):
claude mcp add --transport http edgegap https://mcp.edgegap.dev/mcp -H "Authorization: token YOUR_EDGEGAP_API_TOKEN" --scope user
Then install the skills: /plugin marketplace add edgegap/edgegap-agent-skills, then /plugin install edgegap@edgegap. Restart the session.
Cursor, VS Code and other clients that send headers: add https://mcp.edgegap.dev/mcp with the header Authorization: token YOUR_EDGEGAP_API_TOKEN, and install the skills with npx skills add edgegap/edgegap-agent-skills --skill "*".
Claude Desktop: custom connectors can't send the header, so use the local server instead (Node 18+): { "mcpServers": { "edgegap": { "command": "npx", "args": ["-y", "@edgegap/mcp"] } } }. It asks for the token on first use.
Check it works:
"List my Edgegap apps and their versions, with each version's ports."
3. Add the Edgegap Fleet Manager to Nakama
The plugin implements Nakama's Fleet Manager: Nakama asks it for a server, and it deploys one on Edgegap and tracks it in Nakama's storage.
Self-hosted Nakama: add the Go package to your runtime module with go get github.com/edgegap/nakama-edgegap, then register it in your module's InitModule:
fleetmanager.NewEdgegapFleetManager(ctx, logger, db, nk, initializer), theninitializer.RegisterFleetManager(efm).initializer.RegisterAfterAuthenticateCustom(fleetmanager.OnAuthenticateUpdateCustom): stores each player's public IP when they sign in, so Edgegap can place the server near the whole group.initializer.RegisterMatchmakerMatched(...): your callback for step 6.
For a local test, the repository includes a docker-compose.yml and Dockerfile: docker compose up --build -d.
Heroic Cloud: create a Builder from the nakama-edgegap repository (or your fork with your own module code).
With your agent:
"Load the edgegap-deployments-api skill. Add github.com/edgegap/nakama-edgegap to my Nakama Go module: register the Edgegap Fleet Manager, the after-authenticate hook that stores player IPs, and a matchmaker-matched callback that creates an Edgegap instance for the matched users and notifies them. Read every setting from environment variables."
4. Configure the Fleet Manager
Set these environment variables on your Nakama server (on Heroic Cloud, in your instance's configuration):
EDGEGAP_API_URL:https://api.edgegap.comEDGEGAP_API_TOKEN: your API token, including itstokenprefix. Keep it in your secret store.EDGEGAP_APPLICATION: your Edgegap application name.INITIAL_EDGEGAP_VERSION: the app version to deploy, used until you set another one.EDGEGAP_PORT_NAME: the port players connect to, usuallygameport.NAKAMA_ACCESS_URL: the publichttps://address of your Nakama server, which game servers call back.
Optional: EDGEGAP_POLLING_INTERVAL (default 15 minutes), NAKAMA_CLEANUP_INTERVAL (1 minute) and NAKAMA_RESERVATION_MAX_DURATION (30 seconds). Keep both background workers on in production.
Ship a new server build without restarting Nakama: call the server-to-server RPC update_edgegap_version with {"version": "..."}, using your Nakama HTTP key. It checks the version exists on Edgegap first. Game clients can't call it.
5. Report the game server's state to Nakama
Nakama tracks every server it starts: whether it's ready, who is connected, and how many seats are free. Your game server tells it, using three environment variables the plugin injects into each deployment:
NAKAMA_INSTANCE_EVENT_URL: sendREADYonce the server accepts players,ERRORif it can't start the match, andSTOPwhen the match ends. OnSTOP, Nakama stops the Edgegap deployment.NAKAMA_CONNECTION_EVENT_URL: send the full list of connected user IDs, batched about every 5 seconds.NAKAMA_INSTANCE_METADATA: the match details Nakama created the server with, as JSON.
Unity: the Edgegap Server Nakama Plugin for Unity makes these calls for you. Other engines: three small HTTP calls from your server code.
With your agent:
"In my game server, read NAKAMA_INSTANCE_EVENT_URL, NAKAMA_CONNECTION_EVENT_URL and NAKAMA_INSTANCE_METADATA. Send READY with the instance ID once the server listens, send the connected user IDs every 5 seconds, and send STOP when the match ends."
6. Start a server when Nakama finds a match
Players join Nakama's matchmaker from your game client, as they do today (
AddMatchmakerin Nakama's client SDKs).When Nakama groups them, your matchmaker-matched callback collects the matched user IDs and calls the Fleet Manager's
Createwith the match size and those users.The Fleet Manager deploys your app version near the players and waits for the server's
READY.Each player receives a Nakama notification with subject
connection-info:IpAddress,DnsName,PortandInstanceId. The client connects to that address and port. If the server can't start, players getcreate-timeoutorcreate-failedinstead: send them back to the queue.
Want players to join servers already running? The plugin also has sample RPCs: instance_list (for example, servers with at least one free seat) and instance_join. Use Nakama's matchmaker for production, and these for testing or a server browser.
7. Test with two players
Make sure no test deployment is still running: the free tier runs one deployment at a time.
Sign two clients in to Nakama and join the matchmaker with both.
In the Edgegap dashboard, a deployment of your version appears in a location near you.
Both clients receive
connection-infoand connect to the same server.End the match: the server sends
STOP, Nakama stops the deployment, and it disappears from the dashboard.
If players get an address but can't connect, it's the server, not Nakama: deploy your version by hand from the dashboard and join it directly.
Going live? Ask your agent to run the edgegap-launch skill's checklist: version rollouts, restart policy, maximum duration, cost control. No backend yet? Edgegap's hosted matchmaker needs no code to run.
Stuck? Ask your agent to load edgegap-troubleshoot, or ask our team and other studios on the Edgegap Discord.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about hosting Nakama matches on Edgegap's dedicated servers.
Can Nakama start dedicated game servers?
Yes. Nakama's Fleet Manager lets it request a server for each match. Edgegap's Nakama plugin implements it: when Nakama's matchmaker groups players, it deploys an Edgegap server near them and sends every player the address.
Does the Edgegap Nakama plugin work on Heroic Cloud?
Yes. Create a Builder from the nakama-edgegap repository, or from your fork with your own module code, and set the plugin's environment variables on your instance. It also runs on self-hosted Nakama with Docker.
Where does my Edgegap API token go with Nakama?
Only in your Nakama server's configuration, as EDGEGAP_API_TOKEN. Game clients and game servers never hold it: game servers report their state to Nakama through the callback URLs the plugin injects.
How do players get the server address from Nakama?
When the server is ready, Nakama sends each matched player a connection-info notification with the server's IP address, host name, port and instance ID. The client connects to it directly.
Which game engines work with Nakama and Edgegap?
Any engine whose server runs in a Linux container: Unity, Unreal Engine, Godot or your own. Edgegap's Unity plugin makes the server-side Nakama calls for you; other engines make three small HTTP calls.

Clients
Learn more from clients who integrated Edgegap
31 case studies are available from studios that moved to Edgegap from another platform.

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7 Days Blood Moons
The Fun Pimps & iLLOGIKA
Learn how Illogika dramatically reduced server costs & ensured the online experience the 7 Days to Die franchise expects.
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Authentic Online Warfare Requires the Ultimate Orchestration
Highwire Games
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22,000 Reviews, 4.8 Stars, and Infrastructure That Scaled Automatically
Sinn Studios
How a simple, Slack-supported integration got Sinn Studio's hit VR title online fast and keeps it there.
Case Study

Dynamic Server Orchestration
Under NDA - AAA Studio
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Case Study

Near Zero Latency for AAA Fighting Game
AAA Studio - Under NDA
How an unannounced project delivered the lowest lag possible and improved fairness in its 1v1 game.
Case Study

Play Gods with Multiplayer Physics
Squido Studio
Learn how Squido uses Edgegap's highligh optimized game servers to deliver mind-bending & chaotic VR gameplay.
Case Study

A Fully Managed Solutions that Saves Time for Indies Multiplayer VR Horror
Dirty Pearl Studios
Discover how Dirty Pearl Studios saved development time thanks to Edgegap’s easy integration and automated orchestration alongside its Nakama integration.
Case Study

Instant Global Server Deployment for Collaborative XR Medical Education
AlensiaXR
How AlensiaXR uses Edgegap to deliver low-latency, always-available shared anatomy sessions to medical students worldwide.
Case Study

The Lightkeepers: A VR Social Co-op Game with Dedicated Servers
Spectral Games
How Spectral Games used Edgegap Matchmaking and Server Browser to launch dedicated servers for its VR social lobby, with no prior server experience.
Case Study

Fast & reliable deployments worldwide for PvPvE challenger Gravebound
Crater Studios
How Edgegap’s orchestration and matchmaking helped Crater Studios dramatically helped a small them focus on gameplay instead of infrastructure.
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Rapid Scaling of Web Metaverse
Hiber
Learn how Hiber eliminated the guesswork out of its server capacity planning with Edgegap.
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High Hardware Requirements & Custom Game Server Pools
Alderon Games
Learn how Alderon Games instantly leverages a custom pool of game servers across multiple providers worldwide for its popular MMO.
Case Study

Easy Integration for Indie Devs
WhaleFood Games
Read how WhaleFood Games "kicked out" its netcode issues with Edgegap.
Case Study

Cutting-edge tech that powers South-East Asia’s first-ever eSports title.
Anantarupa Studios
Learn how Edgegap transformed South-East Asia’s gaming landscape streamlining complex infrastructure and cutting-edge tech with one seamless solution.
Case Study

One Strike. Global Reach.
Triple Hill Interactive
How Triple Hill Interactive leverages Edgegap's orchestration to deliver low latency and improve fairness in a genre where every millisecond counts.
Case Study

Fast-paced Team Battle Royale... with Gun-totting Animal Plushes!
SANDYFLOOR
Discover how a Korea-based Indie Studio launched it multiplayer worldwide.
Case Study

Mobile Horse Racing Goes Global with Instant, Cost-Efficient Servers
Mirai Labs
How Mirai Labs powers Pegaxy Blaze's worldwide multiplayer races with just-in-time server deployment and fractional vCPU to keep cost per player low.
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Server Management & Distribution
Matrioshka Games
Read how Matrioshka Games were able to ship a Battle Royale in early access with limited ressources.
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At my Signal, Unleash Hell!
TyGames
Discover how Indie studio TyGames immerses players in third-person gladiatorial combat multiplayer.
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Instant Worldwide Orchestration
Soliton Interactive
Discover how Soliton Interactive did the impossible… Ship it's first playable as multiplayer!
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Competitive play with server-side physics ensures ideal sub-50 ms latency
NS7
Discover why solely Edgegap could enable an indie studio to deliver on its vision for a AAA-quality F2P sports gameplay through server-side physics and authority.
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Regional Deployments for iGaming
X1 Contra 1
X1 Contra 1 delivers real-time PvP casual games to its Brazilian player base through cost-effective hosting & regional deployments, ensuring data and legal compliance.
Case Study

Pay Only When Players Play: Affordable Multiplayer Infrastructure
Meltdown Interactive
How Edgegap helped indie developer Meltdown Interactive Media solve cost-effective scaling and matchmaking without the complexity, so they could focus on building the game.
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One Edgegap platform, three very different networking profiles
Warped Games
How Warped Games runs a social hub, real-time co-op, and turn-based co-op, all on the same Edgegap deployment API and the same container pipeline.
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Pool Live Tour Max
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Korea’s Web3 POP Extraction Shooter Goes Global, Instantly
NDUS Entertainment
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Multiplayer in Every Dimension
Arcadia.tv
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F2P Mobile Fighter Cuts Infrastructure Costs With Just-in-Time Servers
Game Changers Worldwide
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