![Announcing Metaplay Starter [Updated for 2026]](/images/blog/announcing-metaplay-starter-featured.webp)
Metaplay Starter is our new affordable plan giving every Unity developer access to the same backend infrastructure trusted by the world's best game teams — with server-authoritative architecture, cloud deployment, and a full LiveOps Dashboard from day one.
We're excited to launch Metaplay Starter — our brand new plan giving every Unity developer access to the same backend infrastructure trusted by the world's best game teams. Our fully customizable SDK and battle-tested game servers make it easier than ever to build scalable, server-authoritative games from day one, while still keeping full control for long-term growth.
Why We Created Metaplay Starter for Indie and Mid-Size Studios
As Petri Kero, Co-Founder and CEO of Metaplay, explains: "Too many developers have either been priced out of using top-tier backend solutions or pushed into black-box platforms that can't grow with them. We believe great games deserve great tooling right from day one — tooling that won't hold teams back as they scale."
We want to give more studios a genuine shot at competing with the biggest studios who've spent years and millions building their own backends.
Earlier this year we pledged to be part of a Renaissance in gaming powered by accessible technology, and our new plans are now putting tech used by the biggest and best within reach of many, many more companies.
From Metaplay Free to Starter: A Natural Path to Online Game Deployment
The news follows our recent launch of Metaplay Free, another new plan giving developers unlimited local development at absolutely no cost. Now, Metaplay's new Starter plan gives developers a natural path to quick, affordable online deployments on a trusted, industrial-grade backend.
What's Included in Metaplay Starter
With the new Metaplay Starter plan, developers can start building with Metaplay's server-authoritative programming model, and deploy their game to the Metaplay Cloud for small-scale testing. They also gain access to Metaplay's pre-built LiveOps Dashboard - a powerful control center for running a live game at scale which can be extended and fully customized to suit the needs of any kind of game.
When ready to progress further into production, developers can upgrade to a Pre-launch or Production Metaplay Pro plan to leverage fully-scalable managed services.
To begin shipping your own game on the very same tech used by some of the world's best teams, head to portal.metaplay.dev to get started.
How to Set Up Your Starter Plan
Here's a quick 6-step guide on how to get your Unity game project up and running on a Metaplay Starter plan:
- Sign up to the Metaplay portal.
- Create your organization.
- Add new project.
- Choose Upgrade to Pro and select Starter Plan.
- Complete checkout.
- Your new environment will be waiting for you in the Portal.
For more info, check out our pricing page.
Happy building!
FAQ
What is the difference between Metaplay Free and Metaplay Starter?
Metaplay Free covers unlimited local development at no cost – SDK, local game server, LiveOps dashboard, and BotClient simulation, all running on your machine. Metaplay Starter adds cloud deployment, giving you a real hosted environment to test with actual players. It's the natural next step once local testing no longer tells you what you need to know.
Who is Metaplay Starter designed for?
Studios that have moved past local prototyping and need a cloud environment to test with real players, but aren't yet at the scale of a full production deployment. It's designed to give indie and mid-size studios access to the same server-authoritative backend infrastructure used by top-tier studios without the enterprise price tag.
Does Metaplay Starter include full source code access?
Yes. Metaplay ships as source code across all plans, including Starter. Unlike black-box backend platforms, you can read, modify, and extend every part of the SDK – the game server, LiveOps dashboard, and Unity client library are all fully open to your team.
Can I scale from Metaplay Starter to a production deployment without migrating platforms?
Yes. Starter is designed as a stepping stone: when your game is ready for full production, you upgrade to a Pre-launch or Production Pro plan within the same platform. There's no migration, no switching backend providers, and no rebuilding what you've already shipped.
