Crux

Crux is a hosted backend for games with multiplayer progression and live servers. It best suits indie and mid-size teams making dedicated-server survival or co-op games; offline single-player projects are a poor fit. Its broad backend toolkit and free entry plan are appealing, but Runtime remains a tightly limited alpha.

Overview

Crux brings authentication, persistent data, leaderboards, economy, server registration and matchmaking into one managed service. For a small team, that can mean fewer separate backend components to integrate. The tradeoff is that the managed backend is proprietary: the hosted API is documented with OpenAPI and client SDKs are MIT-licensed, but those terms do not make the backend itself open source.

Authentication covers email and password, guest sessions, Google, GitHub and Discord OAuth, plus Roblox verification. Player- and project-scoped JSON documents support persistent state. Ranked and seasonal leaderboards have configurable rules and recurring resets, while server-authoritative atomic economy updates help protect currencies, items and inventories. Matchmaking queues by game mode and region, then assigns players to live servers in the registry.

Key features

Progression and live operations

Remote configuration, live event tools, data, rankings and economy features provide a useful base for games that evolve after launch. Crux does not offer player segmentation or experimentation, so teams that need those capabilities will need another approach.

Runtime and deployment

Crux Runtime runs Godot 4 Linux dedicated-server exports as isolated processes in the EU, but it is a capacity-gated closed alpha, not a general production hosting promise. Admitted Dev projects get just three lifetime evaluation hours, one concurrent session and a one-hour session cap. Self-hosting is not a shipping feature, which makes Crux a weaker choice for teams that require control over server deployment.

Security and portability

PostgreSQL row-level security, environment isolation and separate API key, server token and player JWT access modes provide distinct controls for different parts of a game backend. Crux says it processes player data on the developer's behalf and does not sell personally identifying profile data to third parties. Stored players, documents, leaderboard entries, economy balances and config bundles can be read through the API; Crux also promises advance notice and an export window if it winds down.

Pricing

Dev costs nothing, billed $0 forever, with no credit card required. It includes 10,000 MAU/month, 2M API calls, a 10 req/s peak, three active servers, unlimited projects, two environments each and all BaaS features, plus community support. This is a generous way to build and evaluate the backend, but the Runtime allowance is only three lifetime hours when admitted.

Launch costs $10 a month, billed $10 / month. It raises the caps to 25,000 MAU/month, 25M API calls, 100 req/s peak and 100 active servers, and adds four environments, one project, 50 GB of player documents and email support. It is the practical step up for one project that has outgrown Dev's quotas, but gives up Dev's unlimited project count.

Scale costs $79 a month, billed $79 / month. It includes 500,000 MAU/month, 500M API calls, 1,000 req/s peak, 2,000 active servers, eight environments, one project, 1 TB of player documents and priority email support. This is aimed at a substantially larger service; it retains the one-project limit despite the higher capacity.

Custom has custom pricing, with commercial terms by agreement and limits for MAU, API calls, projects, environments, storage and resources set to fit the agreement; support terms are agreed with your team. It is the route for requirements beyond the fixed plans, but the cost and terms depend on negotiation.

Platforms

Crux lists Android, iOS, Linux, macOS, web, Windows and API support. Its integrations include Unity, Roblox, Godot and custom game servers, with JavaScript, Godot, Unity and Roblox client SDKs. Godot 4 is the stated engine for Runtime, so teams using another engine should distinguish integration support from Runtime hosting.

Who it's for

Crux is most compelling for indie and mid-size studios building multiplayer survival or co-op games around persistent player data, economies and dedicated servers. It is less suited to offline single-player games, or to teams that need production Runtime hosting today, self-hosting, player segmentation or experimentation.

Pros and cons

• Pros: A single service covers accounts, persistence, rankings, economy and matchmaking, reducing the need to assemble those backend basics separately.
• Pros: Dev has no charge, no credit-card requirement, unlimited projects and all BaaS features, giving teams room to build before committing to a paid plan.
• Pros: API-readable data and the promised wind-down export window give developers a clearer path to retrieve core game records.
• Cons: Runtime is a closed alpha with strict evaluation caps, and self-hosting is not a shipping option.
• Cons: Launch and Scale each allow one project, while Dev's quotas are much lower than the paid tiers.
• Cons: No player segmentation or experimentation limits Crux for teams whose live-ops workflow depends on either capability.

Alternatives

For a broad selection of services in the category, browse Game LiveOps Software; for ranking-focused options, see Game Leaderboard Software.

• BACKND is another freemium option with a free plan and chat-focused features, including translation.
• brainCloud is a freemium alternative with self-hosted support among its platforms.
• Metaplay offers local development with its full SDK and local server, with no hard limits on local development.
• GameAnalytics is worth considering when analytics is the priority: its free plan has no MAU limits and includes dashboards, events, funnels, cohorts, retention and real-time reporting.
• Hyperstone is another freemium option with a free plan and self-hosted support.
• Ondara Game Services is another freemium game services option.
• PlayFab is another freemium option with a free-to-start plan for development.
• AccelByte Gaming Services offers free cloud foundations while building, with usage fees as players arrive; consider it when that pricing structure better suits your rollout.

Verdict

Choose Crux if you are building a persistent multiplayer survival or co-op game and want authentication, progression, economy and matchmaking under one managed backend, with a substantial free plan for early development. Look elsewhere if you need mature server hosting, self-hosting, segmentation or experimentation: Runtime's alpha limits make it an evaluation feature, not the reason to commit to Crux for production.