How to Create a Bedwars Server

What Makes Bedwars So Popular

Bedwars is arguably the most popular competitive minigame in Minecraft, behind only survival games (Hunger Games/SkyWars) in terms of total player hours across all servers. The format, teams on floating islands protecting their beds while trying to destroy opponents' beds, creates a game loop that is easy to understand but incredibly deep to master. Resource management, PvP skill, bridge-building speed, team communication and strategic timing all matter. A two-minute round and a fifteen-minute round are both possible depending on skill level and aggression.

For server owners, Bedwars is a proven player magnet. It is one of the most searched-for Minecraft game modes, which means organic traffic from players specifically looking for Bedwars servers. The investment in setup is higher than simpler minigames like Spleef, but the payoff in consistent player retention makes it worthwhile for any server aiming to grow a competitive community.

Choosing a Bedwars Plugin

There are three major plugins worth considering:

BedWars1058

BedWars1058 by andrei1058 is the most feature-complete free option. It supports arenas, shop customization, upgrades, parties, stats, multiple game modes (solo, doubles, 3v3, 4v4), and has an active development community with addons for cosmetics, challenges and private games. Configuration is extensive but well-documented. This is our recommended starting point for most servers.

BedWarsRel

BedWarsRel is an older but still functional alternative. It is simpler to configure than BedWars1058 but has fewer features. If you want a bare-bones Bedwars experience without the overhead of a full-featured plugin, BedWarsRel gets you there faster. However, addon support and community activity have declined compared to BedWars1058.

BedWarsProxy

BedWarsProxy is not a standalone plugin but a companion to BedWars1058 designed for multi-server setups running behind a BungeeCord or Velocity proxy. If you plan to run a network with a dedicated lobby server and separate game servers, BedWarsProxy handles cross-server queue management. For single-server setups, you do not need this.

For this guide, we will focus on BedWars1058. Download it from SpigotMC, place the jar in your plugins/ folder and restart.

Arena Setup

Arena creation is the most time-consuming part of setting up Bedwars. Each arena contains islands (one per team), generators, and shop NPCs. Here is the process:

Creating Islands

Each team needs a floating island with these elements:

• Bed: The team's bed, placed on the island. When destroyed by an enemy, team members can no longer respawn. Place it in a spot that can be defended but is not impossible to reach.
• Island generator: A location where iron and gold spawn. BedWars1058 handles this with an invisible spawner, you just set the location.
• Team spawn point: Where players spawn/respawn. Should be near the bed but not on top of it.
• Shop NPCs: Two NPCs, one for the item shop and one for the team upgrades shop. These are created by the plugin when you set their locations.

Build one island, configure it, then build the remaining islands at symmetric positions around a central diamond generator.

Arena Configuration Commands

/bw setupArena <arenaName>
/bw setLobby <arenaName>
/bw addTeam <arenaName> <teamName> <color>
/bw setSpawn <arenaName> <teamName>
/bw setBed <arenaName> <teamName>
/bw setShop <arenaName> <teamName>
/bw setUpgrade <arenaName> <teamName>
/bw setGenerator <arenaName> <type>

Generator types are typically iron (island), gold (island), diamond (mid-map) and emerald (mid-map). Diamond and emerald generators should be placed in contested areas between islands to create fight points.

Standard Map Layout

Team Count	Layout	Recommended Size
2 Teams (Duels)	Two islands facing each other	80x80 blocks
4 Teams (Standard)	Square layout, one island per corner	120x120 blocks
8 Teams (Mega)	Octagonal layout	200x200 blocks

Configuring Upgrades and Items

The item shop and upgrade shop are configured through YAML files in the plugin's config folder. The default configuration mimics Hypixel's shop layout, but you should customize it to match your server's balance preferences.

Item Shop

The shop sells blocks, weapons, armor, tools and utility items in exchange for iron, gold, diamonds and emeralds. Key balance considerations:

• Keep wool cheap (4 iron) so bridging is accessible to everyone.
• Price weapons progressively, stone sword for iron, iron sword for gold, diamond sword for emeralds.
• Utility items (fireballs, TNT, ender pearls) should be expensive enough to feel impactful but affordable enough to see regular use.
• Armor upgrades should be permanent per life (persists through death) to create a sense of progression within each game.

Team Upgrades

Upgrade shop items affect the entire team. Standard upgrades include sharpened swords, reinforced armor, faster generators, heal pools near the base, and traps that alert the team when an enemy enters their island. These upgrades cost diamonds and emeralds, incentivizing teams to contest the mid-map generators.

Team Sizes and Game Modes

BedWars1058 supports multiple team sizes on the same server. Configure separate arenas for each mode:

• Solo (1v1v1v1+): No teams, every player for themselves. Fast-paced, high skill ceiling.
• Doubles (2v2v2v2): The most popular mode. Small enough for duo coordination, large enough for interesting dynamics.
• 3v3 and 4v4: Standard team play. Requires communication and role specialization.

Create separate arena groups for each mode and let players choose via an NPC menu or a command.

Map Building Guidelines

Building a good Bedwars map is an art. Here are guidelines that competitive Bedwars communities have converged on:

• Island distance: 30-45 blocks between islands. Shorter distances favor aggressive rush strategies. Longer distances favor resource farming and late-game fights.
• Void height: Build islands at Y=100 or higher with void below Y=0. Falling into the void should kill players instantly.
• Bed placement: Embed the bed inside the island structure, not on top. A bed sitting exposed on a flat surface gets destroyed in seconds. Standard defense meta involves wrapping the bed in wool and endstone, so leave room for that.
• Generator placement: Diamond generators at the midpoint between two adjacent teams. Emerald generators at the absolute center. This creates contested zones and forces teams to leave their base.
• Aesthetics matter. A well-themed map (pirate ships, space stations, medieval castles) gets chosen more often in map votes and gives your server identity. Use WorldEdit to speed up large builds.

Lobby and Queue System

Players need a clean way to join games. BedWars1058 includes a lobby system where players can select game modes via NPCs, signs, or commands. Set up a physical lobby with:

• Mode selection NPCs (Solo, Doubles, 3v3, 4v4) using Citizens
• Stats display showing personal wins, kills, final kills and beds broken
• Leaderboard for top players
• A cosmetic shop where players can spend coins earned from games

The queue system matches players into available arenas. With enough concurrent players, you can run multiple arenas simultaneously. BedWars1058 handles arena allocation automatically, when one fills up, new players are routed to the next available arena.

Stats, Leaderboards and Progression

BedWars1058 tracks comprehensive stats per player: wins, losses, kills, final kills, beds broken, games played, and more. These stats are stored in a database (SQLite by default, MySQL for multi-server setups). Display them using PlaceholderAPI expansions or the plugin's built-in leaderboard features.

Add a leveling system where players gain XP per game and unlock cosmetic rewards (kill effects, victory dances, sprays, bed break effects) at each level. This gives players long-term progression goals beyond just winning individual games, which dramatically increases retention on your server.

Dedicated Server vs. Mini-Server Approach

For small servers (under 50 concurrent players), running BedWars1058 alongside your survival world on a single server is fine. The plugin manages its own worlds and does not interfere with other gamemodes.

For larger servers, consider a dedicated Bedwars server behind a proxy (BungeeCord or Velocity). This isolates Bedwars lag from your main server, lets you allocate dedicated resources, and scales independently. Use BedWarsProxy to handle cross-server lobbies. Each game server runs its own BedWars1058 instance with multiple arenas.

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