View distance and simulation distance

Performance & Lag Reviewed September 6, 2026 1 min read

If you change one thing to improve TPS, change these. They control how much of the world the server has to keep loaded, and the cost grows with the square of the number.

Why it happens

view-distance is how many chunks around each player the server sends to their client. simulation-distance is how many it actually ticks — mobs moving, crops growing, redstone firing. Going from 10 to 12 is not 20% more work, it is closer to 44%, because the area is a square.

What to do

  1. Set view-distance to 8 or 10

    In server.properties. Below 6 the world starts feeling claustrophobic; above 12 you pay a lot of memory for scenery most players never look at.

  2. Set simulation-distance lower than view distance

    Usually 5 or 6. Players see far, but the server only simulates what is near them. This is where most of the saving comes from.

  3. Restart and compare TPS

    Run tps before and after, at a similar player count, so you are comparing the same situation.

How to confirm it worked

TPS rises and stays closer to 20 with the same number of players online.

Worth knowing

More players multiplies this. Ten players spread across the map each carry their own loaded area, so a setting that is comfortable with three people can be the whole problem with fifteen.