Best osu! Relax and Autopilot Private Servers

What is an osu! private server?

An osu! private server is a community-run alternative to the official bancho server that handles logins, scores, leaderboards and multiplayer. You keep using the osu! client, but connect it to a different server that keeps its own accounts, rankings and performance point calculations.

Private servers exist because players want things the official server does not offer, such as leaderboards for the Relax and Autopilot mods, alternative pp systems, ranking of unranked or loved beatmaps, or features that would otherwise require supporter status.

osu! is a free rhythm game created by Dean Herbert in which players click circles in time with music across four rulesets: standard, taiko, catch and mania. The official server, called Bancho, handles accounts, scores and rankings. Private servers reimplement that server so the same client can log into a different community with separate accounts, leaderboards and pp rules. They are popular for Relax and Autopilot boards, custom pp, nostalgia clients from 2008 to 2015, and free osu!direct. Many run on open-source backends such as bancho.py. The scene is small, with most servers having from dozens to a few thousand accounts.

Publisher

ppy Pty Ltd (Dean Herbert, 'peppy')

Rights holder

First released

2007

Server styles

5

See the table below

A short history of osu!

osu! was first released in 2007 by ppy Pty Ltd (Dean Herbert, 'peppy'). These are the milestones that shaped what private servers look like today.

osu! versions explained

Almost every private server picks one version of the game and sticks to it, so the version decides which content, classes and mechanics you get. Use this table to match a version to the style you want, then filter the server list accordingly.

osu! rates and terms you will see

osu! server types

Which client each server expects

The biggest practical question after "which server" is "which client". The directory research shows three routes: stable with a launch flag or switcher, stable with a patcher, and a lazer-based client supplied by the server. Your choice narrows the field before you read anything else.

Whatever you choose, follow the server's own connection guide and download only from its official site. Lazer is an actively developed client, so a lazer-based server has to keep its custom build current, while a stable-based server mostly needs its patcher or flag to keep working. Our osu! hub lists each server's supported client.

How big the scene really is

The official game reports about 20,000 daily active users and 30 million accounts as of July 2025, according to Wikipedia. Private servers are a different scale. The figures below are from public APIs and Discord invites on the day we checked, and registered accounts are not the same as active players.

How pp and leaderboards differ by server

Compare this with the official wiki, which says Relax makes a play unranked, and that pp is weighted by a score's position among your best plays. Pick a server whose pp rules you can read, and see the Relax and Autopilot page for servers that rank those mods.

Legacy clients and nostalgia servers

Titanic is the clearest example of a different kind of private server. Its front page says it is dedicated to preserving the early days of the game and lets players use client versions from 2008 to 2015. Its stats API showed 4,319 users, 1.4 million plays and 7 online on the day we checked, and it lists classic rankings such as PPv1 alongside ranked, approved and loved maps. It uses a patcher and installation guides from its own site.

Language and regional communities

Many servers grew from regional communities. osu!gatari is described as nurtured in the CIS community, osu!ksnk is a Russian-speaking Discord community's server with a Russian site, MellowOsu's interface and documentation are in Russian with some English, Banchosucks has a German interface, and somtum.fun is a fan-run server from Thailand. English documentation is the exception on a few of them, so check before you register.

• Check the language of the connection guide and rules, not just the homepage.
• Look at the Discord for recent staff replies in your language.
• Registration may be restricted: osu!gatari uses invite or paid registration.
• Free osu!direct is common: sunrise, ksnk, gatari and Nekosu all advertise it.

osu! terms worth knowing

How osu! private servers work

A private server is software that re-implements the game's back end so the official or a patched client can connect to it. For osu! the common building blocks are bancho.py (Python 3.11+, MIT), pep.py / Ripple stack, Custom Bancho cores. bancho.py is backend-only per its README and recommends a separate frontend. Public player counts are often available at /v1/get_player_count on bancho.py based servers.

How private servers differ from the official server

On the official server, scores set with Relax or Autopilot do not count toward rankings. Many private servers create separate leaderboards for these mods, which is the main reason they are popular. Some also rank maps through their own nomination systems, so maps that are not ranked officially can award pp.

Private servers keep separate rankings, so a high rank there does not carry over to the official profile and vice versa. Features vary widely: some servers offer score submission for every game mode, custom profile pages, Discord integration, clans or tournaments.

Modes, mods and pp systems

osu! has four modes: osu!standard, where you click circles, follow sliders and spin spinners; osu!taiko, a drum-based mode; osu!catch, where you move a catcher to collect fruit; and osu!mania, a key-based mode with four or more columns. Most private servers support all four, though standard usually has the largest community.

Relax removes the need to click, so you only aim, while Autopilot moves the cursor and you only tap. Because these change the skill being tested, servers give them their own leaderboards and adjusted pp calculations. Some servers also experiment with alternative pp formulas that reward different skills, such as accuracy or reading.

How to choose an osu! server

Decide what you want: competitive vanilla play, Relax and Autopilot rankings, or a small community with tournaments. Check how many players are active in your mode, how the server ranks maps and whether it supports beatmap downloads directly in the client.

Anti-cheat matters a great deal. Look for servers that check replays, review suspicious scores and publish clear rules about third-party software. Check whether the server has a supporter-like donation rank and what it includes; cosmetic badges and custom profiles are common, while anything that affects rankings is a warning sign.

Getting started

Register on the server's website, download the official switcher if provided, then log in through your normal osu! client. Check how the server ranks maps, because some rank all maps automatically while others use nominators. Download beatmaps through the official mirror or the server's own mirror, then play a few maps to see where you land on the leaderboards.

Join the server's Discord to learn about clans, tournaments, map requests and rules. If you plan to play Relax or Autopilot, read the server's specific guidance on those modes and on the third-party tools that are banned. When you want to return to the official server, close the client and launch osu! normally or use the switcher's revert option.

Staying safe

osu! private servers are unofficial and not affiliated with or endorsed by ppy or the official osu! team. Most connect using a switcher tool or the client's server option, so download any switcher only from the private server's official website and scan it before running. Never download modified osu! clients from unknown sources.

Create a separate account with a unique password. Never enter your official osu! credentials on a private server site, and read the official game's rules on third-party servers so you understand any risk to your main account.

Keep exploring

Still deciding? Compare osu! servers by votes, rates and recent activity, read the glossary for any unfamiliar terms, and check a server's status before you download anything. If you run a server yourself, listing it is free.

Sources and further reading

• osu! (Wikipedia)
• bancho.py on GitHub
• osu! rules
• Datenshi
• Titanic
• osu!gatari about
• osu! wiki: Relax
• osu! wiki: Performance points
• somtum.fun FAQ