How RSPS Voting and Top Lists Work

If you have played a private server for more than a day, someone has asked you to vote. Here is what actually happens when you do, and how the rankings you see are put together.

What a vote is

A vote is a single confirmation that a real person supports a server, recorded on a top list. On RuneRank, a vote goes to one server, from one person, and it counts towards that server's total for the current month.

Why servers want votes so badly

Votes are how a small server gets discovered. The ranking on a top list is one of the few places a new player will ever see an unfamiliar server's name. Higher position means more clicks, more new accounts, more people online — which makes the server more fun, which keeps the loop going. That is why almost every server rewards voting with in-game currency, boosts or cosmetics.

Vote rewards and callbacks

When you vote, RuneRank can notify the server directly so it can hand you a reward in-game, usually within seconds. Server owners set this up themselves; not every server does, so if you do not get a reward, that is the server's configuration rather than a failed vote. Owners can read the setup steps in our vote callback guide.

Cooldowns and why they exist

You can vote for a server once every 12 hours. Cooldowns are what stops a top list from becoming a bot contest. Without them, ranking would measure who has the most scripts rather than who has the most players.

Monthly resets

Vote totals reset at the start of each calendar month, in UTC. This matters more than it sounds:

• A server that was huge two years ago cannot coast on old numbers
• A server growing right now can climb quickly
• The list you see reflects this month, not all time

Keeping it honest

Top lists are only useful if the numbers mean something. RuneRank scores each vote for risk signals and flags suspicious patterns for staff review. Votes that look automated do not count towards ranking. We do not sell ranking positions — advertising on RuneRank is clearly labelled and sits separately from the ordering.

Rankings are determined by legitimate, verified votes. Premium does not add votes, ranking points or any bonus to a server's vote total or leaderboard position. What Premium pays for is visibility: an enhanced listing card and eligibility for Premium Servers placements, while advertising placements are bought separately and clearly labelled. Our server leveling and milestone perks are also separate from the vote rankings — levels, badges and Spotlight credits never change a server's rank.

What this means for you as a player

If you like a server, vote for it daily. It costs you a few seconds, usually pays you in-game, and it is the most direct thing you can do to keep a small server visible and populated.

What it means as a server owner

Ask for votes, reward them properly, and never buy them. Bought votes get flagged, and a delisting undoes far more than the ranking ever gained. Set up your callback so voting feels instant, and the rest takes care of itself.

See it in practice on the live rankings, or read best RSPS servers to play.