Privacy Policy
Last updated: 9 June 2026
GameNest is a desktop application that runs game servers on your own computer. This policy explains what data the app and this website handle. Short version: GameNest works entirely on your machine, and by default sends us nothing.
Who we are
GameNest ("we", "us") is operated by Leon Paunovic, Spitalstraße 13, 85276 Pfaffenhofen an der Ilm, Germany. For any privacy question, contact hello@gamenest.cc. Under the EU GDPR, the controller is the operator named above.
The app runs locally
GameNest stores your servers, worlds, backups, settings, and credentials on your own computer. We do not operate a server that holds your account or game data. We never receive your game worlds, files, passwords, or player data.
Optional diagnostics (telemetry) — off by default
To help us fix crashes and prioritise features, GameNest can send anonymous diagnostics. This is opt-in: it is off until you explicitly turn it on in Settings → Diagnostics, and you can turn it off again at any time.
When — and only when — you have opted in, the app may send:
- Startup event: the app/engine version and your operating system (e.g. "windows").
- Crash reports: the app/engine version, your operating system, the error message, and a technical stack trace (code locations).
What we do not collect: your name, email, location, game content, file contents, server names, player lists, license keys, or any other personal data. Diagnostics carry no identifier that ties them to you.
Legal basis: your consent (GDPR Art. 6(1)(a)). You may withdraw consent at any time in Settings; withdrawal does not affect processing already carried out. If no diagnostics endpoint is configured in a given build, nothing is transmitted even when the toggle is on.
Third parties
Using GameNest causes your computer to talk to third parties you choose to use:
- Container images are downloaded from public registries (e.g. Docker Hub) when you create a server.
- Mod downloads come from Modrinth when you use the mod manager.
- Game services are contacted by the game servers themselves.
These services have their own privacy policies and receive your IP address as a normal part of any internet connection. We do not control them.
<!-- GEÄNDERT 2026-07-29: Dieser Abschnitt nannte zuvor "playit.gg relay" als Dritt- anbieter. Der playit.gg-Fallback wurde in Version 0.6.0 entfernt (siehe gamehost/CHANGELOG.md). Das Relay ist seither ERSTANBIETER-Infrastruktur, die wir selbst betreiben — datenschutzrechtlich ein wesentlicher Unterschied: wir sind dafür Verantwortlicher, nicht ein Dritter. OFFEN — vor Livegang klären: Die Speicherdauer unten ist bewusst NICHT auf "30 Tage" beziffert, obwohl gamenest-relay/docs/TERMS.md das zusagt. Im deploy/- Verzeichnis existiert keine Retention-/Logrotation-Konfiguration, die das umsetzt. Eine zugesagte Löschfrist, die technisch nicht stattfindet, ist schlimmer als gar keine Zusage. Entweder Logrotation einrichten UND hier 30 Tage eintragen, oder die Zusage in TERMS.md zurücknehmen. -->The GameNest relay
If your router won't allow a direct connection, GameNest falls back to a relay we operate ourselves. This is not a third-party service — we are the controller for the data described here.
- The relay forwards raw TCP/UDP game traffic between your friends and your PC. It is a network-level forwarder: it does not read, store, or process the contents of your game sessions.
- Its control-plane logs connection metadata for security and abuse prevention: request method, path, status, IP address, and duration.
- GameNest does not add its own encryption layer to relayed traffic. Whether a session is encrypted depends on the game's own protocol. Anyone able to observe the relay host — including us as its operator — is technically capable of observing traffic passing through it. We do not do this, but you should know it is possible rather than assume otherwise.
- The relay is used only as a fallback. When automatic port-forwarding succeeds, your friends connect directly to you and no traffic touches our infrastructure.
If you would rather no traffic ever reach our servers, disable relay-based sharing and use direct connections only.
This website
This website (gamenest.cc) is hosted on Vercel. Standard server logs (including IP addresses) may be processed by the host for security and operation. We do not run advertising or cross-site tracking here.
Your rights
Under the GDPR you have the right to access, rectify, erase, restrict, or object to processing of your personal data, and to data portability. Because opted-in diagnostics are anonymous and carry no identifier, we generally cannot link them to an individual to action a per-person request — but you can stop all collection instantly by turning diagnostics off. For website-related requests, contact hello@gamenest.cc. You may also lodge a complaint with a data-protection authority.
Data retention
Anonymous diagnostics are kept only as long as needed to analyse stability and usage, then aggregated or deleted. Local data stays on your computer until you delete it (or uninstall with the "remove data" option).
Changes
We may update this policy; the "last updated" date will change. Material changes affecting opted-in users will be surfaced in the app.