Exploration of Client-Assisted Replication for Reducing Server CPU in Multiplayer Video Games

Authoritative server-client network models dominate multiplayer game implementations but incur significant operational costs due to simulation and replication workload. This paper investigates whether client assisted replication techniques can reduce server-side CPU utilisation without degrading the quality of gameplay. An experimental prototype was developed in which both simulation and replication of movement state were deferred from the server to all connected clients. The results show a reduction of server CPU utilisation of 95-98%. While these findings demonstrated substantial computational savings on the server, shifting responsibility of replication and simulation to clients introduces new technical challenges in maintaining authoritative consistency and resistance to client-side manipulation. The impact of this model on gameplay quality was not objectively evaluated in this study, and remains an area for future investigation.