How To Host A Palworld Dedicated Server

A Palworld dedicated server keeps your world running so your friends can play without the host's game being open, and it holds more players than a game you host from the client. This guide follows Pocketpair's official server documentation (version 1.0.4 of the docs) and a test install of the current server we ran on 4 October 2026. Palworld left early access with version 1.0 on 10 July 2026; the latest update when we checked was 1.0.5.

What You Need

Pocketpair's own requirements:

Our test install was 5.5 GB. Freshly started with nobody online it used under 1 GB, so the requirement above is about a busy world, not an empty one.

Install The Server With SteamCMD

On a desktop with Steam, find Palworld Dedicated Server in your Library (show Tools in the filter if you cannot see it) and install it.

With SteamCMD, the server is app 2394010 and downloads with an anonymous login:

steamcmd +login anonymous +app_update 2394010 validate +quit

Run the same command again to update. Pocketpair also publishes an official Docker image; it advises against Docker Desktop because of the risk to saves.

Ports And Firewall

Forward UDP 8211 on your router and allow it through the firewall. Pocketpair says the REST API and RCON are not designed to be open to the internet, so keep them on your own network.

Configure The Server

The settings file is PalWorldSettings.ini:

• Windows: PalServer\Pal\Saved\Config\WindowsServer\PalWorldSettings.ini
• Linux: PalServer/Pal/Saved/Config/LinuxServer/PalWorldSettings.ini

These folders appear the first time the server starts. On our test server the file was created empty, so do what Pocketpair says: stop the server, copy everything from DefaultPalWorldSettings.ini in the server folder into PalWorldSettings.ini, and edit that. Editing DefaultPalWorldSettings.ini itself changes nothing.

Every setting sits on one long OptionSettings=(...) line. The ones people change first, with their defaults:

Launch options can change a few things too: -port=8211 sets the port, -players=32 the player limit, and -publiclobby makes it a community server. Pocketpair notes that in 1.0, leaving out the old performance flags (-useperfthreads -NoAsyncLoadingThread -UseMultithreadForDS) may improve performance.

Start The Server

• Windows with Steam: press Play on Palworld Dedicated Server and choose to start it as a dedicated server (or as a community server, see below).
• Windows with SteamCMD: run PalServer.exe in the server folder.
• Linux: run ./PalServer.sh in the server folder.

On our test machine the server was listening on port 8211 about 7 seconds after starting.

Join Your Server

There are two kinds of Palworld server, and the only difference is whether it shows in the in-game list:

• Dedicated server: players type the server's IP address and port into the box below the server list.
• Community server: start the server with -publiclobby and it appears in the game's server list under Community server, on the left of the list.

Our test server, started without -publiclobby, did not appear in any server list. If your router does not support hairpin NAT, Pocketpair warns that you cannot join a community server hosted on your own network.

Crossplay

Palworld servers are crossplay by default for the Steam, Xbox and Microsoft Store PC, Mac and PS5 versions. Xbox and PS5 players can only join a community server, so start the server with -publiclobby if anyone plays on console. CrossplayPlatforms limits which platforms may join.

Admins, PvP And Backups

Admin commands

Set AdminPassword in the settings file first. In game, press Enter and type /AdminPassword followed by that password to become an admin. Useful commands:

For tools outside the game, Pocketpair offers a REST API (RESTAPIEnabled, port 8212). RCON still exists but is deprecated and due to stop working in a future update.

PvP

Pocketpair calls PvP a trial feature that support does not cover. To turn it on, set all three of these to True: bIsPvP, bEnablePlayerToPlayerDamage and bEnableDefenseOtherGuildPlayer. It also changes base defence, chest access and damage balance, and turns off missions.

Saves and backups

Worlds are saved under Pal\Saved\SaveGames. On our test server a new world was a folder with a long ID, holding Level.sav, LevelMeta.sav and a backup folder. With bIsUseBackupSaveData on (the default), the server keeps backups there; Pocketpair notes this adds disk load. To back up by hand, stop the server and copy the whole SaveGames folder.

Common Problems

My settings are not applying

Check you edited PalWorldSettings.ini in Pal/Saved/Config/WindowsServer (or LinuxServer), not DefaultPalWorldSettings.ini, and that the server was stopped while you edited it.

Console players cannot find the server

Xbox and PS5 players can only join community servers. Start the server with -publiclobby.

I cannot join my own community server

Your router probably lacks hairpin NAT. Join by your server's local IP address and port instead.

The server crashes or saves get corrupted

Pocketpair links crashes to low memory (8 GB starts but is risky) and save corruption to slow storage. Give it 16 GB or more and an SSD.

SteamCMD says "Missing configuration"

In our tests SteamCMD sometimes failed this way on the first run, then installed the server when we ran the same command again.

Or Rent A Server Instead

Pocketpair asks for 16 GB of memory and an SSD for a dedicated server, which is more than many home PCs can spare while also running the game. A rented Palworld server runs on the host's hardware, and you change the same PalWorldSettings.ini from its control panel. Compare memory, locations and what each host includes before you buy.

Compare Palworld server hosts on price, locations, memory and support.

Frequently Asked Questions

Sources

Checked on 4 October 2026 against:

• Pocketpair's Palworld server guide (docs version 1.0.4): requirements, deployment, connecting, arguments, configuration, commands, PvP and RCON pages
• The DefaultPalWorldSettings.ini that ships with the server
• Pocketpair's Palworld announcements, including the 1.0 release on 10 July 2026 and v1.0.5
• Our own test install and private test server (Steam app 2394010) on Windows, 4 October 2026