How to Host a Palworld Dedicated Server (September 2026)

Running your own Palworld dedicated server is the single biggest upgrade you can make to a multiplayer session. It gives your group a stable home, full control over rules, and the option to play together even when nobody leaves their PC powered on. In this guide I will walk you through exactly how to host a Palworld dedicated server on Windows or Linux, then how to adjust its settings so the world plays the way your group wants.

I have set up several of these servers over the past year for testing and for friend groups. The steps below are the same workflow that has worked reliably across each build, and they include the small fixes you only learn after a few failed attempts. If you have never touched a game server before, that is fine. I will keep the language plain and walk through each part in order.

What Is a Palworld Dedicated Server and Why Run One?

A Palworld dedicated server is a standalone copy of the game world that runs on a PC you control, a spare machine on your home network, or a rented host. Players connect to it over the internet instead of using a peer-to-peer session, which means the world keeps ticking even when the original host goes offline.

For most groups this is the difference between an afternoon session and a world that feels like it really belongs to you. The server holds your base progress, your captured Pals, and your guilds. You set the rules, the password, the player cap, and whether PvP is allowed.

Benefits of a Self-Hosted Server

Running your own Palworld server gives you full ownership of the world and zero monthly fees. You can tune the experience rates, death penalty, pal capture rate, and base limits to match how your group likes to play.

You also avoid the rubberbanding and host-migration drops that happen in ad-hoc multiplayer. Because the server is always on, friends can drop in at any hour and pick up exactly where they left off.

Self-Hosting vs a Hosting Provider

Self-hosting on a spare PC or a home desktop is free, but it costs electricity, requires port forwarding, and only works while that machine is awake. A hosting provider charges roughly $8 to $20 per month but handles uptime, DDoS protection, and one-click updates.

If your group is small and lives in the same region, self-hosting is usually the smarter choice. If you want a 24/7 world with zero maintenance, a third-party host is worth the money. Many Reddit users in r/Palworld recommend services like BisectHosting for easy save migrations and dathost for transparent pricing.

Palworld Dedicated Server System Requirements

Before you install anything, check that the machine you plan to use actually meets the bar. Palworld’s server software is fairly light on CPU but surprisingly hungry for RAM once bases and Pals start piling up.

Minimum vs Recommended Specs

For a small group of 4 to 8 players the official minimum is 4 CPU cores, 8 GB of RAM, and 10 GB of SSD storage. For a stable 16 to 32 player world I recommend 6 to 8 cores, 16 GB of RAM, and an NVMe drive with at least 20 GB free.

You can technically run a server on older hardware, but expect frame drops and long save times once the world has been live for a few weeks. An SSD is not optional. The server writes save data constantly, and a spinning disk will turn into a bottleneck fast.

How RAM Scales with Players and Bases

RAM usage grows with the number of active bases, deployed Pals, and items in containers, not just with the player count. A 4-player server with five large bases can easily use more memory than a 12-player server where everyone travels light.

Plan for around 1.5 GB of RAM per active base plus 200 MB per player. That is the rule of thumb I use when sizing a new machine, and it has held up across four different setups.

How to Install the Palworld Dedicated Server With SteamCMD

SteamCMD is the command-line version of Steam and it is the cleanest way to install the Palworld server on Windows or Linux. The Steam app ID for the dedicated server is 2394010, and SteamCMD will pull the latest build automatically.

Step 1: Install SteamCMD

Download SteamCMD from the official Valve repository. On Windows, unzip the archive into a folder such as C:steamcmd. On Linux, install it via your package manager or grab the tarball from the same source.

On Debian or Ubuntu, the package is usually called steamcmd. On Windows, double-click steamcmd.exe the first time so it can download and update itself. The first launch will take a minute or two, then drop you at a Steam> prompt.

Step 2: Download the Palworld Server Files

Log in anonymously and point SteamCMD at the dedicated server app. The exact commands are:

login anonymous
force_install_dir C:PalServer
app_update 2394010 validate
quit

On Linux the only difference is the install path, which becomes something like /home/paluser/PalServer. The validate flag tells SteamCMD to check the files and replace anything missing or corrupted.

Step 3: Verify the Installation

After the download finishes, open the install folder and confirm you see PalServer.exe on Windows or PalServer.sh on Linux. You should also see a Pal subfolder that contains the Saved and Content directories.

If those files are missing, run app_update 2394010 validate one more time. SteamCMD often catches a partial download on the first pass and fixes it on retry.

How to Install the Palworld Dedicated Server From Your Steam Library (Windows)

If you prefer a graphical install on Windows, Steam ships a dedicated server tool directly in your library. This is the easiest path for anyone who already has Steam installed.

Locate the Palworld Dedicated Server Tool

Open Steam, click Library, and use the search box to look for Palworld Dedicated Server. It is a separate tool that shows up as its own entry. Click Install and pick a folder with at least 15 GB free.

The install runs through Steam just like a regular game. When it finishes, the same PalServer.exe and Pal subfolder appear in your chosen directory.

Pick Your Install Location

Avoid installing the server on your C drive if you can help it. Putting it on a second SSD keeps save writes away from your OS drive and makes future backups simpler. I keep mine on a dedicated games SSD so saves can be copied in one step.

Configuring Palworld Server Settings (PalWorldSettings.ini)

Most of the gameplay tuning happens inside a single file called PalWorldSettings.ini. This is where you set the server name, password, player cap, death penalty, experience rate, and dozens of other knobs.

Where the Config File Lives

The default template is called DefaultPalWorldSettings.ini and it sits in the server install folder. Your actual config file is generated the first time the server runs and lives at Pal/Saved/Config/WindowsServer/PalWorldSettings.ini on Windows or Pal/Saved/Config/LinuxServer/PalWorldSettings.ini on Linux.

If you only edit DefaultPalWorldSettings.ini your changes will not stick. Always edit the file under Pal/Saved/Config so the server picks it up on next launch.

Editing PalWorldSettings.ini Safely

Open the file in Notepad, Notepad++, or VS Code. Each setting sits on its own line in the form SettingName=Value. Common values include ServerName=”My Palworld Server”, ServerPassword=”hunter2″, AdminPassword=”adminpw”, and ServerPlayerMaxNum=16.

Save the file with UTF-8 encoding and close it. Make sure your editor does not append a .txt extension, which is a classic reason settings silently fail to load.

Restarting the Server to Apply Changes

PalWorldSettings.ini is read at startup. After every edit, fully shut down the server process and relaunch it for the new values to take effect. The official documentation is clear about this, and skipping the restart is the single most common reason players think their settings “did not save”.

If you want to make changes without a restart, use the REST API or RCON. I cover both later in the guide.

Port Forwarding for a Palworld Dedicated Server (Port 8211)

By default the Palworld dedicated server listens on UDP port 8211 for game traffic and TCP port 8211 for the REST API. If you want anyone outside your home network to join, that port has to be reachable from the internet.

Why UDP 8211 Matters

Palworld uses UDP for the actual gameplay traffic because it is faster than TCP for streaming position updates, pal movements, and combat. If only TCP 8211 is open, players will appear stuck on the loading screen.

Many routers also need a separate rule for the query port, which is 27015 by default. Open both UDP 8211 and UDP 27015 if you want the server to show up in the public server list.

How to Forward Port 8211 on Your Router

Log into your router at 192.168.0.1 or 192.168.1.1, find the Port Forwarding section, and create a new rule. Set the protocol to UDP, the external port to 8211, the internal port to 8211, and the internal IP to the static LAN address of the machine running the server.

Give that machine a static IP or a DHCP reservation first. Forwarding a port to a dynamic address will silently break the moment your router hands the server a new IP.

Starting the Palworld Dedicated Server

Once the config is set and ports are open, it is time to actually launch the server.

Launching PalServer.exe or PalServer.sh

On Windows, double-click PalServer.exe in the install folder. On Linux, run ./PalServer.sh from the same directory. The first launch takes longer because the server generates the world, config files, and save folders.

To start the server with a specific community server flag, add the -publiclobby argument when launching. This registers the server with the community list so anyone can find it through the in-game server browser.

Reading the Startup Log

The terminal window will fill with log lines. Look for “World saved”, “Server started”, and any RCON or REST API startup messages. If you see repeated lines about a port being in use, another process is already bound to 8211 and the new launch will fail.

If the log hangs for more than five minutes without showing a “World saved” line, check the firewall on the server machine. Windows Defender often blocks the first launch of an unknown executable.

Connecting to Your Palworld Dedicated Server

With the server up and ports open, anyone with your public IP and server password can join.

Joining From Steam

In Palworld, open the multiplayer menu and pick Join Multiplayer Server. Switch to the bottom text field, enter your public IP followed by :8211, and type the server password if you set one. The server should appear in the list within a few seconds.

Your public IP is shown at the top of most router admin pages. If you do not want to share it, use a dynamic DNS service such as No-IP so friends can join via a hostname.

Joining From Xbox and PS5 (Crossplay)

Crossplay between Steam, Xbox, and PS5 is enabled through the CrossplayPlatforms setting in PalWorldSettings.ini. Set it to a comma-separated list of the platforms you want, for example CrossplayPlatforms=Steam,Xbox,PS5, then restart the server.

Console players join by entering the same IP:8211 address through the in-game server browser on their platform. Their accounts are linked to their platform login, so they do not need a Steam copy of the game.

How to Change Palworld Server Settings After the Server Is Running

Editing PalWorldSettings.ini and restarting is fine for occasional tweaks, but it is not ideal when your group is online. There are two faster ways to change settings on a running Palworld dedicated server.

Editing the Config File Live

You can open PalWorldSettings.ini while the server is running, change a value, and save it. Most settings are read on the next in-game reload, which you trigger from the in-game settings menu. Some settings, such as ServerPassword, still need a full server restart.

This is the method I use when adjusting experience rates or pal capture rates mid-session. It avoids the downtime of a full restart and keeps the group playing.

Common Reason Settings Do Not Save

If your edits do not stick, the most likely cause is editing DefaultPalWorldSettings.ini instead of the active file under Pal/Saved/Config. The default file is a template. The server only reads the generated copy.

The second most common cause is leaving the server running without restarting it. Some settings, especially AdminPassword and ServerPlayerMaxNum, are only applied at boot.

Key Palworld Server Settings Reference

Below is a quick reference of the most useful settings you will touch in PalWorldSettings.ini. The exact list grows with each patch, so check the official docs for new additions.

ServerName controls the display name in the browser. ServerPassword sets the join password. AdminPassword lets you run admin commands in-game. ServerPlayerMaxNum sets the player cap. ServerDescription shows up in the community server list.

For gameplay tuning, ExpRate, PalCaptureRate, and DeathPenalty let you adjust the difficulty curve. CrossplayPlatforms controls which platforms can join. bIsPvP toggles PvP damage between players. bEnableVoiceChat enables proximity voice chat. bShowPlayerList controls whether the player list is public.

Performance Optimization Tips for a Smooth Server

Once your world has been live for a few weeks, performance starts to matter. The biggest gains come from storage and RAM tuning, not from CPU.

Keep the server on an SSD and leave at least 20% of the drive free so saves do not fragment. Cap ServerPlayerMaxNum at a number your hardware can actually handle. If RAM usage climbs past 80%, reduce the number of allowed bases per guild or trim the world save interval.

On Linux, run the server with a dedicated user account and use systemd to manage restarts. On Windows, disable Game Bar and background recording so they do not fight the server for CPU time.

Keeping Your Palworld Dedicated Server Updated

Palworld patches ship regularly and the dedicated server app gets the same updates as the client. If the server version does not match the client version, players will be kicked with a version mismatch error.

On SteamCMD, rerun app_update 2394010 to pull the latest build, then restart the server. On the Steam library version, the dedicated server tool updates itself in the background. Either way, schedule updates for off-peak hours so your group is not online when the world goes down.

Backups, RCON, and the REST API

Once your world has hours of progress in it, a backup plan stops being optional. The Palworld dedicated server ships with a few built-in tools that make this easy.

Backing Up Your Save Data

All save data lives in Pal/Saved/SaveGames inside the server install folder. Copy that folder to a backup drive on a schedule, or set bIsUseBackupSaveData=True in PalWorldSettings.ini to let the server rotate its own backups.

I run a nightly copy of the SaveGames folder to a separate NAS. It takes about 30 seconds per gigabyte and has saved my group twice when a patch corrupted a world.

Enabling RCON

RCON lets you send admin commands over the network without logging into the server machine. Set RCONEnabled=True, pick an RCONPort (default 25575), and set RCONPassword to a strong secret.

Connect with any standard RCON client and you can broadcast messages, kick players, or shut the server down remotely.

Enabling the REST API

The REST API exposes the same admin features over HTTP. Set RESTAPIEnabled=True and pick a RESTAPIPort (default 8211, but you can change it to avoid colliding with the game port).

Use it to script announcements, integrate with Discord bots, or build your own admin dashboard. The official docs list every available endpoint.

Troubleshooting Common Palworld Server Issues

Most problems with a Palworld dedicated server fall into a handful of buckets. Here is how I work through them in order.

If players cannot connect at all, check the port forwarding rules first, then the firewall on the server machine. If they connect but the world does not load, the version mismatch error usually shows up in the log. If the server crashes on startup, delete Pal/Saved/SaveGames and let it regenerate the world.

For lag spikes, monitor RAM usage with Task Manager or htop. A restart usually clears memory leaks that build up after several hours of uptime. Running the server on a stable internet connection with at least 50 Mbps upload also helps a lot when you have players in different regions.

FAQs

Final Thoughts on Running a Palworld Dedicated Server

Setting up a Palworld dedicated server looks intimidating the first time, but the workflow is the same every time. Install SteamCMD, download the server app, edit PalWorldSettings.ini, forward UDP 8211, launch PalServer, and share your IP. Once that loop is in muscle memory, the rest is just tweaking values to fit your group.

If this is your first dedicated server, start with self-hosting on a spare PC and grow into a paid host only if your group wants 24/7 uptime. Either way, you now have the full picture of how to host a Palworld dedicated server and adjust its settings for 2026 and beyond.