Palworld Server Hosting

Why do you need a dedicated server for Palworld?

In Palworld, a dedicated server keeps the world online without depending on any one player's computer and lets everyone, the host included, play under the same conditions. In the in-game multiplayer (co-op) mode, the world runs on the host's computer; when the host leaves, the world closes and other players' bases and Pals are put on hold.

Co-op mode also has a tight player limit; a larger community, server-side rules and a world that keeps progressing all call for a dedicated server. On a rented server, the Pals at your bases keep working even when you are not in the game, and the world's time flows the same for everyone.

A Palworld server is especially demanding on memory. Pocketpair's official documentation recommends 16 GB of memory and warns about the risk of crashes caused by insufficient memory on servers started with 8 GB. Running both the game and the server on a home computer at the same time is therefore often problematic. A dedicated server runs 24/7 in a data center, fast NVMe storage lets saves complete safely, and players connecting from Türkiye and the surrounding region benefit from a short route to a server located in Türkiye.

How much RAM and CPU does a Palworld server need?

The official recommendation for a Palworld server is at least 4 CPU cores and 16 GB of memory; the server starts with 8 GB, but the risk of crashes due to memory exhaustion rises considerably. The table values are based on this recommendation and estimate how requirements grow with player count, number of bases and play time.

The main factors that increase resource usage in Palworld are:

• Number of Pals working at bases: Pals at every base are constantly computed with AI, pathfinding and work cycles. As player count grows, so does the number of active bases and Pals.
• Structure and object build-up: in long-played worlds, dropped items and large bases increase memory use and save time.
• Uptime: when the server runs for a long time without a restart, memory usage can climb over time; a scheduled restart clears that build-up.
• Disk speed: the official documentation warns that low-performance storage can lead to save data corruption. NVMe storage reduces this risk.

The Palworld server has settings that support multi-threaded operation, so both clock speed and core count matter. On Linux you can add swap space as a safety margin when needed, but swap is only a buffer; it does not replace sufficient physical memory.

Ready-made package or VDS for a Palworld server?

Because of Palworld's high memory needs, the most suitable infrastructure for this game is a VDS with memory reserved for you; the package table on this page shows the current VDS options suitable for Palworld live. In small environments with shared resources, a Palworld server can run into memory pressure at peak hours.

There are two ways to set up a Palworld server on a VDS:

1. Your own installation: when ordering a VDS server, choose Ubuntu or Windows Server, run app_update 2394010 with SteamCMD and start the server as a service. The config file, backup scheme and restart plan are entirely under your control.
2. Installation via support ticket: if you would rather not deal with the command line, you can open a ticket for a Palworld installation from the Support section of the customer panel after ordering the VDS. Just state the server name, password and player limit.

Another advantage of a VDS is that you can run a Discord bot, backup scripts or a second game server alongside Palworld on the same machine. When planning memory, calculate each game's needs separately. For a general comparison of the two routes, see the game server package or VDS page.

Which port and launch parameters does a Palworld server use?

By default, a Palworld server listens on port 8211/UDP; this can be changed with the -port parameter and must be open as UDP in the firewall for players to connect. The server's other core behaviours are set by parameters on the launch line:

An example launch command on Linux looks like this:

./PalServer.sh -port=8211 -players=16 -publiclobby

Performance parameters (-useperfthreads, -NoAsyncLoadingThread, -UseMultithreadForDS) were often recommended for older versions; the current official documentation notes that omitting them on newer versions can improve performance. So rather than copying parameter lists from old guides as they are, rely on the current documentation.

If you run a second Palworld world on the same server, give it a different port (for example 8221, a value no other service uses) and a separate installation folder; two servers sharing the same save folder can corrupt the world. Players connecting directly type the server address and port together into the in-game connect-by-IP field.

Which settings are configured in PalWorldSettings.ini?

A Palworld server's game rules are defined in the PalWorldSettings.ini file, located in Pal/Saved/Config/WindowsServer on Windows and Pal/Saved/Config/LinuxServer on Linux. The file is empty after the first installation: you need to copy DefaultPalWorldSettings.ini from the server folder to this location and edit the copy. Editing the default file directly has no effect.

The settings most often changed on community servers are:

• Server identity: ServerName, ServerDescription, ServerPassword and AdminPassword.
• Player limit: ServerPlayerMaxNum.
• Progression speed: ExpRate, PalCaptureRate, PalSpawnNumRate and egg hatching time.
• Day cycle: DayTimeSpeedRate and NightTimeSpeedRate.
• Death penalty: with DeathPenalty, whether nothing, only items, or Pals as well are dropped on death.
• PvP and base rules: player-versus-player damage, number of bases per guild and maximum Pals per base.
• Cross-platform: CrossplayPlatforms sets which platforms (Steam, Xbox, PS5, Mac) can connect.

Edit the config file while the server is stopped and restart the server to apply the changes. The entire settings line is written on a single line within parentheses; a single comma or bracket mistake can cause the whole file to fall back to default values.

Which game rules and rates should you choose on a Palworld server?

Three decisions shape the character of a Palworld community server most: whether player-versus-player combat (PvP) is enabled, how fast progression rates are, and how harsh the death penalty is. These decisions affect both your player base and the server's long-term resource usage.

• Group of friends (PvE, relaxed rates): slightly raising experience and capture rates, dropping only items on death and keeping PvP off gives an enjoyable pace for groups with limited time.
• Long-running community server: keeping rates close to official values preserves the meaning of progression. On such servers, the number of bases per guild and the Pal limit per base should be chosen carefully to protect performance.
• PvP server: once player damage and guild wars are enabled, rules, raid hours and banned behaviour should be written out clearly. Because of competition, PvP servers are more exposed to attacks and cheating attempts, so the admin workload is higher.

Whichever setup you choose, write the rules in the ServerDescription field and in your community channels. Changing rates frequently after the server opens upsets players' progression balance and leads to complaints; a good approach is to try the rates with a small test group in the first week, then lock them in.

How does crossplay work on a Palworld server?

A Palworld dedicated server determines which platforms it accepts players from via the CrossplayPlatforms setting in PalWorldSettings.ini; according to the official documentation, the default value covers Steam, Xbox, PS5 and Mac. This lets your friends on different platforms play in the same world.

Things to watch when using crossplay:

• Version parity: the game must be on the same version on all platforms. If an update is delayed on one platform, players there may temporarily be unable to connect. On update days, check all platforms' versions before updating the server right away.
• Restricting platforms: if your community consists only of PC players, you can narrow the setting to Steam only, which makes administration and debugging easier.
• Community list: servers published with -publiclobby appear in the in-game community server list; you can set a password so only the players you invite can join.

When problems arise on crossplay servers, the first thing to check is whether the game and server versions match.

How do you manage a Palworld server: admin, RCON and REST API?

A Palworld server is managed in three ways: in-game admin commands, RCON and the REST API; all three rely on AdminPassword and the related enable settings in PalWorldSettings.ini.

1. In-game admin: you become an admin by typing /AdminPassword password in the chat window. You can then use commands such as /KickPlayer, /BanPlayer, /Save, /Broadcast and /Shutdown.
2. RCON: when the RCONEnabled setting is on, you can send commands to the server remotely with RCON clients. Check its port in the RCONPort value of the default config file.
3. REST API: an HTTP-based interface enabled with RESTAPIEnabled; it lets you handle tasks such as the player list, announcements, saving and shutdown from scripts and management tools.

RCON and the REST API are powerful interfaces protected by the admin password; do not open these ports to the whole internet. The safest approach is to make them reachable only from the server itself (localhost) or only from your admin IP address. A script that announces a scheduled restart to players and triggers a save is one of the most practical uses of the REST API.

How can you improve Palworld server performance?

The key to Palworld server performance is enough memory, regular restarts and keeping the number of Pals and objects at bases within reasonable limits. Players usually notice performance problems as stuck Pals, slow-opening inventories or delayed hits.

• Scheduled restarts: memory usage can grow on servers that stay up for a long time. An announced restart once or twice a day clears that build-up.
• Pal limit per base: raising the maximum number of working Pals per base may look tempting, but every Pal is computed continuously. Do not go far above the default.
• Dropped items: use the settings that clear items left on the ground for a long time; build-up increases both memory and save time.
• Backup load: with bIsUseBackupSaveData enabled, the server creates extra backups in the save folder; the official documentation notes that this increases disk load. Use fast storage or take backups externally.
• Thread setting: tuning -NumberOfWorkerThreadsServer to your server's core count lets you make better use of multi-core processors.

Insufficient memory is the most common performance problem; as the server approaches its memory limit, it first slows down and then crashes. For large communities, go by the upper bounds in the table and scale up your VDS when needed.

How do you keep a Palworld server secure?

The foundation of a secure Palworld server is strong server and admin passwords, keeping management interfaces closed to the outside, and network-level DDoS protection. Since servers listed in the community list can be found by anyone, these measures are especially important.

• Server password: if you want a server open only to your community, set ServerPassword and share it only in channels you trust.
• Admin password: keep AdminPassword long and unique; it protects in-game admin rights as well as RCON and REST API access.
• Ban list: ban rule-breakers with /BanPlayer; bans are kept in a persistent list.
• Operating system: if you use a VDS, keep the system up to date, use key-based SSH access and open only the ports you need.

On LIONFIN infrastructure, the RouteFence firewall filters DDoS traffic at the network level before it reaches your server, supported by 24/7 NOC and SOC monitoring in our data center.

How do you back up and migrate a Palworld world?

A Palworld server's world data is stored in the Pal/Saved/SaveGames/0/WorldID folder; it contains the world's main save (Level.sav), its metadata and the player saves in the Players subfolder. Backing up this folder regularly is the basis of protecting your world.

When migrating from another server or another provider:

1. Trigger a save on the old server with the /Save command and shut it down.
2. Archive the whole world folder and the PalWorldSettings.ini file.
3. Start the new server once and shut it down so the folder structure is created.
4. Copy the world folder under SaveGames/0 on the new server and, so the server loads this world, match the world ID setting in GameUserSettings.ini to the folder name.

It is possible to move a world you played in co-op mode to a dedicated server, but because the host's character save is stored under a different player ID, the host's character may not be recognised on the server; community-made conversion tools exist for this case. Always take a backup before migrating.

What are the most common Palworld server errors?

The most common problems on Palworld servers are crashes caused by insufficient memory, the config file not being applied, version mismatches and the server not appearing in the community list.

If you hit a problem not in the table, first read the last lines of the server log; Palworld writes world loading and connection errors to the log. On game update days, backing up the world folder before updating the server lets you roll back if the update causes a save-related problem. For infrastructure issues you cannot solve, open a support ticket from the Support section of the customer panel and include the log output.