How to Set Up a Pixelmon Server

Pixelmon brings the full Pokemon experience into Minecraft - catching, battling, trading, and breeding hundreds of Pokemon in your server world. It’s one of the most popular Minecraft mods out there, and for good reason. Running your own Pixelmon server means you control the spawn rates, the rules, the economy, and the community around it.

The NeoForge Requirement (Read This First)

This is the single biggest gotcha with Pixelmon right now, and it’s responsible for most of the “my server won’t start” tickets we see.

Pixelmon 9.3.0 and newer require NeoForge, not Forge. A lot of older guides and tutorials haven’t caught up yet. If you install Pixelmon 9.3.x on a Forge server, it won’t work. The server will either crash on startup or refuse to load the mod entirely.

NeoForge is a continuation of the Forge project that split off around Minecraft 1.20.1. NeoForge and Forge are closely related, but mods are built for one or the other. For Pixelmon 9.3+, use NeoForge.

If you specifically need to run an older Pixelmon version (9.2.x or earlier) on Forge, that still works - but you’ll miss out on new Pokemon, bug fixes, and ongoing development. The team has moved to NeoForge and isn’t backporting changes.

Java Version Requirements

Pixelmon’s Java requirements have shifted alongside the NeoForge move:

On WinterNode, you can change your Java version from Server Options in the control panel. If your server won’t start after installing Pixelmon, the Java version is the first thing to check. Our Java Version Selection guide walks through the process.

A mismatch between Java and Pixelmon versions will either crash the server on startup or throw an UnsupportedClassVersionError in the console. If you see that error, your Java version is too old for the mod version you’re running.

How Much RAM Does a Pixelmon Server Need?

Pixelmon is a single large mod rather than a kitchen-sink modpack with 200+ mods, so its RAM footprint is more predictable than something like All the Mods or RLCraft.

A few things that push RAM usage higher:

• Companion mods like Oh The Biomes You’ll Go add new biomes and world generation that consume more memory
• World age matters - a server that’s been running for weeks with extensive exploration will use more RAM than a fresh world
• Pokemon density - if you increase spawn rates significantly, more entities stay loaded in memory

At $1.99/GB, a 6GB Pixelmon server on WinterNode runs $11.94/month with no CPU limits or hidden fees. You can upgrade at any time if your community grows, and upgrades are pro-rated.

Installing Pixelmon on WinterNode

The fastest path is through the Modpack Manager in the control panel.

Using the Modpack Manager

1. In the Game Control Panel, go to Tools > Modpack Manager
2. Search for “Pixelmon”
3. Select The Pixelmon Modpack - make sure it’s the NeoForge edition for 9.3.x
4. Click Install and choose Format Server for a clean start

The Modpack Manager handles the modpack files and loader setup. Double-check the Java version before first boot, then start your server and let it generate the initial config files.

Your players install the matching Pixelmon version on their end through CurseForge, Modrinth, or whatever launcher they prefer. The version numbers need to match between client and server.

Manual Installation

If you want to install Pixelmon as a standalone mod (without the full modpack):

1. Install NeoForge through the Edition Installer (Advanced > Install Different Edition)
2. Set your Java version to Java 21 in Server Options
3. Download the Pixelmon mod JAR from reforged.gg or CurseForge
4. Upload it to your server’s mods/ folder through File Manager or SFTP
5. Start the server to generate config files

For the manual route, our Modded Minecraft Server guide covers the general process in more detail, and the Modpack Installation help doc has Pixelmon-specific steps including using wget for faster downloads.

Configuring Your Pixelmon Server

After the first server start, Pixelmon generates its config files in the config/pixelmon/ directory. The main file is pixelmon.hocon, and it controls most of the gameplay-critical settings.

You can edit this file through the File Manager in the control panel, or via SFTP if you prefer a local text editor. After making changes, use /pokereload in-game to apply them without a full restart.

Spawn Rates

The default spawn settings work fine for casual play, but most server owners want to adjust them. Key settings in pixelmon.hocon:

• Spawn frequency - how often Pokemon spawn around players. Lower values mean more frequent spawns.
• Maximum spawns per area - caps how many Pokemon can exist in a given area at once. Raising this makes the world feel more alive but increases server load.
• Despawn timers - how long wild Pokemon persist before despawning. Shorter timers keep entity counts manageable on busier servers.

Legendary Pokemon

Legendary spawns are one of the most tweaked settings on any Pixelmon server. The relevant options control:

• Legendary spawn chance - the probability that a spawn attempt produces a legendary. The default is intentionally low to keep legendaries rare and exciting. Some servers increase this for a more accessible experience.
• Legendary respawn timer - the minimum time before the same legendary species can spawn again. Prevents one player from farming the same legendary repeatedly.

Finding the right balance here depends on your community. Competitive servers keep legendaries rare. Casual servers with younger players often increase the rates so everyone gets a shot.

Breeding and Eggs

Pixelmon’s breeding system mirrors the main Pokemon games - compatible Pokemon left in a ranch block will eventually produce an egg. Config options include:

• Breeding speed multiplier - how fast eggs are produced. The default ties breeding speed to the blocks placed around the ranch block, matching the main games’ mechanics.
• Ditto breeding rules - whether Ditto can breed with legendaries or other Ditto. Most servers leave this restricted, but some enable it for convenience.
• Egg hatch steps - how long it takes to hatch an egg. Can be reduced for a faster pace.

Battle Rules

Server-side battle settings let you shape the competitive environment:

• Bag items in battle - whether players can use healing items mid-battle against other players
• Level cap - useful for competitive servers that want standardized battles
• Clause settings - species clause, sleep clause, and other competitive rules that prevent exploitative strategies

Companion Mods Worth Running

Pixelmon works great on its own, but a few companion mods improve the experience significantly. Many Pixelmon Extras-style commands like /pokekill, /ivs, and /breed are built into modern Pixelmon releases.

These are worth considering for your server:

JourneyMap - adds a minimap and full-screen map that displays Pokemon icons. Practically essential for a Pixelmon server since finding specific Pokemon in specific biomes is core gameplay.

Oh The Biomes You’ll Go - adds 80+ new biomes with full Pixelmon spawn integration. More biome variety means more interesting Pokemon distribution across your world. This is included in the official Pixelmon Modpack.

Nature’s Compass - lets players locate specific biomes. When someone needs a desert biome for Ground-type Pokemon, this saves them hours of wandering.

Explorer’s Compass - locates structures in the world. Useful as Pixelmon adds its own structures like Pokemon Centers and shrines.

All of these are included in the official Pixelmon Modpack. If you installed via the Modpack Manager, you likely already have them.

Troubleshooting Common Issues

Server crashes on startup

The most common causes, in order:

1. Wrong mod loader - you installed Forge instead of NeoForge (for 9.3.0+). Reinstall using NeoForge.
2. Wrong Java version - Pixelmon 9.3.0+ needs Java 21. Check your Java version in Server Options.
3. Version mismatch - the Pixelmon JAR version doesn’t match your NeoForge/Minecraft version. Double-check compatibility on the Pixelmon download page.

Players can’t connect

This almost always means the client and server are running different versions. Both sides need:

• The same Minecraft version
• The same Pixelmon version
• The same mod loader (NeoForge, not Forge)

Have your players verify their installed versions in their launcher before troubleshooting further.

Pokemon aren’t spawning

If you’ve joined the server and no Pokemon are appearing:

• Give it a few minutes on a fresh world - the spawner needs time to populate
• Check that you’re not in a biome with very low spawn rates (ocean biomes spawn fewer Pokemon by default)
• Verify that spawning isn’t disabled in your pixelmon.hocon config
• Make sure the server has enough RAM - if the server is memory-starved, it may throttle entity spawning

Building a Pixelmon Community

A Pixelmon server has more community-building tools than most modded servers. The mod is built around multiplayer interactions, and leaning into that is what separates a server people visit once from one they keep coming back to.

Gym system - set up official gyms with designated gym leaders. Players challenge gyms in order, earn badges, and work toward an Elite Four. This gives your server a structured progression that keeps players engaged for weeks or months.

Server economy - Pixelmon supports integration with economy plugins. Let players trade Pokemon, sell rare breeds, and buy items. An active economy creates its own retention loop.

Events - legendary spawn events, shiny hunting competitions, tournament brackets, and breeding challenges all give your community reasons to log in on specific days.

Discord integration - most successful Pixelmon communities pair their server with an active Discord. Post spawn announcements, tournament brackets, and trade listings there to keep engagement going between play sessions.

WinterNode Minecraft servers come with a free trial. Spin one up, install Pixelmon, and see how it runs before you commit.

Get your Minecraft server →