How to Set Up a Palworld Dedicated Server

You want to play Palworld with friends on your own server. Maybe you want to tweak XP rates, control who joins, or just avoid random public server wipes. A dedicated server gets you there - the question is whether you set one up yourself or let someone else handle the infrastructure.

This guide covers both paths honestly, including the parts that other guides gloss over. It has been updated for Palworld 1.0.

What Palworld 1.0 changed for dedicated servers

Palworld left Early Access on July 10, 2026. The fundamentals of running a server did not change: same SteamCMD app ID, same PalWorldSettings.ini, same default port. What did change, straight from Pocketpair’s official 1.0 changelog:

• Server performance is better. Pocketpair optimized dedicated server processing “even in situations with many players” and fixed crashes and memory leaks specific to dedicated server environments.
• The save process is safer. 1.0 shipped improvements “to reduce the risk of save data corruption.” Keep taking backups, but the worst cases are rarer now.
• The old performance flags are optional. Pocketpair’s server guide now says that in v1.0 and later, leaving -useperfthreads -NoAsyncLoadingThread -UseMultithreadForDS unset may improve performance. Details in the startup section below.
• In-game voice chat. Available when enabled in the world settings of a dedicated server.
• Guild roles and permissions. Guilds gained multiple roles with per-role permissions, plus login and logout notifications for members.
• Default difficulty matches single-player. Default world settings for dedicated servers were adjusted to closely match single-player Normal difficulty, so a fresh 1.0 server plays like a fresh solo world.

Two migration notes if your server ran during Early Access:

• Saves carry over. Existing worlds keep working on 1.0. If your save predates v0.7.3, the world boundary changed and players can spawn outside it - the “Emergency Escape” option in the Options menu fixes that.
• Delete old mod files before updating. Pocketpair’s official guidance is blunt: disabling mods is not enough. Leftover mod files and loaders still get loaded and can cause crashes or corrupted saves. Back up your save, manually delete old mod files, verify game files, and only reinstall mods that have been updated for 1.0.

For the player-facing 1.0 changes and what they mean for your world settings, see our Palworld 1.0 server guide.

Two paths: self-hosted vs managed hosting

Before you start downloading anything, it’s worth understanding what each approach actually involves.

Self-hosting is a legitimate option if you have spare hardware and enjoy the process. It’s not the wrong choice - it’s just a different set of trade-offs. The rest of this guide covers both paths so you can pick the one that fits.

Self-hosted setup

Hardware requirements

Palworld’s dedicated server is heavier than most survival games. Pocketpair officially recommends 16GB of RAM, which is higher than you might expect. In practice:

• RAM: 16GB is the official requirement, and Pocketpair recommends 32GB or more for stable operation on larger servers. 8GB boots and handles small groups (4-6 players), but the official requirements warn it increases the chance of out-of-memory crashes.
• CPU: Quad-core processor (matching Pocketpair’s official 4-core recommendation), 3.5 GHz or faster. The server uses up to 2 full cores under load.
• Storage: ~12GB for the server files. SSD strongly recommended - Pocketpair’s docs warn that low-performance storage can corrupt save data, and world loading and saving are noticeably faster.
• Bandwidth: Stable upload speed. 10 Mbps up handles a small group comfortably.
• OS: Windows 10/11 or Linux (Ubuntu 20.04+, Debian, CentOS 7+). Both work, but Linux is more common for always-on setups.

This is not a lightweight server you can run on an old laptop. If your machine is also your gaming PC, you’re sharing those resources between the game client and the server process - and Palworld is already demanding on the client side.

Installing via SteamCMD

SteamCMD is the standard tool for downloading dedicated server files. If you don’t have it installed, grab it from Valve’s developer site.

Once SteamCMD is ready:

steamcmd +login anonymous +app_update 2394010 validate +quit

App ID 2394010 is the Palworld Dedicated Server. It downloads anonymously - no paid Steam account required. The server files land in steamapps/common/PalServer/.

On Windows, the server executable is PalServer.exe. On Linux, it’s PalServer.sh.

Pocketpair also distributes an official Docker image (pocketpairjp/palworld-dedicated-server-docker) with sample Compose files, listed in the official server guide - a clean option for Linux hosts. One official caveat: deploying through Docker Desktop is deprecated for storage IO reasons, because it increases the risk of save data corruption.

Configuration basics

Palworld’s main config file is PalWorldSettings.ini, but there’s a catch that trips up nearly everyone: the file starts empty. You need to copy the contents from DefaultPalWorldSettings.ini (in the server root directory) into it first.

On Linux:

cp steamapps/common/PalServer/DefaultPalWorldSettings.ini \
   steamapps/common/PalServer/Pal/Saved/Config/LinuxServer/PalWorldSettings.ini

On Windows: Copy DefaultPalWorldSettings.ini from the PalServer folder into PalServer/Pal/Saved/Config/WindowsServer/PalWorldSettings.ini.

The config file format matters. Everything sits on a single line with comma-separated values. Line breaks will break the parser. Key settings to change first:

• ServerName - what shows in the server list
• ServerPassword - leave blank for public, set one for private
• AdminPassword - needed for admin commands and RCON access
• ServerPlayerMaxNum - up to 32 players
• ExpRate - default 1.0, adjust to taste

For a full breakdown of every setting, the Palworld configuration guide covers what each option does.

Starting the server

Windows:

PalServer.exe -port=8211 -players=32

Linux:

./PalServer.sh -port=8211 -players=32

If you have read an older guide (including an earlier version of this one), you have seen the performance flags -useperfthreads, -NoAsyncLoadingThread, and -UseMultithreadForDS recommended everywhere. That advice is outdated: Pocketpair’s server guide now states that in v1.0 and later, leaving these parameters unset may improve performance. Start without them, and only experiment with adding them back if you have a specific reason.

Two other arguments worth knowing: -logformat=json switches server logs to JSON if you feed them into log tooling, and -publiclobby registers the server as a community server so it shows up in the in-game browser.

Port forwarding

This is where self-hosting stops being straightforward. Your friends need to reach your server through the internet, which means traffic on UDP port 8211 needs to get from your public IP to the machine running the server.

The general steps:

1. Find your server machine’s local IP (usually 192.168.x.x)
2. Log into your router’s admin panel
3. Create a port forwarding rule for UDP port 8211 to your machine’s local IP
4. Add a firewall exception on the machine itself (Windows Firewall or ufw on Linux)

Every router handles this differently. Search “[your router model] port forwarding” for specific steps.

Port forwarding is the number one reason people give up on self-hosting. The setup itself isn’t conceptually difficult, but debugging “my friend can’t connect” with no useful error message is genuinely frustrating.

Keeping it updated and running

Palworld gets regular updates, and your server version needs to match the client version. There’s no auto-update for self-hosted servers - you need to re-run the SteamCMD install command:

steamcmd +login anonymous +app_update 2394010 validate +quit

On Linux, run the server in screen or tmux so it doesn’t die when you close your terminal. For proper persistence, set it up as a systemd service with auto-restart on crash.

Backups are entirely on you. Palworld 1.0 improved the save process to reduce the risk of save corruption, but on a self-hosted server there is no safety net except the one you build. The save data lives in Pal/Saved/SaveGames/. Copy that directory on a schedule - daily at minimum.

Managed hosting setup

If the self-hosted path sounds like more infrastructure work than you signed up for, managed Palworld server hosting handles all of it - hardware, networking, updates, backups, uptime.

With WinterNode, the process is:

1. Pick your RAM tier (7GB handles 5-6 players, 16GB for larger groups)
2. Select your closest data center
3. Server is live in under 60 seconds

From there, your server is accessible through the Game Control Panel where you can manage settings, view the console, upload files, and configure everything without touching a command line.

What you get out of the box:

• Automatic backups every 12 hours with 45-day retention
• Auto-update option so your server stays current without manual intervention
• DDoS protection included
• NVMe SSDs for fast world loading
• No CPU limits - your server uses what it needs, no throttling

For initial configuration, the Palworld quick start guide walks through setting your server and admin passwords. The server options reference covers every configurable setting in the control panel.

Essential first settings

Whether you self-host or use managed hosting, these are the settings worth changing before inviting anyone:

• Admin Password - set this first. You need it for in-game admin commands (/AdminPassword) and RCON. Without it, you can’t manage the server while it’s running.
• Server Password - set one if you want a private server. Players will need to enter it when connecting.
• ServerPlayerMaxNum - default is 32. Set this to what you actually expect. Fewer connected players means less resource usage.
• Auto-update (managed hosting) - turn this on. Palworld updates frequently, and version mismatches between client and server prevent connections.

Common setup issues

Players can’t connect

Check in this order:

1. Port forwarding (self-hosted) - is UDP 8211 forwarded correctly? Palworld uses UDP for game traffic, so a TCP-only rule will not work. Is the machine’s firewall allowing it?
2. Server password - does the connecting player have the right password?
3. Version mismatch - is the server on the same version as the client? Steam auto-updates the client, which can break things if your server is behind.
4. Connection method - try Direct Connect with the IP and port instead of the server browser.

For managed hosting on WinterNode, networking is pre-configured. If players still can’t connect, check the connecting guide for the correct IP and port.

Server not showing in the server browser

This is a known Palworld bug, not a configuration problem on your end. The in-game server browser can only display the first 200 servers it receives, making it effectively useless for finding specific servers among thousands.

The workaround: share your server IP directly and have players use Direct Connect. More detail on this in the known issues page.

Config changes reset on restart

This happens when you edit PalWorldSettings.ini while the server is running. The server writes its in-memory settings back to the file on shutdown, overwriting your edits.

The fix is simple: always stop the server before editing any config files. Make your changes, save, then start the server again. The configuration guide covers this in detail.

High memory usage and crashes

Palworld 1.0 fixed a number of memory leaks in dedicated server environments and optimized memory handling, but long sessions can still push RAM up. Two things help:

1. Set bEnableInvaderEnemy=false in PalWorldSettings.ini to disable the invader spawning system, which is a confirmed source of memory leaks.
2. Schedule periodic restarts every 6-12 hours. On WinterNode, you can set this up through the Schedule Manager. Self-hosted servers need a cron job or scheduled task.

If you’re consistently hitting memory limits, you likely need more RAM. Pocketpair’s 16GB recommendation exists for a reason.

Get playing

A dedicated server is the best way to play Palworld with friends - you control the settings, the world persists, and nobody needs to be online to “host.” Whether you go the self-hosted route or let someone else handle the infrastructure, the end result is the same: your world, your rules.

If you’d rather skip the port forwarding and maintenance and get straight to catching Pals, WinterNode Palworld servers start at $11.94/mo for 6GB. No CPU limits, automated backups, and NVMe storage. Get your Palworld server →

Questions about setup? Our support team actually plays these games - reach out via ticket or Discord.