Palworld Palworld left early access on July 10, 2026. Version 1.0 is a free update for everyone who already owns the game, and it is a big one: new regions, more than 70 new Pals, a level cap raised to 80, reworked breeding, and a base raid overhaul.
Most of that is player-facing content. This guide is about the part that actually affects you if you run a server: what carries over, what breaks if you are not careful, and what you need to do before and after the update.
The one-minute version for server owners
- It is free and it is live. 1.0 shipped July 10, 2026 for existing players on every platform.
- Your world carries over, with a few progression caveats covered below.
- Delete old mods before you update. This is the mistake that eats saves.
- Crossplay spans Steam, Xbox, PS5, and Mac, and more players can reach your server now that 1.0 launched on PS5, Xbox, and Game Pass the same day.
- Version has to match. Your server needs to be on 1.0 before updated clients can connect.
Do your existing worlds carry over?
Yes. Worlds created during early access remain compatible with 1.0. Your bases, Pals, breeding lines, and characters all load in 1.0. You do not have to start a new world.
There are a few progression resets worth knowing about before your group logs back in. Pocketpair reworked the story, the progression, and the world itself for 1.0: main and sub-mission progress is reset to fit the new reward structure, bounty history is reset, and accumulated XP is recalculated. Tower-boss missions auto-complete based on your past kills, so you are not re-fighting bosses you already beat. Because the world layout changed, a base or player sitting in a reworked area can also come back repositioned. Pocketpair recommends starting a fresh character if you want to experience the new content the way it was designed, but that is a choice, not a requirement.
Warning
Back up your world before you update. Palworld has a documented history of save corruption on version changes, and a major update is exactly when you want a known-good copy sitting safely off to the side. On WinterNode, platform backups run every 12 hours and a local backup is taken on every restart, so you have a restore point either way.
The mod trap: delete, do not just disable
This is the single change most likely to cost someone their save, and it has nothing to do with your host.
If you ran mods during early access, delete the mod files before you update to 1.0. Disabling them in a launcher or config is not enough. Stale mod files from an earlier version can corrupt a 1.0 save when the game tries to load content that no longer lines up with the new build.
The safe order is:
- Stop the server.
- Back up the world folder.
- Remove the old mod files from the server (do not just toggle them off).
- Update to 1.0.
- Only then add 1.0-compatible versions of the mods you want, one at a time.
Danger
Adding all your mods back at once after a major update makes it impossible to tell which one broke your world if something goes wrong. Add them one at a time and confirm the server loads cleanly between each.
Crossplay in 1.0
In 1.0, Steam, Xbox, PS5, and Mac players can all share the same dedicated server. The server-side setting:
CrossplayPlatforms=(Steam,Xbox,PS5,Mac)What 1.0 changed is the size of the audience. It launched the same day on PS5, Xbox, and Game Pass, so more players can now find and join a running server. One standing catch: console players (Xbox and PS5) can only join servers that appear in the in-game community server list, because they cannot connect by IP address.
On WinterNode, crossplay is enabled by default and your server is registered as a community server automatically, so console players can find it in the browser without any extra configuration. If you self-host, our Palworld crossplay setup guide covers the -publiclobby flag and the ports console visibility needs.
Version sync: update the server before your players
Every Palworld update needs to be applied to the server before updated clients can connect, and 1.0 is no exception. When your client updates to 1.0 through Steam or a console store but your server is still on an early-access build, you get an “incompatible version” error and nobody gets in.
Console platforms sometimes clear certification a day or two behind Steam, so during a big launch there can be a short window where a platform is a version behind. That resolves on its own once every platform is on 1.0.
On a self-hosted setup, you re-run the SteamCMD update command to pull the new build. On WinterNode, Auto Update applies the new build when your server restarts, and if you have a reason to hold you can switch Auto Update off from the panel (support can pin a specific version for you). Our breaking patches guide covers a pre-update routine worth following on any major version bump.
What 1.0 means for your RAM
Palworld 1.0 did not publish new minimum server specs, and the changelog actually includes dedicated-server memory optimizations. Still, a world that grows into the new regions and higher level cap is worth watching after the update.
The baseline has not moved: Pocketpair recommends 16GB of RAM for a dedicated server and warns that lower allocations raise crash risk. In practice, small groups often run fine on 8GB with regular restarts. If you were already close to your RAM ceiling before 1.0, check your usage after the update and give yourself some headroom. Palworld’s memory use also climbs over long sessions, so scheduled restarts every few hours remain the simplest fix for creeping RAM.
What WinterNode handles for you
If you would rather not track any of this, that is the point of managed hosting. On WinterNode:
- 1.0 server files were available on release day, and Auto Update moves your server onto them at restart, without you re-running install commands.
- Auto Update keeps your server matched to connecting clients, and you can switch it off from the panel when you want control (support can pin a specific version).
- Backups run every 12 hours, plus a local backup on every restart, so a bad update is a restore, not a disaster.
- No CPU limits and NVMe storage mean a larger 1.0 world has room to breathe.
If you are weighing self-host against managed, our Palworld server hosting starts at $11.94/mo for 6GB ($1.99/GB), with crossplay and DDoS protection included.
Palworld 1.0 is a genuine milestone for the game, and the good news for server owners is that the migration path is short: back up, clear old mods, update, and confirm your version matches. Do those four things and your group picks up in the new content exactly where it left off.
Frequently Asked Questions
Palworld 1.0 launched on July 10, 2026, taking the game out of early access. It is a free update for everyone who already owns the game, across all platforms.
Yes. Worlds created during early access remain compatible with 1.0, and bases, Pals, and breeding lines carry forward. Pocketpair resets mission and bounty progress and recalculates XP to fit the reworked structure, and recommends starting a fresh character if you want the new story and progression as intended.
Yes. Delete old early-access mods before you update, do not just disable them. Stale mod files left over from an earlier version can corrupt a 1.0 save. Back up your world first, then remove the mod files, then update.
Palworld 1.0 supports crossplay across Steam, Xbox, PS5, and Mac, all sharing the same dedicated server. Because 1.0 launched the same day on PS5, Xbox, and Game Pass, more players can now join the same server. On WinterNode, crossplay is on by default and your server is registered as a community server automatically.
Yes, with Auto Update enabled (the default on WinterNode), your server updates to the current version when it restarts, so it matches connecting clients. 1.0 server files were available on release day. Turn Auto Update off from the panel if you want to hold, or contact support to pin a specific version.