Decide which kind of server you are building
Pocketpair splits Palworld hosting into two shapes, and the choice changes one launch argument.
- Dedicated server. Hosts the world without the game client running. Players join by IP address and port.
- Community server. The same thing, registered on the in-game server list so people can find it there.
Xbox and PS5 players need the community-server route. Add -publiclobby when starting the Windows or Linux server; installing the server tool on a console is not part of the setup. Pocketpair documents crossplay as enabled by default for Steam, Xbox and the Microsoft Store build, macOS and PS5. A server operator can restrict the allowed platforms in its configuration. If your group plays only on consoles, see how to make a Palworld server on PS5 and Xbox.
Check Pocketpair's host requirements before choosing a machine. The publisher warns that a server can start with too little memory and later crash when it runs out. Larger worlds and heavier base settings need headroom; starting successfully or setting a player limit does not establish that the machine can sustain your group's workload.
Download and start it
On Windows with Steam, tick the Tools filter in your library and install Palworld Dedicated Server. With SteamCMD, on either operating system, the download is one line:
steamcmd +login anonymous +app_update 2394010 validate +quit
Then run PalServer.exe on Windows or ./PalServer.sh on Linux from the steamapps/common/PalServer folder. Start it once before trying to configure it: the configuration directories are created on the first start.
Start a community server for Xbox or PS5
After installing the dedicated server, use one of these startup options:
- Windows with Steam: choose Open and start as a community server when launching the server tool.
- Windows with SteamCMD: run
PalServer.exe -publiclobbyfrom the server folder. - Linux with SteamCMD: run
./PalServer.sh -publiclobbyfrom the server folder.
Keep your other required startup arguments, including a custom listening port if you use one. Community mode registers the server for the in-game list; it does not replace the firewall and router setup below.
For the setting that chooses which platforms may join, how console players find the server, and the version rules behind a refused join, see Palworld crossplay for PS5 and Xbox.
The config file, and the one that looks like it but is not
Settings live in PalWorldSettings.ini, and you create it by copying the shipped defaults:
- Windows: copy
PalServer\DefaultPalWorldSettings.initoPalServer\Pal\Saved\Config\WindowsServer\PalWorldSettings.ini - Linux: copy
PalServer/DefaultPalWorldSettings.initoPalServer/Pal/Saved/Config/LinuxServer/PalWorldSettings.ini
The docs then say the thing worth tattooing on your wrist: "Note that editing DefaultPalWorldSettings.ini will not affect the changes." People edit the default file, restart, see nothing change, and conclude the server is broken. It is not. It is reading the other file.
The file is one long line rather than a list. Pocketpair's own example, from their official container repository, looks like this:
[/Script/Pal.PalGameWorldSettings]OptionSettings=(ServerPassword="…",DeathPenalty=None)
Keep the [/Script/Pal.PalGameWorldSettings] section heading. The settings go inside the parentheses after OptionSettings=, separated by commas. Preserve the shipped syntax and change one thing at a time until you trust your editing. The Palworld server settings reference lists all 122 keys with their defaults, and the Palworld server settings generator builds the line from a form and checks it.
The settings most people actually want
| Setting | What it does |
|---|---|
ServerName, ServerDescription | How the server reads on the list. |
ServerPassword | Password required to log in to the server. |
AdminPassword | Password used to obtain administrative privileges. |
ServerPlayerMaxNum | Maximum number of players who can join. |
CrossplayPlatforms | Which platforms may connect. Default is Steam, Xbox, PS5 and Mac. |
DeathPenalty | None, Item, ItemAndEquipment, or All. |
ExpRate, PalCaptureRate, DayTimeSpeedRate | The multipliers most groups tune first. |
bIsUseBackupSaveData | Enables world backups. Pocketpair notes this increases disk load. |
RCONEnabled, RCONPort | Remote console access, off by default. |
A few settings are flagged in the docs as costing performance rather than just changing the rules: BaseCampMaxNumInGuild (default 4, maximum 10) and BaseCampWorkerMaxNum (maximum 50) both say plainly that raising them "raises processing load", and PalSpawnNumRate is marked "(Impacts performance.)". If your server got worse the week you doubled everyone's base allowance, that is why.
Ports
Palworld needs one port open, and it is UDP. Pocketpair's requirements page lists it as "UDP Port 8211 (Default, Changeable)" and says you need to be able to forward it on your router. Change it with the -port= argument if 8211 is taken. Player count can also be set on the launch line with -players=32.
Two more arguments exist for community servers only. -publicip= and -publicport= let you state the outside address by hand when detection does not work. Note the docs' warning that -publicport "does not change the port number itself that the server uses for listening", which trips up people running behind a translated port.
One argument set is worth knowing about because the advice reversed. The old performance flags -useperfthreads -NoAsyncLoadingThread -UseMultithreadForDS are still documented, but Pocketpair now says that in v1.0 and later, leaving them unset may improve performance. Older guides still tell you to add them.
Connect to your Palworld server
- Direct IP joining: open the in-game server list and enter the server's IP address and port in the form beneath it. Use the reachable address followed by a colon and the actual port, such as
203.0.113.10:8211; replace this example with your server's endpoint. - Community joining, including Xbox and PS5: choose Community server on the left of the server list, find your configured
ServerNameand select it. EnterServerPasswordif the server requires one; this is different fromAdminPassword.
If the first join fails
- Missing community entry: check that the running process was launched with
-publiclobby, and thatCrossplayPlatformsallows your group's devices. See the server-list troubleshooting guide for the next checks. - Friends outside your network cannot connect: check the server firewall and the router's UDP forwarding rule for the listening port. If you use an external port mapping, the advertised
-publicportmust match that external endpoint; it does not change the listening port. - Only a same-network community join fails: Pocketpair warns that routers without Hairpin NAT cannot connect to a community server hosted on their own network. Test from a separate network before treating this result as proof that friends outside cannot join.
Saves, backups and updates
Save data and config sit under the server's Saved folder. Turning on bIsUseBackupSaveData creates a backup directory inside the save data directory and keeps a rolling set: five copies at thirty seconds apart, six at ten minutes, twelve hourly, and seven daily. Check that this setting is enabled, and keep a separate copy before making changes.
Storage choice is a real risk here, not a nicety. Pocketpair recommends a faster SSD and warns that "Low-performance storage may corrupt saved data", and their container documentation recommends against running the server on Docker Desktop for the same reason: limited disk read and write speed. This is one of the few places where a survival game will genuinely eat your world.
Updating is the same command you installed with. Run the SteamCMD line again, or update through Steam. Pocketpair's own instruction for their container image applies to every method: "Be sure to back up your data before updating."
Where self-hosting stops being the cheaper answer
If you have a spare machine that is already on, self-hosting Palworld costs nothing but your attention, and you keep total access to the save files. That is a genuinely good deal and plenty of groups should stop reading here.
The honest costs are these. The machine has to stay awake whenever anyone wants to play, which usually means it is not the computer you game on. Many home internet connections cannot accept incoming connections at all, no matter how carefully you forward the port, and no configuration fixes that. Every update, restart and crash is yours to notice, often while you are at work. And a Palworld world is only as safe as the last copy you took of it.
Renting swaps that list for a monthly bill and a smaller amount of file access. It is not faster to set up and it does not run the game differently. It is a different set of chores.
Where ForgeWorld Gaming fits
Prefer renting to keeping your own server machine online? ForgeWorld Gaming currently offers Palworld Standard: 4, 8 player slots at CA$23.99–CA$33.99/month. Hosted in Iowa, United States. Prices are in Canadian dollars, with no setup fee and cancel any time. Your server is set up automatically after payment. Continue to secure billing, Palworld · Dedicated server, CA$23.99 / month (Standard, 4 slots), or compare Palworld plans. For Xbox or PS5 groups, confirm community-server setup, device compatibility and resources for your world with FWG support before ordering. Check Pocketpair's host requirements; a player-slot limit does not confirm that a plan meets those recommendations.