Your own Palworld dedicated server, online even when you are not

Will 8 GB be enough?

It will start, but it is the setting most likely to let you down. Pocketpair's requirements page says plainly that 8 GB raises the odds of the server crashing for lack of memory. Its table gives 16 GB, then advises 32 GB of memory or more for a stable server, so the more players and activity your world has, the more that extra headroom is worth.

• Processor: at least four cores is the studio's recommendation.
• Memory: 16 GB listed, 32 GB or more recommended; treat 8 GB as a test setup.
• Disk: a fast SSD. The documentation warns that a slow disk can damage your save.
• System: Windows or Linux (Ubuntu, AlmaLinux and others), 64-bit either way.

Can friends on Xbox and PS5 join?

Yes, if you run it as a community server. Crossplay between Steam, Xbox Series, the Microsoft Store version on Windows, Mac and PS5 is switched on by default, but console players can only find servers listed in the game's own server list. Adding -publiclobby to the start command puts yours there.

A listed server is visible to everyone, so set a join password (ServerPassword) before you list it. PC players can still skip the list and type your IP address and port into the box below it.

Up and running in an evening

1. Order a server with Ubuntu and log in over SSH.
2. Make a normal user called steam for the game, so it never runs as the all-powerful root account.
3. Install SteamCMD, Valve's command-line downloader. Ubuntu ships it in the multiverse section and needs 32-bit support switched on first; say yes to Steam's licence when asked.
4. Download the Palworld server, app 2394010, into a folder of your choice.
5. Let UDP 8211 through the firewall, keeping SSH open so you do not lock yourself out, then start PalServer.sh.

sudo useradd -m -s /bin/bash steam
sudo add-apt-repository multiverse
sudo dpkg --add-architecture i386
sudo apt update && sudo apt install -y steamcmd

# download (and later update) the game server
sudo -u steam /usr/games/steamcmd +force_install_dir /home/steam/pal +login anonymous +app_update 2394010 validate +quit

sudo ufw allow 22/tcp && sudo ufw allow 8211/udp && sudo ufw enable
sudo -u steam /home/steam/pal/PalServer.sh -port=8211 -players=12

Started like that, the world stops when you log out. To keep it running and bring it back after a reboot, turn the last line into a systemd service that runs as steam and restarts on failure.

Making the world yours

Game rules live in PalWorldSettings.ini, inside Pal/Saved/Config/LinuxServer/ in the server folder. Make it by copying DefaultPalWorldSettings.ini from the server folder into that config folder, then edit the copy. The game ignores edits to the default file. Change it while the server is off, then start it again.

• ServerPlayerMaxNum caps how many can play at once.
• AdminPassword lets you use admin commands in game.
• bIsUseBackupSaveData keeps rolling backups of the world in a backup folder; expect the disk to work a little harder.
• RCONEnabled and RESTAPIEnabled turn on remote control tools. Leave their ports closed to the internet and reach them through SSH.

Older guides tell you to add -useperfthreads -NoAsyncLoadingThread -UseMultithreadForDS. Pocketpair now says that from version 1.0, leaving them off may run better.

Keeping your world safe

The built-in backups help when a save goes bad, but they sit on the same disk as the world. So copy the save folder somewhere else regularly as well. When the game gets a patch, stop the server, run the same SteamCMD line again to update it, and start it back up, so your friends' game and the server stay on the same version.

The server that fits

Our game servers on bare metal are whole HPE enterprise machines, configured the way you choose, with any operating system you like. Nobody else's world shares the processor or the memory, and each server's port is not shared with any other customer at the access switch, which matters when everyone is fighting a boss at once.

A server already racked is ready about 30 minutes after your order is approved; payment checks can add time before that. Pick a data centre close to your group. The unmetered port has no traffic allowance, however many evenings the group plays. Support is around the clock by live chat, email and phone. The full range is on our dedicated servers page.

When you do not need one

If three or four of you only play together, one of you can host from the game itself. A dedicated server is worth it once the world has to stay up while the host sleeps, the group outgrows a home connection, or console friends need a listed server to join.

Questions people ask

How much memory does my Palworld server need?

The studio's page gives 16 GB as the requirement, with 32 GB or more as its recommendation for steady play. 8 GB can run the server, but the studio warns it is then more likely to crash when memory runs short.

What do I open in the firewall?

UDP port 8211, or whichever port you set with -port=. Keep SSH open for yourself, and do not open the RCON or REST API ports to the internet.

How do my friends connect?

On PC, they type your server's IP address and port into the box under the server list. Xbox and PS5 players need the server listed, which means starting it with -publiclobby.

I edited the settings and nothing changed. Why?

You probably edited DefaultPalWorldSettings.ini. Copy it to PalWorldSettings.ini in the LinuxServer (or WindowsServer) config folder, make your changes there, and restart.

How do I update the server after a patch?

Stop it, run the SteamCMD app_update 2394010 command again, and start it. Keeping server and game on the same version saves a lot of puzzled messages from friends.

Can I run it on Windows instead?

Yes. Pocketpair supports 64-bit Windows as well as Linux; the settings file then lives in the WindowsServer config folder.