Best Palworld Alternatives With Dedicated Servers (2026)

The best Palworld alternatives with dedicated servers are Craftopia, Soulmask, ARK: Survival Ascended, Necesse, Smalland: Survive the Wilds, Colony Survival, PixARK, Core Keeper and Enshrouded. The closest is Craftopia, made by Pocketpair before Palworld, with the same mix of combat, farming and automation. Soulmask, Necesse and Colony Survival replace Pals with people who work your base, which is the part of Palworld most groups miss. Most of them are also lighter to host: Palworld needs 12 GB for a small group, while Necesse runs on 2 GB.

Palworld is really three games stacked together: creature collecting, survival base building, and a workforce that runs your base while you explore. When people ask for an alternative, they usually want one or two of those three. Each entry below says which.

Palworld alternatives at a glance

1. Craftopia

Pocketpair's earlier game throws almost every genre into one open world: hunting, farming, hack and slash dungeons, base building and conveyor automation that eventually runs whole production lines. If your group liked Palworld's chaos, Craftopia is that chaos with factories. Pocketpair warns that more than 8 players may cause stability problems, so it is a friend group game.

• RAM: 8 GB for a small co-op group, 12 GB for heavy automation.
• Read next: how to host a Craftopia server.

2. Soulmask

The best match for Palworld's base workers, with people instead of Pals. You recruit tribespeople, assign them jobs and watch the camp grow into an automated settlement, and the mask lets you possess them. The tribe keeps working while you are away, which only works if the world stays online. Version 1.0 came out in April 2026.

• RAM: 12 GB for up to 10 players.

3. ARK: Survival Ascended

The game Palworld is most often compared to. Taming dinosaurs, breeding them and putting them to work gathering is the original version of the loop. It is grittier and slower, and console players can join PC servers.

• RAM: 12 GB for a small tribe on The Island or Scorched Earth.

4. Necesse

A top down survival RPG where settlers take jobs and follow work orders, so your settlement runs itself while you go mining or fight bosses. It left Early Access with version 1.0 in October 2025. By default the world pauses when nobody is online, and you can switch that off in server.cfg if you want settlers working around the clock.

• RAM: 2 GB for four to six friends, 4 GB for a larger group.
• Read next: how to host a Necesse server.

5. Smalland: Survive the Wilds

You are tiny and the bugs are huge. Tame creatures to ride, build camps in roots and mushrooms, and push further out as you get stronger. It has the creature bond Palworld players like, in a much smaller co-op package for up to 10.

• RAM: 6 GB for two to four players.

6. Colony Survival

A first person colony builder in a voxel world: hire colonists into farming, mining and guard jobs, research tech and hold the walls against nightly attacks. Each player can run their own colony on the same map. If assigning Pals to jobs was your favorite part, this is that part as a whole game.

• RAM: 4 GB for two to five friends.

7. PixARK

Taming dinosaurs and mythical creatures in a blocky world you can dig through. Lighter in tone than ARK and closer to Palworld's playfulness. No longer getting big updates, but still played.

• RAM: 8 GB for a small tribe.

8. Core Keeper

Mining, farming, cooking, automation and bosses in a top down cavern, plus pets and mounts. It lacks the collecting, but its calm base building pace suits groups who liked running a Palworld base more than fighting.

• RAM: 4 GB for up to 8 friends.

9. Enshrouded

For groups who mostly enjoyed Palworld's building and exploring. You rescue survivors who move into your base and craft for you, the voxel building is the best in the genre, and a server holds 16.

• RAM: 8 GB for up to 4 players.

Palworld still wins on one thing

No alternative mixes collecting, combat and base workers quite like Palworld. If your group is tired of the default experience rather than the game, try changing the rules before leaving: capture rates, Pal work speed and the death penalty all live in PalWorldSettings.ini. Best Palworld server settings and best Palworld mods for dedicated servers can make it feel new.

Host the next one

On GamezServers you can switch the game on your server from the panel, so a Palworld server can become a Craftopia or Necesse server without buying another one, and a lighter game means a smaller plan. Plans change any time, prorated. Every server is live in about a minute, with backups and the bill split with friends. Start with Craftopia or browse all games.

FAQ

What is the closest game to Palworld?

Craftopia, from the same studio, is the closest overall. ARK: Survival Ascended is the closest for taming and breeding.

Is there a Palworld alternative with workers that run your base?

Yes. Soulmask, Necesse and Colony Survival all have workers or settlers who take jobs and keep your base running.

Which Palworld alternative is cheapest to host?

Necesse runs on 2 GB, and Colony Survival and Core Keeper on 4 GB. Palworld itself needs 12 GB or more.

Do Palworld alternatives have crossplay?

ARK: Survival Ascended lets console players join PC servers. Most others on this list are PC only on dedicated servers.