How to Change Palworld Settings on an Existing World

To change Palworld settings on an existing world, stop the server, edit Pal/Saved/Config/LinuxServer/PalWorldSettings.ini (WindowsServer on Windows), and start it again. Rates like ExpRate, PalCaptureRate and DayTimeSpeedRate apply to the world you already have on the next start, with no reset. The one thing that silently ignores your edit is a WorldOption.sav file in the world folder: if it exists, the server takes the gameplay settings from it instead of the ini, so back it up and delete it first.

What you can change on an existing world

Your progress does not live in any settings file. Players, Pals, bases and items are in Level.sav and the Players folder, so changing settings never touches them.

Where are the files?

The world ID is the long string of letters and numbers that names the folder, and it matches DedicatedServerName in GameUserSettings.ini. Pocketpair's server configuration docs confirm that only PalWorldSettings.ini in the Config folder counts.

Step 1: Back up first

Copy the whole Pal/Saved folder somewhere safe before you change anything. If a bad edit or a deleted file goes wrong, you put the folder back and you are where you started. On a host, use its backup button.

Step 2: Stop the server

Save first if anyone has been playing (Save in the RCON console or /Save in game as admin), then stop the server. Palworld only reads the ini at startup, so edits made while it runs do nothing until the next start, and editing a file the server has open is how people lose changes.

Step 3: Check for WorldOption.sav

Open Pal/Saved/SaveGames/0/<world ID>/. If there is a WorldOption.sav:

1. Download it and keep it with your backup.
2. Delete it from the server.

You get this file when the world started life as a co-op or single player game, or when someone made settings with an online .sav generator. While it exists, the rates, timers and toggles come from it, and only things like the server name, passwords and ports still come from the ini. Since Palworld 1.0 the ini is the normal way to manage a dedicated server, and deleting WorldOption.sav does not delete any progress.

Step 4: Edit PalWorldSettings.ini

Every setting lives on one long line under a single header:

[/Script/Pal.PalGameWorldSettings]
OptionSettings=(ExpRate=2.000000,PalCaptureRate=1.500000,DayTimeSpeedRate=0.500000,NightTimeSpeedRate=2.000000,WorkSpeedRate=1.000000,PalEggDefaultHatchingTime=12.000000,DeathPenalty=Item,bIsPvP=False,bEnableInvaderEnemy=True,...)

The full line has far more keys than this. Change only the values you want and keep the rest.

• Keep OptionSettings=(...) on one line. A line break, a missing comma or a missing ) makes the server skip the whole line and use defaults for everything.
• Text values need quotes: ServerName="Our Palpagos".
• DeathPenalty accepts None, Item, ItemAndEquipment or All.
• True and false settings take True or False.

If the file is empty or missing, copy the contents of DefaultPalWorldSettings.ini into it first, then edit.

Step 5: Start and check

Start the server and join. Test a value you can feel, such as day length or a capture, and run /Info to confirm you are on the right server and version. For a list of values worth changing, see the best Palworld server settings.

Why does my setting keep going back?

This is the part most guides skip. A Palworld server can get the same value from three places, and the ini is the weakest of them:

1. WorldOption.sav beats the ini for gameplay settings (Step 3).
2. Launch options beat the ini. If the server starts with -players=16 or -serverpassword=..., those win over ServerPlayerMaxNum and ServerPassword in the file.
3. Panels that write the file on every start. Many hosts, including ours, turn panel settings into ini values each time the server boots. Edit ExpRate by hand, restart, and the panel puts its own value straight back.

So before editing, find out where each value really comes from. If your host has a field for it, change it there.

One more quirk: many admins report that BaseCampWorkerMaxNum (Pals working per base, default 15) does not always take effect from the ini on dedicated servers. If yours will not change, test it on a fresh copy of the world before blaming your edit.

Common problems

• Nothing changed at all: a WorldOption.sav is still in the world folder, or you edited DefaultPalWorldSettings.ini. Remove the first, edit the right file.
• Every setting reset to default: the OptionSettings line is broken. Copy a fresh line from the default file and change one value at a time.
• One value keeps coming back: a launch option or panel field sets it on every start. Change it there.
• The server loaded an empty world: DedicatedServerName in GameUserSettings.ini does not match the world folder name, so the server made a new one. Fix the name and restart.
• Randomized Pal spawns did not appear: the randomizer only applies when a world is generated. It needs a new world.

More causes are covered in Palworld server settings not working.

Changing settings on GamezServers

On a GamezServers Palworld server, XP rate, capture rate, day and night speed, Pal work speed, egg hatching hours, Pals per base, death penalty, PvP, raids, crossplay platforms, passwords and the player cap are fields in Settings. The server writes them into PalWorldSettings.ini on every start, so change those in the panel, not in the file. Anything else you edit in the Files tab with the server stopped, after a one click Backup. The world keeps running without anyone's PC on, and the server updates itself on start. Before the next big patch, read how to update a Palworld server.

FAQ

Do I need a new world to change Palworld settings?

No. Rates, timers, death penalty and PvP apply to your existing world on the next start. Only the Pal randomizer needs a new world.

Does deleting WorldOption.sav delete my world?

No. It only holds settings. Your world, Pals and characters are in Level.sav and the Players folder, but keep a copy of it anyway.

Can I change Palworld settings without restarting?

No. The server reads PalWorldSettings.ini only when it starts, so stop it, edit, and start it again.

Why did my Palworld settings reset after a restart?

Either the OptionSettings line is broken, or a launch option or host panel writes its own value on every start. Fix the line, or change the value where your host keeps it.