How to Host a Palworld Server (Quick Start Guide)

To host a Palworld server that stays online without your PC, pick a plan on GamezServers, pay, and your server is live in about 60 seconds with its own address. Friends type the address into Join Multiplayer Game, and you set capture rates, XP and passwords from the control panel in your browser. This guide covers every step, from choosing the right RAM to moving your co-op world across.

Want to run it on your own hardware instead? Read how to make a Palworld server.

Step 1: Pick the right plan

Pocketpair recommends 16 GB of memory for a dedicated server. Palworld can boot on less, but memory use grows as bases fill with Pals and structures, and running out causes crashes and rollbacks.

Plan	RAM	vCPU	Players	Price per month	Good for
Starter	12 GB	3	Up to 8	29.99 USD	A small group of friends
Standard (popular)	16 GB	4	Up to 16	39.99 USD	Most worlds, the size Pocketpair recommends
Pro	24 GB	6	Up to 32	59.99 USD	A full 32 player server or big late game bases

Most groups should take Standard. You can change plans at any time without losing your world, and new customers get 50% off their first month. For more on sizing, see how much RAM a game server needs and choosing a plan.

Step 2: Split the cost with friends (optional)

At checkout, choose Split with friends to share the bill between 2 and 10 people. Everyone pays their own share by card, and each share includes a 1 USD payment fee. On the 16 GB plan split four ways, that is roughly 11 USD each.

You pay your share and the server starts straight away. Each friend gets their own payment link and pays when they are ready, and every share that comes in keeps the server running longer. Friends who create an account with the email they paid with see the server in their own dashboard.

Step 3: Name the server and pay

Give the server a name at checkout. For Palworld, this name appears in the community server list, which is how Xbox and PS5 players find you, so make it easy to search. Then sign in or create an account on the same page and pay by card, Apple Pay or Google Pay.

There is no contract. You can cancel any time from the dashboard and the server runs until the end of the paid month. See billing and cancellation.

Step 4: Find your server on the dashboard

After payment, your dashboard shows the server under Your servers as Setting up, then Online. Open it to reach the control panel. The address sits at the top and looks like 203.0.113.10:8211. Click it to copy. The control panel guide explains every tab.

Step 5: How friends join

Launch Palworld and choose Join Multiplayer Game from the title screen.
Type the server address, for example 203.0.113.10:8211, into the box at the bottom of the server list. Include the colon and the port.
Click Connect and enter the server password if you set one.
Xbox and PS5 players cannot type an address. They search for your server by name in the community server list instead.

Since Palworld 1.0, Steam, Xbox, PS5 and Mac players can all share one server. Everyone must be on the same game version, so update the game after every patch. If someone gets stuck, see Palworld connection timed out.

Step 6: Set capture rates and XP in PalWorldSettings.ini

Every world setting lives in one file. Press Stop first, then open the Files tab and go to:

Pal/Saved/Config/LinuxServer/PalWorldSettings.ini

All settings sit on one long line that starts with OptionSettings=(. Change only the value after each = sign and keep the commas and brackets exactly as they are. The settings most groups change:

Setting	Default	What it does
`ExpRate`	1.000000	XP multiplier. 2 or 3 speeds up leveling.
`PalCaptureRate`	1.000000	Capture chance multiplier
`PalSpawnNumRate`	1.000000	How many wild Pals spawn. High values cost performance.
`CollectionDropRate`	1.000000	How much you get from trees, rocks and gathering
`DayTimeSpeedRate` / `NightTimeSpeedRate`	1.000000	Speed of day and night
`PalEggDefaultHatchingTime`	72.000000	Hours to hatch a Huge Egg. Lower is faster.
`DeathPenalty`	All	`None`, `Item`, `ItemAndEquipment` or `All`
`bIsPvP`	False	Turns on PvP

Save, press Start, and the new values apply. If they do not, the most likely reason is a WorldOption.sav file in your world folder, which overrides the ini. Our Palworld server settings not working guide explains the fix.

Step 7: Passwords and admin

In the same line of PalWorldSettings.ini:

ServerPassword="..." is what friends type to join. Leave it empty for an open server.
AdminPassword="..." lets you type /AdminPassword yourpassword in chat to become admin in game.

Keep the quotes around both values. The server name in the list comes from the name on your dashboard. If a password you set goes back after a restart, email support@gamezservers.com.

You do not need admin in game to manage the server. The Console tab gives you full access from your browser, and there are one click buttons for Save world, Broadcast, Show players and Kick player. See Palworld admin commands for the full list.

Step 8: Move your co-op world over

You can bring an existing co-op or single player world. Upload the world folder to Pal/Saved/SaveGames/0/ through the Files tab, or with the SFTP login from Settings for big saves. Guests keep their characters. The original host usually needs a new character or a community fix tool, because host saves are stored differently. The full process is in how to transfer a Palworld co-op save to a dedicated server.

Step 9: Backups, Sleep when empty and upgrades

Backups: press Backup before every Palworld patch and before installing mods. Each server keeps 3 backups, so a bad update never costs you your Pals.
Updates: after a patch, restart the server so it picks up the new version, and have everyone update through their store.
Sleep when empty: the server stops after 90 minutes with nobody online and starts again with one press of Start. Your base Pals only work while the server runs, so turn Sleep when empty off in Settings if you want them working overnight.
Upgrading: if the server crashes as bases grow, move to a bigger plan in Settings. The price is prorated and the new RAM applies after a restart.

Self hosting vs GamezServers

	Self hosting	GamezServers
Setup time	An hour or more with SteamCMD and ini files	About 60 seconds after checkout
Hardware	A PC with 16 GB free for the server, left on around the clock	Dedicated hardware in a data center
Port forwarding	UDP 8211 on your router	Nothing to forward
Updates	Run SteamCMD after every patch	Restart the server
Your home IP	Shared with every player	Never shared
Cost	Free software, plus electricity and hardware	From 29.99 USD a month, splittable

FAQ

How much does it cost to host a Palworld server?

Plans start at 29.99 USD a month for 12 GB, and the recommended 16 GB plan is 39.99 USD. New customers get 50% off the first month, and you can split the bill with up to 9 friends.

How many players can join a Palworld server?

Up to 32. Our plans are sized for 8, 16 and 32 players, and big late game bases feel best on 24 GB.

Can Xbox and PS5 players join?

Yes. Since 1.0, Steam, Xbox, PS5 and Mac players can share a server. Console players find it by name in the community server list, since they cannot type an address.

Why do my friends get a version mismatch?

The server and every player must be on the same version. Restart the server after a patch and have everyone update the game.

Do I need to keep my PC on?

No. The server runs on our hardware, so your world and base Pals keep going when you log off, as long as Sleep when empty is off.

Ready to catch them together

That covers everything for your first session: a plan, an address, your rates and passwords. See Palworld server hosting to pick a plan and get your crew in.