How to Host a Palworld Server: Hosted, Self Hosted or Free (2026)

There are three ways to host a Palworld server. Host it with us and it is online about a minute after checkout, with its own address, crossplay on and the common settings in simple menus. Host it yourself for free by installing PalServer (SteamCMD app 2394010) on a 64 bit Windows or Linux PC with 16 GB of RAM to spare and forwarding UDP port 8211. Or skip the server and share a co-op invite code from your own game, which is free but holds 4 players and stops when you log off. This guide covers all three.

Which way should you host Palworld?

Co-op is fine for a small group that always plays together. As soon as someone wants to play while the host is offline, or you want base Pals working overnight, you need a dedicated server, at home or hosted.

How much RAM does a Palworld server need?

Pocketpair's server guide lists 16 GB of memory, with 32 GB recommended for the most stable server. PalServer can boot on 8 GB, but it crashes much more often. Memory grows as bases fill with Pals and structures, and running out causes crashes and rollbacks.

Pocketpair also recommends a CPU with 4 or more cores and a fast SSD, and warns that slow storage can corrupt saves. Details in Palworld server requirements and how many players can join a Palworld server.

Option 1: Host a Palworld server with GamezServers

1. Pick a plan from the table above. Most groups should take Standard, and you can change plans later without losing your world. New customers get 50% off the first month.
2. Split the bill if you like. Choose Split with friends at checkout to share it between 2 and 10 people, each paying their own share by card with a 1 USD fee per share. The 16 GB plan split four ways is roughly 11 USD each. Your server starts as soon as you pay your share, and friends who create an account with the email they paid with see the server in their own dashboard.
3. Name the server and pay. The name appears in the community server list, which is how Xbox and PlayStation players find you, so make it easy to search. Pay by card, Apple Pay or Google Pay.
4. Open your server. It appears under Your servers as Setting up, then Online. The address at the top of the control panel looks like 203.0.113.10:8211. Click it to copy.
5. Set a join password and your rules. In the panel's settings, set a Join password to keep it private, and pick the Death penalty and PvP. Your Admin password is already generated for you.
6. Share the address. Friends launch Palworld, choose Join Multiplayer Game, type the address with the port into the box at the bottom of the server list, click Connect and enter the password. Xbox and PlayStation players cannot type an address. Your server is always in the community server list, so they search for its name there.

Billing is monthly with no contract, and you can cancel any time from the dashboard. The server runs until the end of the paid month. See billing and cancellation and the control panel guide.

How do you change capture rates and XP?

The common settings are menus in the panel, written into PalWorldSettings.ini on every start:

Anything else can be edited in Pal/Saved/Config/LinuxServer/PalWorldSettings.ini from the Files tab with the server stopped. Settings set in the panel are written over the file on every start, so change those in the panel. If a value still does not apply, a WorldOption.sav in your world folder may be overriding it. See Palworld server settings not working and best Palworld server settings.

Admin commands

The panel console and its buttons already run as admin: Save world, Broadcast, Show players, Kick player, Ban player, Unban player and Server info. In game, type /AdminPassword followed by the admin password from your panel, then commands like /KickPlayer work in chat. Full list in Palworld admin commands.

Why does the server restart by itself?

PalServer has a long known memory leak: the longer it runs, the more memory it holds until it lags or crashes. Ours saves and restarts with a two minute warning every 8 hours by default, or early at 90% memory. Change the interval or turn it off with Auto restart in the panel. See Palworld server lag and memory fix.

Option 2: Make a Palworld server on your own PC

PalServer is free from Pocketpair and downloads without a game license. It runs on 64 bit Windows and Linux. The PC has to stay on while people play, and since base Pals only work while the server runs, for most groups that means around the clock.

Step 1: Install SteamCMD

• Windows: download SteamCMD from Valve, extract it to a folder such as C:\steamcmd and run steamcmd.exe once.
• Linux: install the steamcmd package for your distribution, or use Valve's tarball and run ./steamcmd.sh.

Windows players who own Palworld can also install Palworld Dedicated Server from the Tools section of their Steam library.

Step 2: Download the server

The server is app ID 2394010 and downloads anonymously:

steamcmd +login anonymous +app_update 2394010 validate +quit

It installs to steamapps/common/PalServer inside your SteamCMD folder. Run the same command after every Palworld patch, because players cannot join a server on a different version.

Step 3: Start it once

Run PalServer.exe on Windows or ./PalServer.sh on Linux so it creates its folders, then stop it.

Step 4: Create PalWorldSettings.ini

The settings file does not exist until you create it. Copy the defaults into the config folder.

Windows (PowerShell, from your Steam folder):

Copy-Item steamapps\common\PalServer\DefaultPalWorldSettings.ini steamapps\common\PalServer\Pal\Saved\Config\WindowsServer\PalWorldSettings.ini

Linux:

cp steamapps/common/PalServer/DefaultPalWorldSettings.ini steamapps/common/PalServer/Pal/Saved/Config/LinuxServer/PalWorldSettings.ini

Edit the copy, never DefaultPalWorldSettings.ini, which the server ignores. All settings sit on one long line that starts with OptionSettings=(. Change only the value after each = and keep the commas, brackets and quotes exactly as they are. Only edit the file while the server is stopped.

Step 5: Start it with launch options

PalServer.exe -port=8211 -players=16 -publiclobby

• -port= is the port the server listens on, 8211 by default.
• -players= is the maximum number of players.
• -publiclobby lists the server in the community server list. Console players can only join this way.

Older guides recommend -useperfthreads -NoAsyncLoadingThread -UseMultithreadForDS. Pocketpair's own docs now say leaving these out may perform better on 1.0, so test before adding them.

Step 6: Open the port

Forward it on your router to the server's local IP and allow PalServer through your firewall. If you enable RCON or the REST API in the settings file, keep those ports closed to the internet unless you really need remote access. Our port forwarding guide covers the router side. If your provider uses CGNAT, forwarding does not work at all. See how to tell if you are behind CGNAT.

Step 7: Let friends connect

• Steam players: choose Join Multiplayer Game, type your public IP and port, for example 203.0.113.10:8211, into the box at the bottom of the server list, click Connect and enter the password.
• Xbox and PS5 players search for the server by name in the community server list. It needs -publiclobby, and their platform must be in CrossplayPlatforms.

Since the crossplay update in 2025, Steam, Xbox, PS5 and Mac players can share one server. Everyone must be on the same game version.

Option 3: Host Palworld co-op for free

1. Start or load your world with multiplayer allowed.
2. On the menu screen, reveal the invite code with the eye icon and share it.
3. Friends choose Join Multiplayer Game (Invite Code) and paste it.

Co-op holds 4 players including the host. The world only exists while the host plays, so base Pals stop working and nothing gets crafted or farmed overnight. How to play Palworld with friends compares co-op and dedicated servers.

What are the catches with hosting for free?

• Memory. The server needs 12 to 16 GB on top of what the game uses if you play on the same PC, which is why most gaming PCs struggle to do both. The memory leak means you also need headroom and a restart schedule, every 6 to 8 hours for most servers.
• Electricity. A PC running 24/7 so Pals keep working uses real power. At 150 W that is about 108 kWh a month, roughly 18 USD at 0.17 USD per kWh.
• CGNAT. If your provider uses it, port 8211 cannot be forwarded and friends cannot connect.
• Updates are manual. After every patch, run SteamCMD again or everyone gets a version mismatch.
• Your home IP and upload. Everyone who joins sees your IP, and slow upload causes rubber banding. See is hosting a game server at home safe.
• Free hosts do not last. A Palworld world needs 12 to 16 GB or more, which is expensive to give away, so free offers come with tight time limits, small RAM, queues or ads. Read is free game server hosting safe first.

Can you get a hosted Palworld server without paying cash?

Yes, with credits. Every GamezServers account gets a share link from the dashboard. It earns 5 cents for every person who clicks it, counted once a day per person, and 10 USD in credits for every person who clicks and subscribes, once per person. Credits come off your bills automatically and have no cash value outside GamezServers.

A 3 day one-time rental costs about 7.50 USD on the 12 GB plan, 10 USD on 16 GB and 15 USD on 24 GB. Three people who subscribe through your link cover a month of the 12 GB plan, and 150 clicks cover a 3 day weekend. See how game server credits work.

Can you use mods on a Palworld server?

At home, community tools such as UE4SS and the PalDefender anti cheat can run on a dedicated server, but big patches break them. Before updating, remove old mods completely rather than just disabling them, and only reinstall versions built for the current game. Our servers run the official Linux server for stability, so they are vanilla today: UE4SS and PalDefender need the Windows server build, which we do not offer yet. More in best Palworld mods for dedicated servers.

How do you move a co-op world to a dedicated server?

Co-op saves live in %LOCALAPPDATA%\Pal\Saved\SaveGames on the host's PC, in a folder named after the Steam ID with one subfolder per world.

1. Stop the server and take a backup.
2. Copy the world folder into the server's Pal/Saved/SaveGames/0/. On our servers, use the Files tab or the SFTP login in Settings for big saves.
3. Set DedicatedServerName in the server's GameUserSettings.ini to the world folder's name.
4. Start the server.

Guests keep their characters. The co-op host gets a new character, because host saves are stored differently, and a community save tool can move the old one over. The full walkthrough, including WorldOption.sav, is in how to transfer a Palworld co-op save to a dedicated server.

Backups, updates and upgrades

• Backups: on our servers, press Backup before every Palworld patch and before moving a world. Each server keeps 3. At home, copy the Pal/Saved/SaveGames folder.
• Updates: our servers update themselves on every start with Update on start, so restart after a patch and have everyone update through their store. At home, run the SteamCMD command again. See how to update a Palworld server.
• Sleep when empty: our servers stop after 4 days with nobody online and start again with one press of Start. Base Pals only work while the server runs, so turn it off in Settings if you want them working all week.
• 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.

Common problems

• Version mismatch: the server and every player must run the same version. Restart our server, or update yours through SteamCMD, and have everyone update the game. See Palworld version mismatch fix.
• Settings ignored or went back: on our servers, change panel settings in the panel. At home, you edited DefaultPalWorldSettings.ini, the file is in the wrong folder, the server was running while you saved, or a WorldOption.sav overrides it.
• Console friends cannot find it: a home server needs -publiclobby, and their platform must be in CrossplayPlatforms.
• Connection timed out: port 8211 UDP is not forwarded, the address is missing the port, or your provider uses CGNAT. See Palworld server connection timed out.
• Crashes after a few hours: usually memory. Give the server more RAM and restart it on a schedule.
• Rollbacks or damaged saves: often slow storage or a crash during a save. Back up before every update. See Palworld save not loading after an update.

FAQ

Is the Palworld dedicated server free?

Yes. PalServer is free on Steam as app 2394010 and downloads through SteamCMD with an anonymous login. Every player still needs their own copy of Palworld.

How much does it cost to host a Palworld server?

With us, plans start at 29.99 USD a month for 12 GB, and the 16 GB plan most worlds need is 39.99 USD. New customers get 50% off the first month, and the bill can be split between up to 10 people. More in Palworld server hosting cost.

What port does a Palworld server use?

UDP 8211 by default, set with -port=. It is the only port you need to forward for players.

How many players can join a Palworld server?

Up to 32 on a dedicated server, set by your plan on ours. A co-op world holds 4 including the host.

Can Xbox and PS5 players join?

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

Can I host a Palworld server on my gaming PC?

You can, but the server needs 12 to 16 GB on top of what the game uses, and the PC must stay on for the world to stay online.

Can I password protect my server?

Yes. Set a join password so only people you share it with can join, and keep the separate admin password for commands.

Do I need to keep my PC on?

Not with a hosted server. Your world and base Pals keep going when you log off, as long as Sleep when empty is off.

See Palworld server hosting to pick a plan and get your crew in.