How to Make a Palworld Server, Step by Step

Installing SteamCMD

For security, run the server as a separate user instead of root:

sudo apt update
sudo apt install lib32gcc-s1 curl tmux
sudo useradd -m -s /bin/bash palworld
sudo su - palworld
mkdir ~/steamcmd && cd ~/steamcmd
curl -sqL "https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/client/installer/steamcmd_linux.tar.gz" | tar zxvf -

Downloading the Palworld server files

The Steam app ID for Palworld Dedicated Server is 2394010:

~/steamcmd/steamcmd.sh +force_install_dir /home/palworld/server +login anonymous +app_update 2394010 validate +quit

Create this link so the server can find the Steam library; otherwise the server may throw a steamclient.so error at startup:

mkdir -p ~/.steam/sdk64
ln -s ~/steamcmd/linux64/steamclient.so ~/.steam/sdk64/steamclient.so

Starting the server for the first time

Start the server in a tmux session so it doesn't shut down when you close your SSH connection:

cd ~/server
tmux new -s palworld ./PalServer.sh -port=8211 -players=16 -useperfthreads -NoAsyncLoadingThread -UseMultithreadForDS

• -port: The game port. The default is 8211.
• -players: The maximum number of players (up to 32).
• -useperfthreads -NoAsyncLoadingThread -UseMultithreadForDS: Lets the server use more than one core; improves performance on multi-core servers.

On the first launch, the server creates the world and the settings folders. Once the server is up, stop it with Ctrl + C; we'll edit the settings in the next step.

Settings with PalWorldSettings.ini

Palworld's default settings are in the DefaultPalWorldSettings.ini file. Copy this file to where the server reads it:

cp ~/server/DefaultPalWorldSettings.ini ~/server/Pal/Saved/Config/LinuxServer/PalWorldSettings.ini
nano ~/server/Pal/Saved/Config/LinuxServer/PalWorldSettings.ini

All the settings are on a single long line starting with OptionSettings=(...). Only change the values, without splitting the line. The most important settings:

For example, the relevant part of the line looks like this:

ServerName="Your server name",ServerPassword="secret123",AdminPassword="a-strong-password",ServerPlayerMaxNum=16

Always edit the settings while the server is stopped. The server only reads the settings at startup and can overwrite the file when it shuts down. After saving, restart the server.

Ports and firewall

By default, a Palworld server uses UDP port 8211. If you use ufw on Ubuntu:

sudo ufw allow 8211/udp

If you turned on RCON, open TCP port 25575 only to your own IP address, not to everyone. We explain how ports work in What is a port?

Connecting to the server

In the game, go to the Join Multiplayer Game (Dedicated Server) option. Type the server's IP address and port in the box at the bottom of the screen, like 203.0.113.10:8211, press Connect and, after entering the password, you're in the world.

If you want your server to appear in the community server list, add -publiclobby to the launch command. If you're playing with friends, a private server with a password is usually the better choice.

Admin commands

In game, type /AdminPassword yourpassword into the chat window to become an admin. Commonly used commands:

Keeping the server healthy

• Restart regularly. The longer a Palworld server stays up, the more memory it uses. A daily restart at the hour with the fewest players prevents this; we explain how to automate it in What is cron?
• Apply updates quickly. When the game is updated, players can't connect to a server on an older version. Stop the server and run the SteamCMD command again.
• Back up your saves. World and player data are kept in the Pal/Saved/SaveGames folder. Before big updates, make a copy of this folder:

  tar -czf ~/palworld-backup-$(date +%F).tar.gz -C ~/server/Pal/Saved SaveGames
  

  
  We cover taking regular backups that are independent of the server in our Server backups guide.

Nodesty for your Palworld server

Palworld's high RAM needs and multi-core design quickly push home computers to their limits. Nodesty AMD Ryzen 9 9950X VPS plans deliver smooth gameplay even in crowded bases with core speeds up to 5.7 GHz and high-RAM options, and run in Frankfurt and New York with NVMe storage, L3–L7 nShield DDoS protection and free daily backups kept for 7 days. For other games, take a look at our Valheim, Rust and Terraria guides, and for a ready-made server, check out our game server plans.

Palworld is a trademark of Pocketpair, Inc.; Steam is a trademark of Valve Corporation. Nodesty is not affiliated with or endorsed by these companies.