Decide which kind of server you are building
Pocketpair splits Palworld hosting into two shapes, and the choice changes one launch argument.
- Dedicated server. Hosts the world without the game client running. Players join by IP address and port.
- Community server. The same thing, registered on the in-game server list so people can find it there.
The difference matters for console players. Pocketpair's guide is explicit: "If you want to join the server from the Xbox version or the PS5 version, you need to deploy it as a community server." The -publiclobby argument is what makes a dedicated server a community one. Crossplay is on by default for Steam, Xbox and the Microsoft Store build, macOS and PS5.
Download and start it
On Windows with Steam, tick the Tools filter in your library and install Palworld Dedicated Server. With SteamCMD, on either operating system, the download is one line:
steamcmd +login anonymous +app_update 2394010 validate +quit
Then run PalServer.exe on Windows or ./PalServer.sh on Linux from the steamapps/common/PalServer folder. Start it once before you try to configure anything. Pocketpair notes that the configuration directories "will only create once the server has been started", which is the single most common reason a first-timer cannot find the file everyone tells them to edit.
The config file, and the one that looks like it but is not
Settings live in PalWorldSettings.ini, and you create it by copying the shipped defaults:
- Windows: copy
PalServer\DefaultPalWorldSettings.initoPalServer\Pal\Saved\Config\WindowsServer\PalWorldSettings.ini - Linux: copy
PalServer/DefaultPalWorldSettings.initoPalServer/Pal/Saved/Config/LinuxServer/PalWorldSettings.ini
The docs then say the thing worth tattooing on your wrist: "Note that editing DefaultPalWorldSettings.ini will not affect the changes." People edit the default file, restart, see nothing change, and conclude the server is broken. It is not. It is reading the other file.
The file is one long line rather than a list. Pocketpair's own example, from their official container repository, looks like this:
[/Script/Pal.PalGameWorldSettings]OptionSettings=(ServerPassword="…",DeathPenalty=None)
Every setting you change goes inside those brackets, comma separated. A missing bracket means the whole line is ignored, so change one thing at a time until you trust your editing.
The settings most people actually want
| Setting | What it does |
|---|---|
ServerName, ServerDescription | How the server reads on the list. |
ServerPassword | Password required to log in to the server. |
AdminPassword | Password used to obtain administrative privileges. |
ServerPlayerMaxNum | Maximum number of players who can join. |
CrossplayPlatforms | Which platforms may connect. Default is Steam, Xbox, PS5 and Mac. |
DeathPenalty | None, Item, ItemAndEquipment, or All. |
ExpRate, PalCaptureRate, DayTimeSpeedRate | The multipliers most groups tune first. |
bIsUseBackupSaveData | Enables world backups. Pocketpair notes this increases disk load. |
RCONEnabled, RCONPort | Remote console access, off by default. |
A few settings are flagged in the docs as costing performance rather than just changing the rules: BaseCampMaxNumInGuild (default 4, maximum 10) and BaseCampWorkerMaxNum (maximum 50) both say plainly that raising them "raises processing load", and PalSpawnNumRate is marked "(Impacts performance.)". If your server got worse the week you doubled everyone's base allowance, that is why.
Ports
Palworld needs one port open, and it is UDP. Pocketpair's requirements page lists it as "UDP Port 8211 (Default, Changeable)" and says you need to be able to forward it on your router. Change it with the -port= argument if 8211 is taken. Player count can also be set on the launch line with -players=32.
Two more arguments exist for community servers only. -publicip= and -publicport= let you state the outside address by hand when detection does not work. Note the docs' warning that -publicport "does not change the port number itself that the server uses for listening", which trips up people running behind a translated port.
One argument set is worth knowing about because the advice reversed. The old performance flags -useperfthreads -NoAsyncLoadingThread -UseMultithreadForDS are still documented, but Pocketpair now says that in v1.0 and later, leaving them unset may improve performance. Older guides still tell you to add them.
Saves, backups and updates
Save data and config sit under the server's Saved folder. Turning on bIsUseBackupSaveData creates a backup directory inside the save data directory and keeps a rolling set: five copies at thirty seconds apart, six at ten minutes, twelve hourly, and seven daily. That is a good safety net and it is off until you switch it on.
Storage choice is a real risk here, not a nicety. Pocketpair recommends a faster SSD and warns that "Low-performance storage may corrupt saved data", and their container documentation recommends against running the server on Docker Desktop for the same reason: limited disk read and write speed. This is one of the few places where a survival game will genuinely eat your world.
Updating is the same command you installed with. Run the SteamCMD line again, or update through Steam. Pocketpair's own instruction for their container image applies to every method: "Be sure to back up your data before updating."
Where self-hosting stops being the cheaper answer
If you have a spare machine that is already on, self-hosting Palworld costs nothing but your attention, and you keep total access to the save files. That is a genuinely good deal and plenty of groups should stop reading here.
The honest costs are these. The machine has to stay awake whenever anyone wants to play, which usually means it is not the computer you game on. Many home internet connections cannot accept incoming connections at all, no matter how carefully you forward the port, and no configuration fixes that. Every update, restart and crash is yours to notice, often while you are at work. And a Palworld world is only as safe as the last copy you took of it.
Renting swaps that list for a monthly bill and a smaller amount of file access. It is not faster to set up and it does not run the game differently. It is a different set of chores.
Where RadarHost fits
RadarHost rents Palworld servers hosted in Beauharnois, Quebec, Canada. There are three plans, Standard, Premium and Diamond, priced in Canadian dollars, with no setup fee and cancel any time. What renting changes is who keeps the machine running; the world settings above are still yours to choose. After payment, our team reviews the order and emails setup details or next steps within 24 hours. Current plans and prices are on the Palworld availability page.