How to set up a Palworld server from scratch

What you need first

Get these in order before deploying:

• An active Palworld plan on Fatality Servers. See our Palworld hosting plans if you haven't signed up yet.
• A Steam copy of Palworld for each player who wants to connect — dedicated servers are separate from the game client, but clients still need the game to play.
• Enough RAM — Palworld is a memory-hungry Unreal Engine game. Plan for 16 GB minimum; 24-32 GB for a full 32-slot server with lots of bases and Pals.
• A basic SFTP client (FileZilla, WinSCP, or similar) — you'll edit PalWorldSettings.ini directly. Panel's file manager works too if you prefer.

Deploy the server (1-click)

Our Palworld template runs SteamCMD to pull the latest dedicated server (Steam App ID 2394010), generates a default PalWorldSettings.ini, and opens the UDP query + game ports on your plan's IP.

1. Pick the Palworld template at checkout

   On the Palworld hosting page, pick a plan sized for your slot count and expected base density (16, 24, or 32 slots). Pick the location closest to your playerbase — Palworld is UDP-based and sensitive to latency for pal combat hit-reg.

2. Wait for SteamCMD to finish

   The panel triggers SteamCMD to download ~3 GB of server files. First install takes 3-5 minutes depending on source speed. When the console shows Setting breakpad minidump AppID = 2394010 and the server starts listening on port 8211, you're up.

3. Confirm the server is listening

   Console should show something like:

   LogInit: Starting Game.
   LogWorld: Bringing World /Game/Pal/Maps/MainWorld/MainWorld.MainWorld up for play (max tick rate 30) at 2026.04.17-...
   LogOnline: OSS: Starting OSS with App ID: 480
   Setting breakpad minidump AppID = 2394010

   If you see Server is waiting for connection on port 8211, the server is fully ready.

Where the config file lives

The main config file is PalWorldSettings.ini. Its path depends on the server platform:

• Linux server (our default): Pal/Saved/Config/LinuxServer/PalWorldSettings.ini
• Windows server: Pal/Saved/Config/WindowsServer/PalWorldSettings.ini

On first boot, the file does not exist yet. You need to copy the default template from:

DefaultPalWorldSettings.ini    →    Pal/Saved/Config/{Platform}/PalWorldSettings.ini

Core PalWorldSettings.ini settings

Open the file. Everything sits inside one block — the opening line [/Script/Pal.PalGameWorldSettings] followed by a single OptionSettings=(...) line with all settings comma-separated inside the parentheses.

The settings that actually matter for most servers:

[/Script/Pal.PalGameWorldSettings]
OptionSettings=(
  ServerName="My Palworld Server",
  ServerDescription="Serious players, active staff, 2x XP",
  ServerPlayerMaxNum=32,
  ServerPassword="",
  PublicPort=8211,
  PublicIP="",
  AdminPassword="change-me-to-something-strong",
  RCONEnabled=True,
  RCONPort=25575,
  Region="",
  bUseAuth=True,
  BanListURL="https://api.palworldgame.com/api/banlist.txt"
)

What each one does:

• ServerName — the name that shows in the Community Servers browser. 256-char max, no special chars.
• ServerDescription — shown when players hover over your server.
• ServerPlayerMaxNum — slot count. Match your plan.
• ServerPassword — set a value to make the server private (password-protected). Leave empty for public.
• PublicPort — must be 8211 unless you know what you're doing. Don't change this on Fatality plans; our panel opens the firewall for this exact port.
• PublicIP — leave blank; auto-detected. Only set it if the server can't figure out its public IP (rare on our infra).
• AdminPassword — required for admin commands. Make it strong and private.
• RCONEnabled / RCONPort — covered in the next section.
• bUseAuth — leave True. Disables Steam authentication if false (you almost never want this off).

Admin password & RCON

RCON (Remote Console) lets you send admin commands to the server from outside the game — broadcast messages, kick players, shut down gracefully, save the world on demand.

Enable RCON in the config

RCONEnabled=True,
RCONPort=25575,
AdminPassword="your-strong-admin-password"

Save, restart the server. RCON now listens on port 25575.

Connect with an RCON client

Any standard RCON client works. Popular choices:

• mcrcon — minimal CLI tool, works great for scripts: github.com/Tiiffi/mcrcon
• palworld-rcon — purpose-built for Palworld: github.com/cluster-m/palworld-rcon
• Source RCON protocol GUI tools — RCON.exe on Windows, most work fine

Connect command (using mcrcon):

mcrcon -H your-server-ip -P 25575 -p "your-admin-password" -t

Admin commands you'll actually use

Broadcast <message>        — Send a message to all players
Save                        — Force a world save
Shutdown <seconds> <msg>   — Scheduled shutdown with countdown
KickPlayer <SteamID>        — Boot a player (temporary)
BanPlayer <SteamID>         — Ban permanently
ShowPlayers                 — List online players + SteamIDs
DoExit                      — Immediate shutdown (no save)
Info                        — Server version info

Gameplay tuning — XP, capture, damage, rates

This is what most admins actually spend their time on. Palworld exposes dozens of multipliers that drastically change the feel of the game — here are the ones worth knowing about.

Time & progression

DayTimeSpeedRate=1.000000       — Day length multiplier (0.5 = longer days, 2.0 = shorter)
NightTimeSpeedRate=1.000000     — Night length multiplier
ExpRate=1.000000                — XP earned (2.0 = double XP, 0.5 = half)

Pal capture & spawning

PalCaptureRate=1.000000         — Pal sphere success rate (2.0 = easier catches)
PalSpawnNumRate=1.000000        — How many pals spawn in the world (0.5 = rare, 2.0 = crowded)
PalEggDefaultHatchingTime=72    — Hours for an egg to hatch (default 72, tune for your session length)

Damage & combat

PalDamageRateAttack=1.000000    — Damage pals do (higher = harder combat)
PalDamageRateDefense=1.000000   — Damage pals take (higher = pals die faster)
PlayerDamageRateAttack=1.000000 — Damage players deal
PlayerDamageRateDefense=1.000000 — Damage players take
BuildObjectDamageRate=1.000000  — Damage to built structures
BuildObjectDeteriorationDamageRate=1.000000 — Rate of natural decay

Work & resources

CollectionDropRate=1.000000     — Drop rate from gathering (trees, ore, etc.)
CollectionObjectHpRate=1.000000 — HP of gatherable objects (lower = faster harvesting)
EnemyDropItemRate=1.000000      — Items dropped by defeated enemies
PalStomachDecreaceRate=1.000000 — How fast pals get hungry
PalStaminaDecreaceRate=1.000000 — Pal stamina drain rate
PalAutoHPRegeneRate=1.000000    — Pal HP regen speed

Death & penalties

DeathPenalty=All                — None / Item / ItemAndEquipment / All
                                    (what's lost on death — "All" = everything including
                                     pals, "Item" = only backpack items)

Base & guild limits

GuildPlayerMaxNum=20            — Max players in one guild
BaseCampMaxNum=128              — Max bases per world
BaseCampWorkerMaxNum=15         — Max pals working at a single base
PalBoxPerUserMaxNum=400         — Max pals a player can store in box
EquipmentDurabilityDamageRate=1.000000 — Equipment wear rate

Installing mods (optional)

Palworld's modding scene is growing quickly, mostly built around UE4SS (Unreal Engine 4 Scripting System) and .pak file replacements. Serious modding requires some patience — the scene is less mature than ARK's or Minecraft's.

1. Install UE4SS on the server

   Download the latest UE4SS release from github.com/UE4SS-RE/RE-UE4SS. You want the non-dev build for a server. Extract to:

   Pal/Binaries/{Platform}/   (Win64 or Linux — match your server)

2. Upload mods to the right directory

   Two mod types:

   • .pak mods (asset / texture / map replacements) → Pal/Content/Paks/~mods/
   • UE4SS Lua mods (gameplay / scripting) → Pal/Binaries/{Platform}/Mods/<ModName>/Scripts/main.lua

   Create the ~mods folder if it doesn't exist. The ~ prefix makes sure it loads after the base game paks.

3. Enable mods in UE4SS config

   Edit Pal/Binaries/{Platform}/Mods/mods.txt — add your mod's folder name on its own line to enable it:

   CheatManagerEnabler : 1
   MyCustomMod : 1
   UEnhancedInput : 1

4. Restart the server and check logs

   UE4SS writes its own log at Pal/Binaries/{Platform}/UE4SS.log. Open it after a boot to confirm your mods loaded without errors. Typical success line: [Info] Lua mod 'MyCustomMod' loaded successfully.

Connect and test

1. Launch Palworld on your PC

   From the main menu, click Join Multiplayer Game (Dedicated Server).

2. Add your server by IP

   At the bottom, there's a Direct Connect / address input field. Enter YOUR-SERVER-IP:8211 and hit connect.

3. Alternatively, find it in Community Servers

   Your server shows up in the Community Servers list once Palworld's master-list catches up (usually 2-5 minutes after first boot). Filter by name to find it quickly.

4. Elevate yourself as admin

   Once in-game, open chat and run:

   /AdminPassword <your-admin-password>

   You'll see a confirmation message. Now in-game admin commands work for your player, separate from RCON.

Common errors and fixes

"Server is not responding" / can't connect

• Check that UDP port 8211 is actually open — our panel handles this, but if you've manually firewalled the VPS it may be blocked
• Verify the server is running: panel console should show Server is waiting for connection on port 8211
• If connecting by domain instead of IP, test with the raw IP first — DNS propagation delays are a common culprit

All my gameplay settings reset to defaults after restart

You either:

• Edited DefaultPalWorldSettings.ini instead of Pal/Saved/Config/{Platform}/PalWorldSettings.ini, or
• Broke the single-line format — OptionSettings=(...) must be on one line

Fix the file, restart, check with an RCON Info command that your settings stuck.

Server crashes after a few hours / out of memory

Palworld has a history of memory leaks in older builds. Mitigations:

• Schedule a daily restart (panel → Settings → Scheduled Tasks)
• Upgrade your plan's RAM if the crash happens under 24 hours
• Check Pocketpair's patch notes — they regularly ship memory-leak fixes

"Failed to join. Authentication failed"

Steam auth glitch or bUseAuth is off:

• Ensure bUseAuth=True in your config
• Have the player restart their Steam client — their auth ticket may be stale

RCON connects but commands silently do nothing

The RCON password doesn't match AdminPassword. Palworld reuses the admin password for RCON auth — there's no separate RCON password. Verify they match, restart the server.

World save corrupted / stuck at loading screen

Rollback from the panel's backup tab. All managed Palworld plans ship with daily auto-snapshots + 30-day retention; manual snapshots unlimited. If the last snapshot is old, open a ticket and we'll try to repair the save directly.

Player can't find the server in the Community Servers list

First boot, the master-list can take 2-15 minutes to index a new server. Use direct-connect by IP in the meantime:

Main menu → Join Multiplayer → Direct Connect → YOUR-IP:8211

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Stuck on something specific? Email support with your server IP, the offending line from PalWorldSettings.ini, and the last 50 lines of your console — we'll usually have an answer within the hour. For broader Palworld questions, see the FAQ's Games section.