Hosting a Palworld Dedicated Server on Windows

Hosting a Palworld Dedicated Server on Windows

A Windows dedicated server is the fastest way to get a persistent Palworld world running for your community. This guide walks through installation from Steam or steamcmd, the hardware you need, how to configure the server, and how to keep it running smoothly.

Hardware requirements

Palworld dedicated servers are CPU and RAM hungry. Pocketpair recommends at least four CPU cores, 16 GB of RAM, and strongly recommends more than 32 GB for larger worlds with many active players and bases. An SSD is strongly recommended because the server constantly streams world and player data. Hosting on a low-performance hard drive or network storage can corrupt saves and cause lag.

Before you launch, make sure Windows is set to high-performance power mode so the machine does not sleep while players are connected. If you are hosting on a home PC, consider connecting the server via Ethernet rather than Wi-Fi to reduce packet loss.

Installing the server

The simplest installation method is through the Steam client. Open your Library, select the Tools tab, and search for "Palworld Dedicated Server." The Steam app ID is 2394010. Install it to a drive with plenty of free space.

If you prefer a command-line installer, use steamcmd:

steamcmd +login anonymous +app_update 2394010 validate +quit

The validate argument verifies the installation and repairs any missing or corrupted files.

Launching the server

The Windows executable is PalServer.exe. Running it with no arguments starts a server on UDP port 8211. To list the server in the public Community Servers browser, add the -publiclobby launch argument:

PalServer.exe -publiclobby

Many hosts create a shortcut or batch file that includes this argument. For example, save a start-server.bat file in the server folder:

@echo off
PalServer.exe -publiclobby

Double-check that your firewall allows PalServer.exe through. If the server console flashes and closes, read the log files for an error such as a missing port binding.

Configuring the server

Stop the server before editing configuration files. On Windows, the active settings are stored at:

Pal/Saved/Config/WindowsServer/PalWorldSettings.ini

If this file does not exist or is empty, copy the contents of DefaultPalWorldSettings.ini into it. The active configuration must be a single-line OptionSettings=(...) block. Multi-line formatting will not work.

Important settings include ServerName, ServerDescription, AdminPassword, ServerPassword, PublicIP, PublicPort, ServerPlayerMaxNum, bIsPvP, bEnablePlayerToPlayerDamage, bEnableDefenseOtherGuildPlayer, DeathPenalty, ExpRate, PalCaptureRate, DayTimeSpeedRate, NightTimeSpeedRate, bIsUseBackupSaveData, AutoSaveSpan, RESTAPIEnabled, and RESTAPIPort.

Save files and backups

Palworld worlds live under Pal/Saved/SaveGames/0/{WorldGUID}/. You will see Level.sav, LevelMeta.sav, LocalData.sav, WorldOption.sav, and a Players/ folder. Always stop the server before copying this folder to another drive or cloud storage. Running backups while the server is active can corrupt files.

Ports and updates

Clients connect to UDP port 8211. Steam query and browser responses use UDP port 27015. Forward both on your router if you want the server to be public. When a patch releases, run steamcmd +app_update 2394010 validate to update, then restart the server.

That covers the basics of a Windows Palworld dedicated server.