中文
Back Server setup guides
Palworld server hosting12 min

Palworld 1.0 Dedicated Server Setup and Configuration Tuning Guide

Deploy a 1.0 Dedicated Server with SteamCMD 2394010, UDP 8211 forwarding, key PalWorldSettings.ini parameters, memory monitoring, and open-source LGSM management.

A Palworld Dedicated Server lets your group continue playing after the host exits, provided the server keeps running. This article follows Pocketpair's official server guide for setup and configuration. The documentation version checked was 1.0.4; compare actual settings with the default template of your installed server.

1. Hardware and runtime requirements

Base size, player count, and settings affect resource use, so memory requirements cannot be calculated solely from player count. The official requirements give the following baseline:

Specification Official guidance and deployment checks
CPU 4 or more cores recommended
Memory (RAM) Listed requirement: 16 GB; more than 32 GB recommended. 8 GB may start but carries a greater risk of crashes from insufficient memory
Disk Fast SSD recommended; reserve additional space for world saves and backups
Network port Default UDP 8211; check router forwarding for public multiplayer
Operating system Windows 64-bit or Linux 64-bit

2. Install the server with SteamCMD

1. Automated command-line deployment

Follow the official deployment process to sign in anonymously with SteamCMD and download the dedicated server (AppID 2394010):

Shell
steamcmd +login anonymous +app_update 2394010 validate +quit

2. Server directory structure

After the download, the server is in steamapps/common/PalServer:

  • Windows executable: PalServer.exe
  • Linux script: PalServer.sh
  • Default configuration template: DefaultPalWorldSettings.ini
  • Active configuration path:
    • Windows: Pal/Saved/Config/WindowsServer/PalWorldSettings.ini
    • Linux: Pal/Saved/Config/LinuxServer/PalWorldSettings.ini

3. Networking and ports

Dedicated server multiplayer primarily uses UDP. Network troubleshooting has three key layers:

  1. Default communication ports:
    • Game communication: UDP 8211 (must be allowed and forwarded).
    • REST API monitoring: TCP 8212 (HTTP; optional for administration; LAN-only access recommended).
  2. Cloud security groups and host firewall:
    • Add an inbound UDP 8211 rule in the system firewall.
    • For cloud servers (Tencent Cloud/Alibaba Cloud/AWS, etc.), allow inbound UDP 8211 in the console's security group.
  3. Home router forwarding:
    • Configure forwarding on the router: external port 8211 -> host LAN IP -> internal port 8211 (UDP).
    • For public IPv4 connections, confirm that the router has a publicly reachable address allowing inbound traffic. Without a public entry point, connect through a virtual LAN (such as LanGame OS LINK) and verify game port reachability.

4. Tune key PalWorldSettings.ini parameters

Following the official configuration guide, copy DefaultPalWorldSettings.ini to the appropriate system's PalWorldSettings.ini before changing fields. The example below shows only common group settings; merge these values into the complete template, retain other settings, and keep all OptionSettings content on one comma-separated line:

INI
[/Script/Pal.PalGameWorldSettings]
OptionSettings=(ServerName="LanGame Private Server",ServerDescription="Welcome to Palworld",ServerPassword="",AdminPassword="YourStrongPassword",ServerPlayerMaxNum=16,RCONEnabled=False,RESTAPIEnabled=False,bIsPvP=False,DeathPenalty=Item,ExpRate=1.200000,PalCaptureRate=1.100000,PalSpawnNumRate=1.000000,CollectionDropRate=1.500000,EnemyDropItemRate=1.200000,PalEggDefaultHatchingTime=1.000000)

Change the example administrator password; set a join password for a private server too. The game listening port is set with -port=8211. PublicPort only advertises a community server's public port and does not change the listening port; see the official startup arguments.

Common group performance and gameplay settings

Parameter Example value or adjustment Purpose
ServerPlayerMaxNum 16; adjust to group size Maximum simultaneous players
DeathPenalty Item or None Item drops items except equipment; ItemAndEquipment includes equipment; All also drops party Pals; None drops nothing
PalEggDefaultHatchingTime 1.0 Huge egg incubation time (hours); other eggs also require incubation time
PalSpawnNumRate Start with the template value Spawn multiplier affects performance; observe actual resource use after increasing it
bIsUseBackupSaveData Enable True as needed Enables world backups, increasing disk load
bEnableInvaderEnemy Group's choice Whether to enable raid events

5. Choose an approach: manual configuration or LanGame Server Manager (LGSM)

Manual setup helps you understand underlying networking, but switching servers, version updates, setting changes, and automatic backups involve considerable routine maintenance.

Players and administrators who want to reduce repetitive work can use LanGame's open-source server management tool:

LGSM provides out-of-the-box lifecycle support for Palworld:

  1. Automatic downloads and validation: Deploy and update through SteamCMD in one click, matching the version's dependencies automatically.
  2. Visual configuration forms: Adjust multipliers, passwords, and ports graphically, avoiding parsing and formatting risks from editing long INI text directly.
  3. Monitoring and memory supervision: Monitors CPU/RAM in real time and supports automatic broadcasts and smooth restarts when memory exceeds a threshold.
  4. Scheduled snapshots and one-click restoration: Automatically creates world save snapshots to protect against damage and corruption.

6. Long-term maintenance and troubleshooting

1. Players receive "Connection Timed Out"

  • Check that the server process continues listening:
    PowerShell
    netstat -ano | findstr 8211
  • Confirm that a DHCP lease change has not changed the destination LAN IP of the router's forwarding rule.
  • Players on the same LAN subnet should enter the server's LAN IP directly (such as 192.168.1.100:8211) rather than using a public loopback route.

2. Save backups and migration

Palworld's core world data is saved at: Pal/Saved/SaveGames/0/<UUID string>

Before any version update or major configuration change, package the entire SaveGames directory.