You do not have to remove mods before a game update. Check each one: a mod that loads but is broken on the new build can crash the server.
After a Palworld game update, a server mod can stop working until its author updates it. Before you update a modded server, check each mod’s Workshop page. If a mod is not ready, take it off the list, or turn off Update on start for a while. When the mods are ready, press Update all on the Mods page.
The panel leaves a mod off only when the mod declares that it cannot run: it is for players only, it needs a mod that is missing, or it needs a newer game build. That mod stays on your list, waiting, and the rest loads. The panel does not catch a mod that loads and then breaks on the new build. Pocketpair says mods “may cause save-data corruption or crashes”.
Why a mod can break
A mod is built for a game version. Pocketpair says that when a mod’s Version changes, restarting the server removes the old copy and sets up the new one. A mod that declares it needs a newer game build than the server has is left off.
Players must also run the same game version as the server. If Update on start is Off and the game updates, players who updated cannot join until the server updates. Plan for that gap.
Before you update
- Open the Mods page and the On this server tab.
- For each mod, choose its link to open it on the Workshop. Read the page. Look for a note that says it works with the new game version.
- For a mod that is not ready, decide:
- Take it off the list. Use the bin button at the right end of its row, then Apply. The files stay downloaded under On the server, not loaded, so you can put it back with Put on the list. The mod stops loading when the apply finishes (a running server) or at the next start (an offline server).
- Leave it. The panel leaves it off if the mod declares it cannot run. If it loads and is broken, it can crash the server.
- Take a backup first. Mods can cause save-data corruption or crashes, so a copy of your world is worth having. See Palworld world backups.
- On this server
- A mod
- What the game did
In this picture, each mod (2) shows what the game did at its last start (3).
- A new version is out
- Restart in 5 minutes
- Installed build
- Newest build
In this picture, a note says a new version is out (1). The World page shows the installed build (3) beside the newest build (4). A build is the number Steam gives each release.
Pause updates for a while
If you want to wait for your mods, turn off Update on start. It is in the Config Editor, under Server settings, in the card Updates. It is also on the World page.
Be clear on the cost. With it Off, the server does not update when the game does. Players who have updated cannot join until you update the server. With it On, a running server that is behind and has nobody on is restarted once by the panel to update. A busy server is left alone.
Update everything once mods are ready
- Turn Update on start back on, and restart the server so it updates.
- Open the Mods page. Rows with a newer Workshop version show the chip Update.
- Choose Update all, or Update on a single row.
- Choose Apply. A running server stops, downloads, checks each mod and starts again. An offline server downloads now and stays offline.
- Read each row. You want “Set up by the game (time).”
See update Palworld mods and update your Palworld server.
If it does not work
- A mod stays off after the update. Its row says why: made for players only, missing a mod it needs, or needing a newer game build. For the last one, update the server first, then apply again.
- The server will not start. Open the Crashes page and read the log from that start. Take the newest mod off the list and apply.
- Players cannot join after the update. Their game and the server are on different versions. Restart the server so it updates. If it comes back on the old build, the panel does not try again for that build for 7 days: restart it yourself. See Palworld version mismatch and update your Palworld server.
More about the game: Palworld servers.
Sources: docs.palworldgame.com: Mod