Hosting a Palworld server means renting a machine that runs Pocketpair’s dedicated server binary around the clock, so your base, your captured Pals, and your world keep going whether or not anyone with the game open is around. A hosted server gives you a permanent IP and port, real control over PalWorldSettings.ini, and an admin console you can reach from the panel instead of only from inside the game. This guide walks through picking a plan sized for how RAM-hungry Palworld actually is, deploying on the LoafHosts LPV5 panel, setting the startup variables that shape your server before it ever boots, tuning gameplay with the built-in Config Editor, and getting your Steam and Xbox players connected.
What Palworld Is and Why Run a Dedicated Server
Palworld is an open-world survival and crafting game where you fight, farm, and build alongside creatures called Pals, and it supports multiplayer out of the box. You can host a session directly from the game client, but that ties the world to your PC, your upload bandwidth, and the hours you happen to be online. A dedicated hosted server runs the official PalServer-Linux-Shipping binary as its own standalone process, so the world stays up, captures persist, and your friends can log in at any hour without waiting on you.
Tip: A dedicated server keeps your base, captured Pals, and progress alive even when no one who owns a copy is hosting
Tip: Players connect to one fixed IP and port instead of a host who comes and goes
Tip: You get full control of PalWorldSettings.ini and the server’s startup variables, which the in-game host option does not expose
Note: The Palworld dedicated server is free to run. It downloads through Steam’s anonymous login using a separate app ID from the paid client, so hosting it costs nothing beyond the server itself.
Sizing a Plan for Palworld’s RAM Needs
Palworld is unusually RAM-hungry for a survival server. Pocketpair’s own guidance calls for at least 8 GB of RAM at minimum, and 16 GB or more is the realistic recommendation once you have a full roster of players exploring, taming, and building bases at the same time. Undersizing RAM is the single most common cause of a sluggish or crashing Palworld server, so size for the recommendation rather than the bare minimum if your budget allows it.
LoafHosts runs one configurable Custom server: you slide RAM from 1 to 32 GB and storage from 10 to 500 GB and pick a protection tier, so you can set exactly the RAM Palworld needs. That matters because the simulation gets heavier with every extra player, every extra Pal, and every base under construction, so give a growing server plenty of memory and CPU headroom. Pricing starts at $13.50/mo, and longer billing cycles save up to 25%.
Tip: Set at least 16 GB of RAM if you plan to run a full 32-player server or a busy base-building community
Tip: A smaller build can work for a duo or a small friend group, but watch memory usage closely as your world and base count grow
Tip: Every Custom server uses AMD Ryzen 9 7950X3D CPUs, DDR5 memory, and NVMe storage
Note: The Advanced and Strict protection tiers add Terabit.io L4/L7 DDoS filtering; the Basic tier includes standard DDoS mitigation
Picking a Server Region
Latency affects how responsive combat and building feel in Palworld, so host close to the bulk of your players. Custom servers are available in New York, Dallas, Los Angeles, and Frankfurt, which covers US East, Central, West, and EU, with Montreal available for Strict protection.
- List where your core players actually live, not where you live
- For a US East or Canadian group, choose New York, or Montreal if you want Strict protection; for European groups, pick Frankfurt
- For a Central US group, choose Dallas
- For a US West or Pacific group, choose Los Angeles
- If your group is split between platforms or regions, favor the region with the most players and the lowest average ping
Tip: Pick the closest region even if it is not the one nearest you (ping is felt immediately in Palworld’s combat and building)
Deploying Your Server on LPV5
LoafHosts runs the LPV5 panel inside LoafHub at hub.loafhosts.com. After checkout your Palworld server deploys in about 60 seconds with no setup fees, so you can move straight to configuration.
- Configure your Custom server, pick your region, and complete checkout at loafhosts.com
- Open LoafHub at hub.loafhosts.com and log in
- Select your new Palworld server to open the LPV5 panel
- Wait for the 60-second deploy to finish and the server to show a ready state
- Open the Console tab so you can watch the first boot: the install pulls the dedicated server through SteamCMD and can take a few minutes the first time
- Press Start and confirm the server reaches a running state
Tip: There are no setup fees, so the price you saw at checkout is the price you pay
Tip: Bookmark hub.loafhosts.com for quick access to the panel
Note: Auto Update is on by default, which means a container restart can silently pull the newest Palworld patch. If stability matters more than day-one content, turn Auto Update off before a major patch lands.
Startup Variables: What to Set Before First Boot
Palworld’s most important settings are exposed as startup variables on the Startup tab, not buried in a config file, because they control the launch command itself. Open the Startup tab on your server to set them.
| Variable | What it does |
|---|---|
| Server Name | The name shown in the in-game server browser |
| Server Description | A short description shown alongside the name |
| Max Players | Concurrent player cap, from 1 to 32 (the vanilla dedicated server’s own cap) |
| Server Password | If set, players must enter this to join. Letters, numbers, dashes, and underscores only, 1 to 30 characters (spaces and symbols are rejected) |
| Admin Password | Required. Players use this in-game or via the console to gain admin commands. Same character rules as Server Password |
| Connection Platform | Steam, or Xbox to also allow Xbox and Game Pass crossplay clients |
| Auto Update | Whether the server pulls the latest Palworld patch on every restart |
| RCON Port | Fixed at 25575 by default. This is not a standard port allocation, so it is not opened through the panel’s port UI automatically |
Warning: Server Password and Admin Password are validated as letters, numbers, dashes, and underscores only, 1 to 30 characters. A space or a symbol in either field fails validation or breaks the server’s launch command, so keep passwords to that character set.
Note: RCON is force-enabled on this egg and cannot be turned off. The server’s console bridge (see below) depends on it, so this is intentional, not a bug.
Note: If your allocation is a private or NAT IP, ask support to set the Public IP variable so Xbox and query clients can actually reach the server. This field is staff-managed, not user-editable.
Where Saves and Config Live
Palworld writes its dedicated-server settings to a single INI file: /Pal/Saved/Config/LinuxServer/PalWorldSettings.ini. Unlike most games, nearly every gameplay knob (difficulty, rates, combat, PvP, server name, player cap) lives on one dense line inside that file as a struct literal, which is exactly why hand-editing it is unpleasant and why LoafHosts ships a form-based Config Editor for it (covered below). World saves live under Pal/Saved/SaveGames/ inside the same server directory and are included automatically in any backup you take through the panel.
On first install, LoafHosts copies a template PalWorldSettings.ini into place for you. If you ever reinstall, the previous file is automatically backed up with a timestamp suffix rather than silently overwritten, so a reinstall never destroys a config you had already tuned.
Note: PalServer.sh itself is not directly editable or uploadable on this egg: the whole startup sequence, console bridge, and launch flags are owned by the panel’s own startup command, not that script.
Tuning Gameplay with the Config Editor
Rather than opening PalWorldSettings.ini and picking through a single unbroken line of comma-separated values, open the Config Editor in your server’s sidebar under the Game section. It presents difficulty, day and night speed, EXP and Pal capture rates, combat damage, death penalty, PvP, server name, and player slots as a grouped form, with four one-click presets (Vanilla, Casual PvE, Hardcore, PvP) to get you to a sensible baseline fast. Ports, passwords, and RCON stay locked in the editor because they are managed from the Startup tab, not from the config file. See the dedicated Palworld Config Editor guide for the full field list and how the presets work.
Note: The Config Editor is currently in BETA.
Using the Console as an Admin Command Bridge
Palworld’s dedicated server does not read admin commands from standard input directly; instead, this egg’s startup command runs a small background bridge that pipes every line you type into the Console tab through the rcon CLI to the server’s local RCON port. In practice this means the normal Console tab in the panel doubles as your admin command console: type a Palworld admin command (kick, ban, broadcast, and so on) into the console input and it is relayed over RCON using your Admin Password automatically. There is no need for a separate RCON tool on this game: the console you already use for start/stop logs is the same one that carries admin commands.
Tip: Set a strong Admin Password on the Startup tab before you rely on the console bridge for moderation (it is the credential the bridge authenticates with)
Installing Mods
Palworld does not use Steam Workshop. Mods are UE4SS plugins and .pak files that get dropped into specific folders inside the server’s Content/Mods structure, following whatever install instructions the individual mod ships with. Because there is no subscription-based Workshop to browse, install mods manually through the panel’s File Manager: upload the mod’s files to the correct path, restart the server, and confirm the console shows the mod loading cleanly. Keep a note of exactly which files you added and where, since Palworld mods can be broken by game patches and you may need to reapply or update them by hand after an update.
Warning: Every connecting player typically needs the same mods installed client-side for a modded server to work correctly, so share your modlist with your group whenever you add or remove one
Tip: Take a backup before installing or removing a mod, in case a bad mod corrupts a save on load
Going Live and Inviting Players
Once the server boots cleanly, it appears in the in-game server browser under the Server Name you set, and Xbox players can find it too if you set Connection Platform to Xbox.
- Confirm the console shows the server fully started
- Copy the server IP and port from the panel
- In Palworld, use the in-game server browser to search for your Server Name, or connect directly with the IP and port
- Have one player join and confirm the world loads and any mods behave correctly
- Share the IP, port, and Server Password (if set) with your group
Tip: A direct connect with the IP and port is the most reliable way in if your server is private or hidden from the public browser
Keeping the Server Healthy
A Palworld server benefits from routine maintenance: scheduled restarts to clear memory, backups before you add mods or apply a big config change, and a periodic look at the console. The LPV5 panel includes scheduling, auto-restart, and backup tools so this can be mostly hands-off.
Tip: Schedule a daily restart during a quiet hour to keep memory clean, especially given how RAM-heavy Palworld is under load
Tip: Take a backup before installing mods, changing config presets, or ahead of a Palworld content patch, since Auto Update can pull a new version on restart
Note: LoafHosts offers a 3-day money-back guarantee on game servers if the host is not the right fit
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does Palworld server hosting cost?
The Custom server starts at $13.50/mo, and you scale the price by sliding RAM and storage to fit your server. Longer billing cycles save up to 25%, and there are no setup fees.
How much RAM does a Palworld server need?
Pocketpair recommends at least 8 GB of RAM as a minimum, with 16 GB or more recommended for a busy, full-population server. Palworld is one of the more RAM-hungry games in this category, so size your plan for the recommendation rather than the minimum if you expect a full roster.
How many players can a Palworld server hold?
Up to 32 concurrent players, which is the vanilla dedicated server’s own hard cap. You set the exact number, from 1 to 32, in the Max Players startup variable.
Can Xbox players join my Palworld server?
Yes. Set the Connection Platform startup variable to Xbox to allow Xbox and Game Pass crossplay clients alongside Steam players. Note that some mods are PC-only, so a heavily modded server may end up PC-only in practice even with the platform variable enabled.
Does LoafHosts support Palworld mods?
Yes, but manually. Palworld does not use Steam Workshop, so mods are UE4SS plugins and .pak files installed by uploading them to the right folder through the File Manager, rather than through a one-click Workshop browser.
Do I need to restart after changing settings?
Yes. Both startup-variable changes and Config Editor saves write to disk (or to the launch command) but only take effect the next time the server starts, so save or update, then restart.
Where are LoafHosts Palworld servers located?
Custom servers are available in New York, Dallas, Los Angeles, and Frankfurt, with Montreal available for Strict protection.
Can I get a refund if Palworld hosting is not for me?
Yes. LoafHosts offers a 3-day money-back guarantee on game servers, so you can try Palworld hosting and request a refund within that 72-hour window if it is not the right fit.