How to set up a Palworld server, from order to first join

A Palworld server on Loafhosts is ready as soon as you order it. You can change its name and passwords, start it, wait for it to make a world, then give your friends the address. This guide goes from the order to the first join. Each step has its own guide if you want more.

What a new server starts with

A new server from the store starts like this:

• Name: “Hosted By Loafhosts.com”.
• Listed: yes. It shows in the in-game Community Servers list.
• Join password: none. Anyone who finds the server can join.
• Admin password: a random one, 20 characters long.
• Players: set by your plan: 8 on Small, 16 on Standard, 32 on Large. The game allows 32 at most.
• Game settings: the game’s own defaults.
• Update on start: on. The server checks Steam for a newer Palworld version each time it starts.

There is nothing to forward. You do not open any ports.

1. Change the name and set a join password

Do this before the first start and the new values are used at once. If the server already runs, restart it afterwards.

1. Open the Config Editor page.
2. Choose Server settings.
3. In the card Server, type a new Server name (1), up to 64 characters. Add a Description (2) if you like, up to 128.
4. In the card Passwords, type a Join password (3) if you want one. Use 1 to 30 letters, digits, - and _. The panel refuses any other character when you save. Leave it empty for no password.
5. Choose Save (5). While the server runs, the page then says “Saved. Restart the server to apply the changes.” Choose Restart now.

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The name you type here is the one players see. The Rename Server card in Settings holds the panel’s own name and Description, and players see neither. More: set a server password.

Not checked on 1.0.5 as of 4 November 2026: whether Xbox and PlayStation 5 players can type a join password. Test with one console friend before you rely on it.

2. Start the server

If the server is stopped, choose Start at the top right and watch the Console until it is up.

The server has no world yet. Palworld makes a new one at its first save, about a minute after the server is up. Wait until that minute has passed before you change anything big.

3. Make yourself admin in the game

Admins can kick, ban and save from inside the game.

1. In the Config Editor, open Server settings, then the card Passwords, and read the Admin password. The eye button shows it and the copy button beside it copies it.
2. Join your server in Palworld.
3. Press Enter to open chat.
4. Type /AdminPassword (your admin password) and send it.

The admin rights last for that play session. Type the password again after you rejoin.

The game’s API is how the panel talks to the game. The panel keeps it on while the Admin password is 16 characters or more (a new server gets a 20-character one). The admin password can be 5 to 30 letters, digits, - and _.

Anyone who may change the server’s startup settings, or read its files, can see both passwords: PalWorldSettings.ini holds them as they are.

Pocketpair’s own list of admin commands is at docs.palworldgame.com. Palworld has no admin command to give items, Pals or experience.

4. Let players join

How a player joins depends on the platform:

• PC (Steam or Microsoft Store) and Mac: choose Join Multiplayer Game, then type the address and port in the box below the server list.
• Xbox and PlayStation 5: open Community Servers and find the server by its name. This works only while Listed in Community Servers is on.

All these platforms can play together on the same server by default. Everyone must run the same Palworld version as the server. Full steps are in connect to a Palworld server.

5. The pages to look at next

Open the Players page. The Joining card has the address to copy (1). Below it is the list of who is online (2).

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The other pages:

• Players: also has kick, ban and whitelist.
• Map: the game’s world map with players on it.
• World: your worlds, the game’s own backups and the game version. To use a world from a game you hosted yourself, see move a co-op world to your server.
• Config Editor: every game setting in plain words. See experience rate and capture rate for the two most asked for.
• Settings, then Backups: see back up a Palworld server.
• Mods: server mods, if you want them.

The World page lists your worlds. The one in play loads at every start. Start a new world and Put back are greyed out while the server runs. Stop it first.

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With an admin password shorter than 16 characters, the Players page says the game’s API is off. Kicks, bans and messages then do not work from the panel. The random password a new server gets is long enough.

How big a server do you need

Pocketpair recommends 4 cores or more and 16 GB of memory, and says 8 GB can start but raises the chance of crashes from running out of memory. Small has 2 cores, below the 4 Pocketpair recommends. On Loafhosts a new or quiet server uses about 1.2 to 2.2 GB. The number grows with bases, Pals and players, so watch it as your world grows. For a bigger size, open Billing, choose the service, then Customize, then Choose a new size. If a renewal invoice is waiting, a bigger size needs it paid first.

If it does not work

• Friends cannot find the server on Xbox or PlayStation. Check that Listed in Community Servers is on and the server has started since you changed it.
• A friend gets a version error. After a Palworld update, players who updated cannot join until the server restarts and updates itself.
• The password does not seem to work. Name and password apply only at the next start. Restart the server.

More about the game on Loafhosts: Palworld servers.

Sources: docs.palworldgame.com: About server, docs.palworldgame.com: Connect server, docs.palworldgame.com: Deploy community server, docs.palworldgame.com: Requirements, docs.palworldgame.com: Commands

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