Palworld VPS Hosting

Palworld server hosting runs the game's dedicated server on a VPS, so the world stays up when nobody's logged in. Co-op with an invite code stops at 4 players, and a dedicated server raises that to 32. The server software is a separate free Steam tool, app 2394010. On a GreenGeeks VPS it installs through SteamCMD. Players join by typing the server's IP and port under the server list, and a community server also shows up in the in-game Community server tab. Palworld left early access with version 1.0 in July 2026.

A Palworld dedicated server allows up to 32 players, and the 16 GB plan covers most worlds with up to about 16 of them. You set the cap with -players=32 or ServerPlayerMaxNum. Three players use about 3 to 5 GB, while one 1.0 server with 10 to 15 players went past 32 GB. Higher Pal spawn rates, up to 10 bases per guild and up to 50 Pals per base all use more memory. A full 32-player world can need more RAM than the 16 GB plan has, so keep the cap lower and restart on a schedule.

The 16 GB plan is the one to budget for, at $39.99 a month, renewing at $79.99, with 8 vCPU and 320 GB of NVMe SSD storage, because it meets Pocketpair's 16 GB requirement. The 8 GB plan will run a small test world, but it's more likely to crash when memory runs out, and the 4 GB plan can't run Palworld at all. SteamCMD fetches the server for free, and you don't need to own Palworld to run it. Every player who connects needs their own copy of the game, though.

Not with Pocketpair's official mod loader. In version 1.0, its server-side mods only run on the Windows dedicated server. GreenGeeks VPS runs AlmaLinux 9 and doesn't offer Windows, so plan on an unmodded world. On Linux, UE4SS mods need the Windows server running under Wine or Proton, which Pocketpair doesn't support. Everything in PalWorldSettings.ini still works, including capture rates and Hardcore, so you can change a lot without mods. If Workshop mods matter most to your world, a Windows server is the better fit. Pocketpair also warns that mods can corrupt saves or crash the server.

Set bIsUseBackupSaveData=True in PalWorldSettings.ini, and the server keeps backup copies in the save folder, from saves 30 seconds apart up to 7 daily ones. Those copies are on the same disk as the world, though, and GreenGeeks leaves backups on a self-managed VPS to you, so run /Save, then send an archive of Pal/Saved off the server on a schedule. To get a world back, stop the server and swap a good world folder into SaveGames/0/. Move fast, since the world autosaves about every 30 seconds.

Yes, Xbox and PS5 players can join if you start the server as a community server with the -publiclobby launch option. Dedicated servers accept Steam, Xbox Series, Microsoft Store PC, Mac and PS5 players by default. Console players then find the server under Community server in the in-game list. To limit who connects, edit CrossplayPlatforms in PalWorldSettings.ini, where the default is Steam, Xbox, PS5 and Mac. The older AllowConnectPlatform setting doesn't work in this version. A password is optional. To keep the world private, set one with ServerPassword.

Pocketpair asks for 16 GB of RAM, 4 or more CPU cores, a fast SSD and a 64-bit version of Windows or Linux. For larger servers it recommends more than 32 GB of memory. An 8 GB server will start, but it's more likely to crash when memory runs out. Treat the SSD as a must, because Pocketpair warns that slow storage can corrupt saved data. GreenGeeks VPS runs AlmaLinux 9, which Pocketpair lists as a supported Linux. The server uses UDP port 8211 by default, and you can change it with the -port launch option.

Copy the world folder to the server, then fix the host's character, or the host starts over at level 1. The folder is in %LOCALAPPDATA%\Pal\Saved\SaveGames on the host's PC and goes into Pal/Saved/SaveGames/0/ on the server. Set DedicatedServerName in GameUserSettings.ini to the world ID, and delete WorldOption.sav. Join once so the server creates the host's new player file. Then use an up-to-date tool like PalworldSaveTools to remap the old host's GUID, which ends in 0001. Older save tools fail on current saves. Xbox Game Pass saves don't move this way. Empty any Viewing Cages before you copy the world.

Almost every world rule lives in PalWorldSettings.ini, from EXP and capture rates to death penalty, fast travel and PvP. Hardcore turns off respawning, and bPalLost makes players lose their Pals for good when they die. The Randomizer can shuffle which Pals spawn by region or across the whole map. PvP needs bIsPvP, bEnablePlayerToPlayerDamage and bEnableDefenseOtherGuildPlayer all set to True, and it's still a trial feature that Pocketpair's support doesn't cover. Edit the copy in Pal/Saved/Config, never DefaultPalWorldSettings.ini. If changes still don't apply, look for a leftover WorldOption.sav, which overrides the file.

GreenGeeks looks after the hardware and network. A self-managed VPS gives you full root access, so the operating system, installs, saves and keeping the server on the same version as players are up to you. To patch, stop the server, back it up, run SteamCMD's app_update 2394010 validate and start it again. Keep the REST API and RCON closed to outside traffic, since Pocketpair warns the REST API isn't built to be open to the internet. If you get stuck on the game side, Pocketpair's guide at docs.palworldgame.com covers every setting, launch argument and command.