How to Create a Palworld Compatible Server

This guide explains how to install and configure a dedicated Palworld server on your VPS or dedicated Linux server.

Order a Server

Palworld requires significant resources. HostMyServers offers suitable options:

• Performance VPS - Ideal for small Palworld servers
• Eco Dedicated Servers - Recommended for Palworld (16 GB RAM+)
• Performance Dedicated Servers - Maximum performance for large servers

Prerequisites

• SSH access as root or user with sudo privileges
• Up-to-date Debian/Ubuntu system
• Minimum 4 CPU cores
• Minimum 8 GB RAM (16 GB recommended, 32 GB for many players)
• SSD storage recommended (about 10 GB free space)
• Ports 8211 UDP and 27015 UDP accessible

Required Configuration

Number of players	Minimum RAM	Recommended RAM
1-8	8 GB	16 GB
8-16	16 GB	24 GB
16-32	24 GB	32 GB

Warning

Palworld is very resource-intensive. A server with less than 8 GB RAM may experience stability issues.

System Update

sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y

Creating a Dedicated User

For security reasons, create a dedicated user for the server:

sudo adduser --disabled-password --gecos "" palworld

Installing Dependencies

Enable 32-bit Architecture

SteamCMD requires 32-bit libraries:

sudo dpkg --add-architecture i386
sudo apt update

Install Required Packages

sudo apt install -y lib32gcc-s1 lib32stdc++6 libsdl2-2.0-0:i386 screen curl wget tar

Installing SteamCMD

Create Directory and Download SteamCMD

sudo -u palworld bash
mkdir -p ~/steamcmd
cd ~/steamcmd
curl -sqL "https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/client/installer/steamcmd_linux.tar.gz" | tar zxvf -

Verify Installation

./steamcmd.sh +quit

SteamCMD will update automatically on first launch.

Downloading Palworld Server

Create Server Directory

mkdir -p ~/palworld-server

Download Server Files

~/steamcmd/steamcmd.sh +force_install_dir ~/palworld-server +login anonymous +app_update 2394010 validate +quit

Note

The Palworld server application ID is 2394010. Download may take several minutes depending on your connection.

Server Configuration

Copy Default Configuration File

mkdir -p ~/palworld-server/Pal/Saved/Config/LinuxServer
cp ~/palworld-server/DefaultPalWorldSettings.ini ~/palworld-server/Pal/Saved/Config/LinuxServer/PalWorldSettings.ini

Edit Configuration

nano ~/palworld-server/Pal/Saved/Config/LinuxServer/PalWorldSettings.ini

Key Parameters to Customize

Parameter	Description	Default Value
ServerName	Your server name	"Default Palworld Server"
ServerDescription	Server description	""
AdminPassword	Administrator password	""
ServerPassword	Password to join (empty = public)	""
ServerPlayerMaxNum	Max number of players	32
PublicPort	Server port	8211
PublicIP	Server public IP	""
ExpRate	Experience multiplier	1.0
PalCaptureRate	Pal capture rate	1.0
bIsPvP	Enable PvP	False

Firewall Configuration

Open the required ports:

With UFW

# Main game port
sudo ufw allow 8211/udp

# Steam Query port (optional, for server list)
sudo ufw allow 27015/udp

# Reload firewall
sudo ufw reload

With iptables

sudo iptables -A INPUT -p udp --dport 8211 -j ACCEPT
sudo iptables -A INPUT -p udp --dport 27015 -j ACCEPT
sudo iptables-save | sudo tee /etc/iptables/rules.v4

Launching the Server

Exit palworld session and return to root

exit

Launch with screen

sudo -u palworld bash -c 'screen -S palworld -d -m ~/palworld-server/PalServer.sh -useperfthreads -NoAsyncLoadingThread -UseMultithreadForDS'

Verify server is running

sudo -u palworld screen -r palworld

To detach: Ctrl+A then D

Configuration as systemd Service

For automatic startup at boot:

Create Service File

sudo nano /etc/systemd/system/palworld.service

File content:

[Unit]
Description=Palworld Dedicated Server
After=network.target

[Service]
Type=simple
User=palworld
Group=palworld
WorkingDirectory=/home/palworld/palworld-server
ExecStart=/home/palworld/palworld-server/PalServer.sh -useperfthreads -NoAsyncLoadingThread -UseMultithreadForDS
Restart=on-failure
RestartSec=20

[Install]
WantedBy=multi-user.target

Enable and Start Service

sudo systemctl daemon-reload
sudo systemctl enable palworld.service
sudo systemctl start palworld.service

Management Commands

# Check status
sudo systemctl status palworld.service

# Stop server
sudo systemctl stop palworld.service

# Restart server
sudo systemctl restart palworld.service

# View logs
sudo journalctl -u palworld.service -f

Server Update

Stop Server

sudo systemctl stop palworld.service

Backup Data

sudo -u palworld bash -c 'cp -r ~/palworld-server/Pal/Saved ~/palworld-backup-$(date +%Y%m%d)'

Update via SteamCMD

sudo -u palworld bash -c '~/steamcmd/steamcmd.sh +force_install_dir ~/palworld-server +login anonymous +app_update 2394010 validate +quit'

Restart Server

sudo systemctl start palworld.service

In-Game Admin Commands

To use admin commands, connect in-game and open chat, then:

Command	Description
/AdminPassword <password>	Login as admin
/Shutdown <seconds> <message>	Shutdown server with delay
/Save	Save the world
/Broadcast <message>	Send message to all
/KickPlayer <SteamID>	Kick a player
/BanPlayer <SteamID>	Ban a player
/ShowPlayers	Show connected players
/Info	Show server info

Automatic Backup

Backup Script

sudo nano /home/palworld/backup.sh

#!/bin/bash
BACKUP_DIR="/home/palworld/backups"
SERVER_DIR="/home/palworld/palworld-server"
DATE=$(date +%Y-%m-%d_%H-%M-%S)

mkdir -p $BACKUP_DIR

# Backup game data
tar -czf $BACKUP_DIR/palworld_$DATE.tar.gz -C $SERVER_DIR/Pal Saved

# Delete backups older than 7 days
find $BACKUP_DIR -name "palworld_*.tar.gz" -mtime +7 -delete

echo "Backup completed: palworld_$DATE.tar.gz"

sudo chown palworld:palworld /home/palworld/backup.sh
sudo chmod +x /home/palworld/backup.sh

Schedule Backup

sudo crontab -u palworld -e

Add:

# Backup every 6 hours
0 */6 * * * /home/palworld/backup.sh

Connecting to Server

Players can connect in two ways:

Via Direct IP

1. Launch Palworld
2. Select "Join Multiplayer Server"
3. At the bottom, enter: SERVER_IP:8211
4. Click "Connect"

Via Community Server List

If you configured the server correctly with a PublicIP, it will appear in the server list.

Troubleshooting

Server won't start

• Check logs: sudo journalctl -u palworld.service -n 100
• Check permissions: ls -la /home/palworld/palworld-server/
• Verify all files are present: ls ~/palworld-server/

Players can't connect

• Verify port 8211 is open: sudo ufw status
• Verify server is listening: ss -ulnp | grep 8211
• Test port from outside

"steamclient.so" Error

If you get an error related to steamclient.so:

mkdir -p ~/.steam/sdk64
cp ~/palworld-server/linux64/steamclient.so ~/.steam/sdk64/

Performance Issues

• Increase VPS RAM
• Reduce ServerPlayerMaxNum
• Enable optimization settings in config
• Schedule regular restarts