Palworld
Palworld servers need more care than most games. They use a lot of memory, that memory keeps growing the longer the server runs, and every working Pal at a base costs CPU. This checklist keeps a server smooth and its world safe.
Checklist
- [ ] 16 GB of memory for a group, more for a busy server. See Memory.
- [ ] A restart every 6–12 hours, with a save and a warning first. Restart schedule
- [ ] Admin Password set and private; Server Password set for friends-only servers.
- [ ] Auto Update on, so players on the newest game version can join.
- [ ] Backups every 6 hours of the world folder, plus a locked backup before each game update. Backup schedules
- [ ] Base limits close to the defaults on servers with many players. Settings that cost performance
- [ ] Settings edited only while the server is stopped.
- [ ] RCON and the REST API kept private. Use them from the panel console, never published to the internet.
Memory
Palworld's official requirements are 4 CPU cores and 16 GB of memory. The server can start on 8 GB, but it's much more likely to crash when it runs out.
| Server | Memory |
|---|---|
| A few friends, one or two bases each | 12–16 GB |
| 8–16 players, lots of bases | 16–24 GB |
| 16–32 players | 24–32 GB |
The server's memory use keeps climbing the longer it runs, a long-standing Palworld issue. More memory only buys time before it runs out. Regular restarts fix it.
Signs you're running out: rubber-banding and Pals freezing after a few hours, then the panel showing the server restarting by itself.
Restarts every 6 to 12 hours
Make a schedule with these three tasks, every 6 hours on busy servers or every 12 on quiet ones (times are UTC):
| Task | Action | Payload | Time offset |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Send command | Broadcast Restarting_in_5_minutes |
0 |
| 2 | Send command | Save |
280 |
| 3 | Send power action | Restart | 20 |
Palworld's chat broadcast uses underscores for spaces. Add Create backup as a fourth task on one of the daily restarts. How schedules work
Settings that cost performance
These go in Pal/Saved/Config/LinuxServer/PalWorldSettings.ini (how to edit it: settings and admin). Leave them near the defaults unless your server has headroom to spare.
| Setting | What it does | Advice |
|---|---|---|
BaseCampWorkerMaxNum |
Pals working at each base (max 50) | The biggest CPU cost. Keep it near the default on servers with more than a few players. |
BaseCampMaxNumInGuild |
Bases per guild (default 4, max 10) | Each extra base adds more working Pals. |
PalSpawnNumRate |
How many wild Pals spawn | Above 1.0 adds load everywhere. |
ServerPlayerMaxNum |
Player limit | Match it to your memory, not the maximum of 32. |
MaxBuildingLimitNum |
Building pieces per base (0 = unlimited) |
Set a limit on public servers. Huge bases slow everyone down. |
ServerReplicatePawnCullDistance |
How far away players see Pals (5000–15000 cm) | Lower is lighter on the server. |
bEnableInvaderEnemy |
Raids on bases | Turning raids off is reported to reduce memory use. |
Saves and backups
- Your world is a folder in
Pal/Saved/SaveGames/0/<world id>/, holdingLevel.sav,LevelMeta.sav,WorldOption.savand aPlayersfolder. Always back up and restore the whole folder, never onlyLevel.sav. - Back up
Pal/Saved/Config/LinuxServer/PalWorldSettings.iniwith it (panel backups cover both). - Stop the server before restoring or copying files in. A running server keeps the world in memory and overwrites what you copied.
- Palworld's own backup option,
bIsUseBackupSaveData=True, keeps rolling copies inside the world folder. It's useful for quick rollbacks, but it adds disk writes and lives on the same disk as the world, so keep panel backups too.
Security
- Admin Password gives full control to anyone who types
/AdminPassword <password>in game. Use a long random one and give it only to staff. - Server Password keeps a friends-only server private.
- RCON and the REST API can kick, ban, save and shut down the server. Palworld's docs say the REST API isn't designed to be exposed to the internet. Don't ask for their ports to be opened publicly; use the panel console instead.
- Kick and ban by Steam ID:
/ShowPlayers, then/KickPlayer <SteamID>or/BanPlayer <SteamID>.
Mods
Palworld mods (UE4SS, PalSchema, PalDefender) need the Windows server: they don't run on our Linux Palworld servers. bAllowClientMod=True only lets players who use client-side cosmetic mods join; it doesn't add mods to the server.
Updating
- Make a backup and lock it.
- Restart the server. With Auto Update on, it downloads the update before starting.
- Watch the console. If the server fails to start after a big update, check the patch notes for changed settings. If the save won't load, restore the locked backup.
Moving a world to your server (from co-op or another host)
- Stop the server and make a backup.
- Copy your old world folder (
Pal/Saved/SaveGames/0/<world id>/) into the same path on the server with SFTP. - In
Pal/Saved/Config/LinuxServer/GameUserSettings.ini, setDedicatedServerName=to the new folder's name. - Start. In worlds from co-op games, the host player may have to start a new character, because co-op saves the host differently. Fixing that needs a save-conversion tool such as palworld-host-save-fix; contact us if you need help.
Common problems
| Problem | Fix |
|---|---|
| Version mismatch when joining | The server needs updating: restart it with Auto Update on. |
| Settings in the ini are ignored | The server was running when you saved (stop it first), there's a typo in the single OptionSettings=(...) line, or the world's WorldOption.sav is overriding the ini. See settings. |
| Server restarts by itself after hours | Out of memory. Add the restart schedule, or more memory. |
| Rubber-banding with many bases | Lower BaseCampWorkerMaxNum and PalSpawnNumRate, and restart more often. |
| Server not in the community list | Normal; join by address. |
PublicPort changed but nothing happened |
PublicPort only changes what the server advertises, not the port it uses. Your port is on Network. |
