How do I start a Cobblemon server?

Catching, training and battling Pokémon inside Minecraft: that is Cobblemon in a single sentence. The mod exploded in popularity in 2026 and has become the go-to way for a group of friends to run their own Pokémon world. In this article you will learn how Cobblemon differs from Pixelmon, whether to pick the bare mod or a complete modpack, and how to set up your Cobblemon server through the panel — including RAM advice and the pitfalls that can ruin your first game night.

What is Cobblemon, and why not just Pixelmon?

Cobblemon is a free, open-source Pokémon mod (Mozilla Public License 2.0) that is actively developed by a large community team. The Pokémon models are deliberately designed in Minecraft's own art style, so the mod blends seamlessly into a vanilla world, with a huge addon ecosystem for gyms, breeding and additional Pokémon.

The difference with Pixelmon comes down to licensing, modernity and platform. Pixelmon is closed source, has been around for over a decade and traditionally runs on Forge only, which often leaves it lagging behind new Minecraft versions. Cobblemon instead ships for Fabric and NeoForge — the two loaders modern modded Minecraft (1.21 and newer) revolves around — and receives rapid updates. For a new server in 2026, Cobblemon is the obvious choice.

Bare mod or a complete modpack like Cobblemon Academy?

There are two ways to run Cobblemon:

• The bare mod — a Fabric server with Fabric API and the Cobblemon jar. Light, stable and easy to manage; you decide which extras to add. Plan on 4 GB of RAM for a friend group of up to about ten players, or 6 GB once you start stacking addons.
• A complete modpack, such as Cobblemon Academy — a ready-made experience with quests, extra biomes and structures and dozens of supporting mods. Far more content, but also far heavier: plan on 6 to 8 GB of RAM, with 8 GB being the comfortable choice for a busy server.

For server software, the bare mod is best run on Fabric; for a modpack, follow the exact loader and Minecraft version listed on the pack page. Not sure about your plan or server type yet? First read how much RAM your Minecraft server needs and which server software to choose.

Step 1: Install Cobblemon or the modpack

1. Log in to the MC-Node panel and open your Minecraft server. Already have a world on it? Create a backup first via the Backups tab.
2. Go to the Startup tab and set the server type to Fabric (bare mod) or to the loader your modpack requires, together with the matching Minecraft version.
3. Bare mod: download the Cobblemon jar and the matching Fabric API from Modrinth, and upload both to the mods folder via the Files tab.
4. Modpack: download the server files from the pack page (the server pack, not the client pack) and place their contents in the root folder of your server via the Files tab or SFTP.
5. Check that eula.txt contains eula=true, otherwise the server will refuse to start.

Step 2: Start the server

1. Go to the Console tab and click Start.
2. The first start of a large pack can take several minutes while every mod creates its config files. Wait until you see Done in the console.
3. Does the server crash right away? Check the crash-reports folder; the newest file almost always names the mod causing the problem.

Step 3: Let your friends join

Cobblemon is a mod, not a plugin: everyone who wants to play must run exactly the same mods in exactly the same version on their own PC.

1. Playing a modpack? Have everyone install the same pack in the same version via the Modrinth app, the CurseForge app or Prism Launcher. With the bare mod, everyone installs the same Cobblemon and Fabric API versions.
2. Turn off automatic pack updates in the launcher, so nobody silently jumps to a newer version.
3. Share the server address shown on the server page in the panel; friends add it via Multiplayer → Add Server.
4. Tip: enable a whitelist while your server is open to the internet, so only your own group can join.

Common problems

• Client and server on different pack versions — the most common mistake: players get rejected or are missing Pokémon and items. Agree on one version number, always update the server first and only then ask everyone to update their client.
• Messages like "Incompatible mod set" when joining — the player is joining with a vanilla client or a different loader. Check that the correct profile is selected in the launcher.
• Too many wild Pokémon on a busy server — the default spawn rates are tuned for small groups. If lag appears once many players are online, lower the spawn limits in config/cobblemon/main.json and restart the server. Fewer entities per player immediately helps the tick rate.
• Server crashes on first start — usually the client pack was uploaded instead of the server pack. Client-only mods (such as shaders) do not belong in the server's mods folder; remove them and start again.
• Out-of-memory errors or freezes — the pack is too heavy for your current plan. Upgrade to more RAM; the guidelines above and the RAM guide will point you to the right size.

Ready to catch them all

With a running Cobblemon server, an agreed pack version and a whitelist, nothing stands between your group and its first caught Pokémon. Still stuck? Open a ticket via our support page and include your pack name, pack version and the error message from the console — we will gladly take a look with you.