How do I start a Palworld server?

Your own Palworld server runs around the clock: your world stays online even when you are not playing, and friends can join whenever they like — up to 32 players at once. This guide takes you from order to first join: you will rent a dedicated server, boot it for the first time from the panel, set a server name and password, and connect through the community server list or directly on port 8211. At MC-Node your server is online within a minute.

Step 1: Order your Palworld server

1. Go to the Palworld page in our store.
2. Pick a plan. Palworld is fairly demanding on the server side: 8 GB of RAM is a solid starting point for a group of friends, while 12–16 GB is recommended for bigger groups or a world full of bases and Pals. You can always upgrade later.
3. Choose the location closest to you and your fellow players for the lowest ping.
4. Complete the order. Your server is created automatically and the panel login details are in your welcome email.

Step 2: First boot from the panel

1. Log in to the game panel at panel.mc-node.net and open your Palworld server.
2. Click Start and follow the log lines in the Console tab. The very first boot takes a little longer than usual, because the server generates its files and a fresh world.
3. Once the console shows the server running stably, the basics are done. Stop it for now — the next step covers configuration.

Step 3: Set a server name and password

1. Check the Startup tab first: if it lists variables for the server name and password, that is the easiest place to change them.
2. Otherwise, open Pal/Saved/Config/LinuxServer/PalWorldSettings.ini via the Files tab. Every setting lives on a single long OptionSettings=(...) line.
3. Edit these values on that line: ServerName="Your server name", ServerPassword="yourpassword" and AdminPassword="a-different-password" (for in-game admin commands).
4. Save the file and start the server again. Always edit this file while the server is stopped, or your changes may be lost.

Always set a ServerPassword. Your server is publicly reachable over the internet; without a password, anyone who spots it in the community server list or knows the IP can walk right in and build in your world (or wreck it). What every other option on the OptionSettings line does — from XP rates to the day-night cycle — is covered in our article on editing PalWorldSettings.ini.

Step 4: Join via the server list or direct connect

1. Note down your server's IP address and port; you will find them at the top of the panel. Palworld's default port is 8211.
2. Launch Palworld on Steam and choose Join Multiplayer Game.
3. Open the community servers tab and search for your exact server name. Click your server, enter the password and you are in.
4. Direct connect is faster: at the bottom of the server browser there is a field where you enter IP:port, for example 203.0.113.10:8211.
5. Friends on Steam join in exactly the same way: send them the IP and port (plus the password) and have them use direct connect. No invite code is needed — invite codes only exist for co-op sessions, not for dedicated servers.

Common problems

• Your server does not show up in the community list — The list holds thousands of servers and the search filter is picky. Search for the exact server name, or simply use direct connect with IP:port; that always works, even if your server has not appeared in the list (yet).
• You are looking in the wrong list — Joining via an invite code and the co-op options are meant for sessions hosted from within the game itself. You join a dedicated server through the community list or direct connect.
• Strangers are roaming your server — No password is set. Add a ServerPassword in PalWorldSettings.ini and restart; anyone without the password is locked out from then on.
• A friend on Xbox or PlayStation cannot join — Console players cannot simply connect to a standard Steam server; that requires extra configuration. Our article on Palworld crossplay explains how it works.
• "Version mismatch" when joining — Your server runs a different version than your players' game. Restart the server so it pulls the latest version; see also updating your Palworld server.

Your world is live — now what?

Did you start out in co-op and want to bring that world along? You can: transferring your Palworld save to your server explains how to move the existing savegame onto the server. After that, go wild with the settings, from difficulty to Pal spawn rates. Have fun catching your first Pals!