You can have a Palworld server ready in a few minutes. Pick a plan with 16 GB of RAM if you can, choose the region closest to your friends, then join with the address and port from your address card. Xbox and PS5 friends join through the community server list.
This guide covers ordering, the first start, becoming admin and bringing your friends in.
What you need
- Your own copy of Palworld. Every player needs one: Steam, Xbox, the Microsoft Store PC version, PS5 or Mac.
- A plan with enough RAM (the server’s memory). Palworld is one of the hungriest games we host.
- Nothing else. The dedicated server is free from Pocketpair on Steam. Wilderack installs it from there and keeps it updated. We never ship game files ourselves.
| Your group | Plan |
|---|---|
| 1 to 4 players, small bases | 8 GB works, with a higher risk of crashes |
| 4 to 12 players | 16 GB, which is what Pocketpair recommends |
| 12 to 20 players, big bases | 24 GB |
| 20 to 32 players | 32 GB |
Pocketpair recommends 16 GB, and 32 GB or more for big servers. The performance guide explains what makes it grow.
Create the server
- Open the Palworld server page and pick a plan.
- Pick a region: EU or US East, whichever is closer to most of your players.
- Pick a name. It becomes your free address, so
palboxgives youpalbox.play.wilderack.com. Names use 3 to 32 characters: lowercase letters, numbers and hyphens. - Pay, and the panel opens at
https://app.wilderack.com.
The first start
Your server starts on its own. On Overview the status moves from Starting to Running, usually within a minute or two.
The first start creates your world and the settings file, PalWorldSettings.ini. We also set up a few things for you:
- A daily restart at 05:00 server time, with warnings in chat 5 minutes and 1 minute before. Palworld’s memory use grows the longer it runs, and a restart resets it. Change the time in Schedules.
- A random admin password, so nobody can guess it. Choose your own under Settings > Players (see below).
- Room for 32 players, Palworld’s default. Lower it in Settings if you like.
Palworld 1.0 also changed the server’s default world settings to closely match single-player Normal difficulty. Tune them in Settings or the config reference.
Join for the first time
On Steam or Mac:
- On Overview, copy the address from the address card. It looks like
palbox.play.wilderack.com:27411. - In Palworld, choose Join Multiplayer Game.
- Paste the address with its port into the box under the server list, and connect.
Xbox and PS5 players can’t type an address. They find your server by name in the Community Servers list. The crossplay guide shows how to set that up.
Make yourself admin
Admins can kick, ban, teleport, save and shut the server down from in-game chat.
- Open Settings > Players and set an admin password you’ll remember. The panel never shows it again, so note it down. In the file, it’s
AdminPasswordinPalWorldSettings.ini. - Restart the server so the new password counts.
- Join, press Enter to open chat, and type
/AdminPassword yourpassword. - You’re admin until you leave. Type it again each time you join.
Keep the admin password secret. Anyone who knows it can type the same command. The full command list is in the config reference.
Invite friends
To play: share the address with its port. Set a server password in Settings if you only want people you know. Console friends need the community list, so turn crossplay on first.
To help run the server: open Friends and create an invite link with a role.
| Role | What they can do |
|---|---|
| Co-owner | Everything except billing and deleting the server |
| Admin | Run the server, but not invite people or change the address |
| Moderator | Start, stop and restart, use the console, read files |
| Builder | Change files, mods and settings, make backups |
| Viewer | Watch the console |
A panel role is separate from Palworld’s admin password. Only share the admin password with friends you’d trust with a ban button.
How sleeping works for Palworld
Your server naps when nobody is playing, so you aren’t paying for an empty server to sit awake. It sleeps after 10 minutes with no players, and a safe copy of your world is made each time.
- Joining by address wakes it, usually in a couple of seconds. Steam and Mac players can join a sleeping server straight away. If the first try times out, join again.
- Console players need it awake. A sleeping server drops out of the community list, so Xbox and PS5 friends can’t see it. Send them the wake link
play.wilderack.com/w/palbox, or keep the server awake under Settings > Sleep. - The 05:00 restart is skipped while the server sleeps. It starts fresh when it wakes anyway.
What to read next
Questions
How much RAM does a Palworld server need?
Pocketpair recommends 16 GB, and 32 GB for bigger servers. A server can start on 8 GB, but Pocketpair warns it is more likely to crash from running out of memory. For a group of friends, 16 GB is the safe choice.
How many players can join a Palworld server?
32 by default, which is the usual maximum. The limit is ServerPlayerMaxNum in PalWorldSettings.ini, and you can lower it in Settings.
Can Xbox and PS5 players join my Palworld server?
Yes. Palworld servers work across Steam, Xbox, PS5 and Mac. Xbox and PS5 players can't type an address, so they find your server in the in-game community server list. Turn on crossplay in Settings so it is listed.
Why does my Palworld server restart every morning?
Palworld's memory use grows the longer the server runs, so Wilderack adds a daily restart at 05:00 server time to every new Palworld server, with warnings in chat. You can change or remove it in Schedules.
Sources we checked
- RequirementsPocketpair
- About serverPocketpair
- CommandsPocketpair
- Palworld v1.0 Official Release ChangelogPocketpair
