How to Set Up a Palworld Dedicated Server on a VPS (2026 Guide)

Palworld has captivated over 2 million monthly players with its unique blend of creature collecting and survival crafting. Running your own dedicated server gives you full control over gameplay settings, ensures low-latency connections for your group, and keeps your world online 24/7—even when you're not playing.

In this guide, we'll walk through setting up a Palworld dedicated server on a Hostman VPS step by step—from choosing the right plan to connecting your friends.

Prerequisites

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Before starting, make sure you have:

• A Hostman VPS with at least 4 vCPU cores and 8 GB RAM (recommended for up to 16 players). For larger groups or heavy mod usage, consider 16 GB RAM.
• Ubuntu 22.04 LTS or Debian 12 as the server OS. 
• SSH access to your server (terminal on macOS/Linux, or PowerShell/PuTTY on Windows).
• A copy of Palworld on Steam (to connect as a client).

Recommended Hostman VPS Plans for Palworld

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Step 1: Create Your Hostman VPS

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1. Log in to your Hostman dashboard.
2. Go to Cloud servers → Create server.
3. Select the data center region nearest to your players (e.g., the Netherlands for European players).
4. Choose Ubuntu 22.04 LTS as the operating system.
5. Select your plan based on the table above. 
6. Click Create server and wait for provisioning (usually under 60 seconds). 
7. Copy the IP address and root password from the server Dashboard.

Step 2: Connect via SSH and Update the System

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Open your terminal and connect to the server:

ssh root@YOUR_SERVER_IP

Update the system packages:

apt update 8& apt upgrade -y

Step 3: Create a Dedicated User

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Running game servers as root is a security risk. Create a dedicated user:

useradd -m -s /bin/bash palworld passwd palworld

Step 4: Install SteamCMD

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SteamCMD is Valve’s command-line tool for downloading and updating game servers.

apt install software-properties-common -y 
dpkg --add-architecture 1386 
apt update 
apt install steamcmd -y

Accept the Steam license agreement when prompted.

Step 5: Download the Palworld Dedicated Server

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Switch to the palworld user and download the server files:

su - palworld
steamcmd +login anonymous +app_update 2394010 validate +quit

This downloads the Palworld Dedicated Server (App ID 2394010) to ~/Steam/steamapps/common/PalServer.

Step 6: Configure Your Server

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Start the server to generate default configs, then stop it:

cd ~/Steam/steamapps/common/PalServer/
./PalServer.sh &
sleep 30
kill %1

Navigate to the server directory to create your configuration:

cd ~/Steam/steamapps/common/PalServer/Pal/Saved/Config/LinuxServer/

Edit the settings:

nano ~/Steam/steamapps/common/PalServer/Pal/Saved/Config/LinuxServer/PalWorldSettings.ini

Key settings to customize:

[/Script/Pal.PalGameWorldSettings]
OptionSettings=(ServerName="My Hostman Palworld Server",ServerDescription="Powered by Hostman VPS",AdminPass="adminpass")

Important Parameters

Step 7: Open Firewall Ports

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Palworld uses UDP port 8211 by default. Open it:

Switch back to root:

exit

Configure UFW firewall:

ufw allow 22/tcp # SSH 
ufw allow 8211/udp # Palworld game traffic 
ufw allow 25575/tcp # RCON (optional, for remote admin) 
ufw enable

Step 8: Create a Systemd Service

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To keep your server running 24/7 and auto-restart on crashes, create a systemd service:

nano /etc/systemd/system/palworld.service

Paste the following:

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

[Service]
Type=simple
User=palworld
WorkingDirectory=/home/palworld/Steam/steamapps/common/PalServer
ExecStart=/home/palworld/Steam/steamapps/common/PalServer/PalServer.sh -port=8211 -useperfthreads -NoAsyncL
Restart=on-failure
RestartSec=10

[Install]
WantedBy=multi-user.target

Enable and start the service:

systemctl daemon-reload
systemctl enable palworld
systemctl start palworld

Check that it’s running:

systemctl status palworld

Step 9: Connect to Your Server

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1. Launch Palworld on your PC. 
2. Select Join Multiplayer Game. 
3. Enter your server IP and port: YOUR_SERVER_IP:8211.
4. Enter the server password if you set one.
5. Click Connect—you're in! 

Share the IP address with your friends so they can join too.

Step 10: Set Up Automatic Updates

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Game servers need regular updates. Create a simple update script:

nano /home/palworld/update-palworld.sh

#!/bin/bash
systemctl stop palworld
su - palworld -c "steamcmd +login anonymous +app_update 2394010 validate +quit"
systemctl start palworld
echo "Palworld server updated at $(date)" >> /var/log/palworld-updates.log

Make it executable and schedule with cron:

chmod +x /home/palworld/update-palworld.sh 
crontab -e

Add a daily update check at 5 AM:

0 5 * * * /home/palworld/update-palworld.sh

Troubleshooting

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Server won’t start

Check logs with: 

journalctl -u palworld -f 

Common issues include insufficient RAM or missing library dependencies. Install missing libs with:

apt install lib32gcc-s1

Players can’t connect

Verify the firewall allows UDP 8211:

ufw status

Double-check the IP address and ensure the server is running:

systemctl status palworld

High latency or lag

Monitor server resources with:

htop

If CPU or RAM usage is consistently above 80%, upgrade your Hostman VPS plan to the next tier.

World save corruption

Enable automatic backups by copying the save directory (Pal/Saved/SaveGames/) to a backup location daily. You can add this to your cron schedule.

Optimizing Performance

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To get the best performance from your Palworld server on Hostman VPS:

• Use the launch flags -useperfthreads, -NoAsyncLoadingThread, - UseMultithreadForDS (already included in our systemd config) to maximize multicore utilization.

• Limit base building by adjusting BaseCampMaxNum if you notice performance drops with many bases.

• Monitor with RCON using tools like ARRCON to manage your server without SSH.

• Schedule restarts every 12-24 hours to prevent memory leaks. Add to cron: 

0 */12 * * * systemctl restart palworld

What’s Next?

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Now that your Palworld server is running, consider these next steps:

• Customize gameplay: adjust XP rates, capture rates, and day/night cycles to match your group’s play style.

• Set up backups: automate daily backups of your save files to protect your world.

• Add admin tools: use RCON for remote management without SSH.

• Scale up: as your community grows, upgrade your Hostman VPS with zero downtime.

Running your own Palworld dedicated server gives you complete control over your gaming experience. With Hostman VPS, you get reliable performance, low latency, and the flexibility to customize everything—from server settings to hardware resources. Get started with Hostman today and have your Palworld server running in minutes.