Guide · updated August 2026

Set up a Palworld dedicated server without writing a command

You need neither a terminal, nor SteamCMD, nor a friend who codes to run your own Palworld server. This page covers the two real ways to do it, what each one costs, and the route that asks the least of someone who has never opened a command prompt.

Short answer

Install the Palworld dedicated server on a PC running Windows 10 or 11, let a server manager download and configure it for you, forward UDP port 8211 on your router, then press Start and hand your friends your public IP address and the port. The server software is free, so on a machine you already own it costs you nothing more.

The manager this guide uses: Palworld Server Manager

By hand, or with the manager

Both roads lead to the same server. What changes is what you have to do, and what you will have to do again after every game update.

What it takes	By hand	With the manager
Installing the server	Install SteamCMD, then run the right command line for app 2394010.	One button. The Steam download is done for you.
Configuring the game	Edit PalWorldSettings.ini in a text editor, without a single typo.	A form, with every setting explained.
Restarts and backups	Write your own scripts, plus a Windows scheduled task to run them.	Times to tick.
Updating after a patch	Run SteamCMD again on every version, remembering to stop the server first.	Detected and applied in the time window you choose.
When the server goes down	You find out when your players tell you.	It is restarted on its own, and written in the log.
What it costs	Nothing but your time.	Nothing either for one server: the manager is free, with no time limit.

The manual road is described further down, step by step. It works perfectly well: it is a choice, not a trap.

The numbers you will need

Game port: UDP 8211
Query port, for the community list: UDP 27015
Steam application: 2394010
Settings file: Pal/Saved/Config/WindowsServer/PalWorldSettings.ini
Players per server, by default: 32
Memory recommended by the publisher: 16 GB

The two ways to run a Palworld server

There are only two. The choice comes down to one question: are you willing to leave a machine switched on, and what do you want to spend?

What you compare	At home, on your PC or a VPS	With a game-server host
Cost	Nothing on a PC you already own · around €10 to €20 a month for a Windows VPS	Around €6 to €25 a month, depending on the number of players
Availability	Only while the machine is switched on	Around the clock, without your machine
Your data	Everything stays on your disk: worlds, saves, backups	On the provider's machines, under the provider's terms
Difficulty	Straightforward with a manager · demanding by hand, through SteamCMD	Straightforward, through a web panel
Settings you can reach	All of them, the files included	The ones the panel exposes

This guide covers hosting at home, because it is the option that costs nothing and the one people get stuck on. If leaving a PC switched on is out of the question, a host or a small Windows VPS with a manager installed on it does the same work.

What hosting at home asks of your machine

Windows 10 or 11, 64-bit The official dedicated server exists for Windows and for Linux. This guide follows the Windows route.
16 GB of memory That is what the publisher recommends for a dedicated server. 8 GB will start a small world, but crashes are common; count on 32 GB for a full server of 32 players.
About 20 GB free on an SSD The server files, then the saves and the backups, which grow as the group explores and builds.
A wired connection It is your upload speed, not your download speed, that limits how many players can play comfortably.
Access to your router You must be able to add a port forwarding rule to it. The section further down explains how.

The route without a command line, step by step

A manager performs the SteamCMD download, lays out the files and writes the configuration in your place. You click where you would otherwise type.

Check that the machine can host

Windows 10 or 11 in 64-bit, 16 GB of memory, an SSD and a wired connection. The server runs on your own machine: there is no hardware to rent.
Install a server manager

A manager installs the Palworld dedicated server in your place, through SteamCMD. No file to move by hand, no terminal.
Create your server

Open the application and create a server profile. SteamCMD and the dedicated server are downloaded and laid out for you.
Set your world

Experience rate, capture rate, PvP, length of day and night: every option of PalWorldSettings.ini is presented with an explanation in plain words.
Open the ports on your router

Forward the game port, UDP 8211, to the local address of your PC. Add UDP 27015 if you want the server to appear in the community list inside the game.
Start it, and hand out the address

Press Start. Your friends enter your public IP address and the port as a community server in Palworld, and join.

Why go through a manager

By hand, the same result means installing SteamCMD, running the right command lines, editing PalWorldSettings.ini without a single typo, and writing your own restart and backup scripts. A manager replaces each of those with a button.

See what it replaces

The manual route, through SteamCMD

If you would rather do everything yourself, here is the outline. It works, and every line is a place where a single character can go wrong.

See the steps one by one

Install SteamCMD, then download application 2394010, the Palworld dedicated server.
Run PalServer.exe once, so that it writes its default configuration files.
Copy DefaultPalWorldSettings.ini to Pal/Saved/Config/WindowsServer/PalWorldSettings.ini, then edit the copy and not the original.
Open the ports, start the server, and write your own scripts for scheduled restarts and for backups.

The dedicated server takes more and more memory the longer it runs. Whichever route you take, plan a restart every six to twelve hours: it is the accepted way to keep a long-running server steady.

Opening the ports so your friends can join

This is where most attempts stop. To let in players who are not at your place:

Note the local address of your PC, something like 192.168.1.20.
Open your router's administration page in a browser, usually at 192.168.1.1.
Add a port forwarding rule: UDP 8211 to the local address of your PC, port 8211. That is the game port, the one that counts.
Add a second rule for UDP 27015 if you want to see your server in the community list inside the game. A direct connection to the IP address works without it.
Pass on your public IP address and the port. Your friends enter them as a community server in Palworld.

If nobody gets in even so, check that Windows Firewall lets the server through, and whether your internet provider places you behind carrier-grade NAT — in which case no rule on your router will change anything, and a VPS or a host is the way around it.

What usually goes wrong

Your friends cannot connect: The port is not forwarded, the firewall is blocking the server, or your internet provider places you behind carrier-grade NAT.
The server does not show up in the community list: The query port is not forwarded. Connecting straight to the IP address and the port still works.
The server refuses to start: Almost always a typo in PalWorldSettings.ini, or the file edited in the wrong folder. An editor with fields instead of raw text removes both.
Everything slows down as players arrive: Memory first, your upload speed second. Lower the view distance before blaming the machine.
It crashes while you are away: Hand the restart to a tool. A server that comes back on its own is the difference between an experiment and a group that keeps playing.

Frequently asked

Can I host a Palworld dedicated server for free?

Yes. The server software is free and runs on a PC you already own, so the setup can cost you nothing. You only pay if you would rather not leave a machine switched on, and rent a server instead.

Do I need to know how to code, or to use a command line?

No. Doing it by hand means SteamCMD and editing configuration files, but a manager handles all of it in an ordinary Windows window. Anyone who can use a browser can hold a server.

How much memory does a Palworld dedicated server need?

The publisher recommends 16 GB for a dedicated server. 8 GB starts a small world but gives way under load, and a full server of 32 players breathes better with 32 GB. Memory use climbs with the number of players and with how much of the map has been explored and built on.

Is it better to host at home or to rent?

Hosting at home costs nothing beyond the machine and keeps every save on your own disk, but the PC has to stay switched on and your upload speed sets the ceiling. Renting keeps the server standing without your machine, against a monthly subscription. Between the two, there is the small Windows VPS with a manager installed on it.

Which port does Palworld use?

UDP 8211 is the game port, and it is the one to forward. UDP 27015 is the query port: forward it as well so the server appears in the community list inside the game. Both can be changed in the server settings.

Can my friends join a server running on my PC?

Yes, once the port is forwarded. Players who are not at your place go through your public IP address; those on the same network go through the local one. A manager shows you both, and says when the port looks closed.

How many players can one server hold?

Thirty-two with the default settings. The limit can be lowered, and the memory needed climbs with each additional player.

Skip the setup

The manager installs the dedicated server, exposes every setting with its explanation, checks your ports, restarts after a crash and keeps copies of your world. One server is free.

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