How to Set Up a Palworld Dedicated Server on a VPS

Palworld's co-op is fun, but a dedicated server is what lets your whole group of up to 32 keep playing on one persistent world. This guide sets up a Linux Palworld server with SteamCMD, opens the right port, and — importantly — schedules the restarts that keep Palworld's climbing memory use under control.

What you need

• A Linux VPS: Ubuntu 22.04/24.04. Palworld is memory-hungry — plan on 16 GB RAM as a baseline, more for a full 32-player world. See Palworld server requirements (RAM & CPU).
• Open port: UDP 8211 (the default game port).

Step 1: Create a user and install dependencies

sudo adduser --disabled-password --gecos "" palworld
sudo dpkg --add-architecture i386
sudo apt update
sudo apt install -y lib32gcc-s1 steamcmd

Step 2: Install the Palworld server

The Palworld dedicated server is App ID 2394010 and has a native Linux build:

sudo su - palworld
steamcmd +force_install_dir /home/palworld/server +login anonymous +app_update 2394010 validate +quit

Step 3: Open the firewall

sudo ufw allow 8211/udp
sudo ufw reload

Open UDP 8211 on any provider-level firewall as well.

Step 4: First launch to generate configs

Run the server once so it creates its default config files, then stop it:

cd /home/palworld/server
./PalServer.sh &
sleep 30
pkill -f PalServer

Now edit /home/palworld/server/Pal/Saved/Config/LinuxServer/PalWorldSettings.ini. This file holds every gameplay setting — server name, password, difficulty, capture rates, and more. Configuring it is covered in detail in how to configure a Palworld server.

Step 5: Run it as a systemd service

Create /home/palworld/start.sh:

#!/bin/bash
cd /home/palworld/server
./PalServer.sh -useperfthreads -NoAsyncLoadingThread -UseMultithreadForDS

chmod +x /home/palworld/start.sh

Those three flags are Palworld's recommended performance flags and noticeably improve multithreaded performance. Then the service:

# /etc/systemd/system/palworld.service
[Unit]
Description=Palworld Dedicated Server
After=network-online.target

[Service]
Type=simple
User=palworld
ExecStart=/home/palworld/start.sh
Restart=on-failure
RestartSec=10

[Install]
WantedBy=multi-user.target

sudo systemctl daemon-reload
sudo systemctl enable --now palworld

Step 6: Schedule restarts (important)

Palworld's server process leaks memory over time — RAM use climbs the longer it runs, and an unrestarted server can eventually stutter or crash. The fix is a scheduled restart every 6–12 hours. A simple systemd timer or cron entry does it:

# Restart Palworld every 8 hours (crontab -e as root)
0 */8 * * * systemctl restart palworld

For a graceful restart that warns players first, see automating game server restarts with systemd. This one habit prevents the most common Palworld hosting complaint.

Step 7: Join the server

In Palworld, choose Join Multiplayer (Dedicated Server) and enter YOUR_IP:8211, plus the password if you set one.

Admin commands and backups

Once connected as an admin (using the AdminPassword from your config), you can run in-game commands with a forward slash — /Shutdown for a graceful stop with a countdown message, /Broadcast to message everyone, /KickPlayer and /BanPlayer for moderation, and /Save to force a world save before a restart.

Your world lives under Pal/Saved/SaveGames/. Because Palworld's memory leak means restarts are frequent, get in the habit of forcing a /Save first, then back up that folder on a schedule:

# daily backup of the Palworld save, keep a week
0 4 * * * tar -czf /home/palworld/backups/pal-$(date +\%F).tar.gz /home/palworld/server/Pal/Saved/SaveGames && find /home/palworld/backups -name 'pal-*' -mtime +7 -delete

See how to back up your game server automatically for a more complete routine. Combined with your scheduled restarts, that keeps a Palworld server both stable and recoverable.

FAQ

What port does a Palworld server use?

UDP 8211 by default. Open it on both the OS firewall and any provider firewall. You can change it with the -port argument if needed.

How many players can a Palworld server hold?

Up to 32. Note that higher player counts significantly increase RAM use — plan hardware accordingly.

Why does my Palworld server's RAM keep climbing?

It's a known memory leak in the dedicated server. Schedule a restart every 6–12 hours to keep memory healthy; it's the standard workaround.

Does Palworld have a native Linux server?

Yes — App ID 2394010 includes a Linux build, so you don't need Proton or Wine like some other survival games.

Want a box with the memory headroom Palworld needs? Compare 16 GB and 32 GB plans on our pricing page, or start with game server hosting on NVMe.