Palworld dedicated server setup and configuration guide

Servers

Choose the official deployment path

Pocketpair documents supported deployment methods and operational requirements for dedicated servers. Follow the current official instructions for your platform instead of relying on a launch command copied from an early-access tutorial.

Record the install path, service user, ports, update command and save location before inviting players. Those details are the foundation of every later backup or recovery.

Servers

Configure one change at a time

1. Stop the server cleanly before editing configuration files.
2. Back up the current configuration and world save.
3. Change only documented settings and preserve valid syntax.
4. Start the server and confirm that it appears and accepts a connection.
5. Review logs before applying the next group of changes.

Servers

Treat updates as controlled maintenance

Announce downtime, stop the process, create a restorable backup and then update the server. Verify the running game version and one real player connection before declaring maintenance complete.

Mods add another compatibility layer. After a major Palworld patch, follow Pocketpair's mod warnings and do not assume that disabling an incompatible loader is equivalent to removing it.