Set up a Palworld dedicated server with SteamCMD

Use a machine that meets the dedicated-server requirements and can stay available when your group plays. A gaming PC that sleeps after everyone logs off will not provide an always-available world without changes to how you operate it.

This walkthrough describes the developer-documented SteamCMD route on Windows or Linux. It is not a hands-on benchmark or a promise that a particular rented plan will be sufficient. If you want a graphical installer on Windows, Pocketpair also documents installation through Steam’s Tools library.

Before installing, decide who will maintain the server and how a second person can recover the save. Keep the server’s files in an identifiable directory with enough room for both the running world and exported backups.

Install SteamCMD using Valve’s instructions for your operating system. Then run the developer’s dedicated-server install command:

steamcmd +login anonymous +app_update 2394010 validate +quit

The number is the server application ID, not the client game ID. Let the installation finish and check its output for errors before moving to configuration.

Keep a short record of the installation location and date. If you choose a custom directory, use it consistently in your service scripts, backup jobs, and maintenance notes. Several near-identical server folders are a reliable way to edit one instance while running another.

Open the installed PalServer directory. Pocketpair documents PalServer.exe on Windows and ./PalServer.sh on Linux as the startup commands.

For this first run, resist the urge to import every world setting. Use the initial configuration to establish that the process starts and produces useful logs. Once a player can join, you have a known starting point to return to if a later change breaks something.

If startup fails, save the error output and confirm the installation completed successfully. Repeatedly reinstalling into new directories can hide which instance is actually in use. Solve the first specific error before adding mods, a service manager, or automated restarts.

The documented default game port is UDP 8211. For home hosting, the router and host firewall need to allow the intended path to the server. If your connection cannot accept inbound traffic, ask your ISP about the addressing arrangement rather than opening more unrelated ports.

Have someone on a different internet connection test the server. Keep the exact error and time of the attempt. A successful test on the same machine only proves part of the route.

Do not expose administrative interfaces just to make the game reachable. Treat the game connection and any remote management connection as separate decisions. Use the official settings reference when changing the server’s network configuration.

Ask one friend to join the test world, leave, and reconnect. Stop the server cleanly, start it again, and check that progress is still present. The result you need is a repeatable connection with persistent progress, not just a process running in the background.

Only then plan a move of an existing save. Keep the original intact and make a separate copy before changing the destination. A world transfer deserves its own checklist, especially when account identities or platforms differ; this setup guide does not promise that every transfer will preserve player identity automatically.

Before inviting everyone, write down the restart procedure, how to find logs, where backups live, and who can pay the next bill. See our backup checklist for what to verify before calling the server ready.