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Palworld multiplayer guide

Get Steam, Xbox, and PS5 players onto one Palworld server

For a self-hosted dedicated world, start it as a community server. Steam players can use an IP address, but Xbox and PS5 players need the server to appear in the in-game community list. Pocketpair's current server guide lists Steam, Xbox/Microsoft Store PC, Mac, and PS5 as supported crossplay platforms.

Official server docs: version 1.0.4Sources checked: September 26, 2026Documentation and player reports; not hands-on tested

The complete route

  1. 1. Check the host and network. A game client alone is not a dedicated server.
  2. 2. Install and start the dedicated server. Use the official Steam tool or SteamCMD.
  3. 3. Make it a community server. This is the required route for Xbox and PS5.
  4. 4. Join from each platform. Share the server name with console players, not just an IP.
  5. 5. Diagnose failures. Check listing, connection, and same-network problems separately.

Scope: setting up a dedicated community server and getting friends into it. An ordinary in-game co-op world, save migration, and rented-host control panels follow different steps.

Official artwork for Palworld

1. Check the host and network

Pocketpair recommends a 64-bit Windows or Linux host, at least 16 GB of memory, four CPU cores, an SSD, and a router that can forward the server's UDP port 8211. The host also needs the matching firewall rule. Eight GB may boot, but the official guide warns that low memory increases crash risk. If you do not control the router or firewall, arrange that access before installing the server.Official requirements

Decide whether you need a dedicated world that can stay online without a player hosting the game. If so, continue below. If a friend is hosting an ordinary in-game world, do not follow the-publiclobby steps: that is a different multiplayer route.

2. Install and start the dedicated server

  1. On a Windows host, open Steam Library, enable the Tools filter, and install Palworld Dedicated Server.
  2. Start that tool once so Palworld creates its server configuration folders. Stop it before changing settings.
  3. If using SteamCMD instead, download or update the official server app (ID 2394010) and start PalServer.exe on Windows or PalServer.sh on Linux from its installed directory.
  4. Allow the server's UDP 8211 traffic through the host firewall and forward the same UDP port at the router. Keep admin passwords and management ports private.

Pocketpair provides the Steam and SteamCMD install commands for both operating systems in itsdedicated-server setup. Follow that document if you use SteamCMD or Linux; do not mix Windows and Linux file paths.

3. Publish it to the community list

A private dedicated server accepts an IP-and-port connection, but Pocketpair says Xbox and PS5 players must join a community server. This is the same dedicated server with listing enabled, not a second kind of world.Official server types

  1. In Steam's server launch dialog, choose Open and start as a community server.
  2. For a SteamCMD installation, restart the server with the -publiclobby startup argument: PalServer.exe -publiclobby on Windows or ./PalServer.sh -publiclobby on Linux.
  3. Give the server a recognizable ServerName. On Windows, copy DefaultPalWorldSettings.ini into Pal/Saved/Config/WindowsServer/PalWorldSettings.ini inside the installed PalServer folder, then edit that copy. On Linux, use Pal/Saved/Config/LinuxServer/PalWorldSettings.ini. Editing the default file itself has no effect.
  4. Leave CrossplayPlatforms at its current default unless you deliberately restrict platforms. The official 1.0.4 default includes Steam, Xbox, PS5, and Mac.
  5. Restart the server after configuration changes. Keep a backup of your world before changing an existing server.

Source: Pocketpair's community-server startup andconfiguration reference. Do not use the old AllowConnectPlatform setting; the current reference marks it unavailable.

4. Join from Steam, Xbox, or PS5

PlayerConnection path
Steam or MacFind the server in the community list. The official guide also documents an IP-and-port field for joining dedicated servers where that option is available.
Xbox / Microsoft Store PCOpen the community-server list and find the host's server name. Xbox console players cannot rely on an IP-only private server.
PS5Open the community-server list and find the same named server; an IP-only private server is not the supported route.

First have one player outside the host's home network join, then have a player from another platform enter the same world. Confirm both see the same world and can move in it before inviting the full group. This is a suggested verification procedure, not a claim that we tested your particular server.Official connection paths

5. Fix the failure you actually see

Console player cannot find the server

First ask a Steam player outside the host's network whether direct IP connection works. If it does but the console list is empty, focus on discovery: confirm -publiclobby, restart, and search the community list for the actual ServerName. Check that you edited the active PalWorldSettings.ini, not DefaultPalWorldSettings.ini; a player with this exact symptom found their name change never reached the running server. If neither direct IP nor listing works, check the host process, UDP 8211 forwarding, and firewall first. Pocketpair allows a manual PublicIP when automatic detection fails. Do not copy a long list of extra ports from a forum before confirming the official default path.

Server is listed, but joining fails

A listing is not a successful connection: a player reported a server that appeared after -publiclobby but timed out from the list while direct IP still worked. Check the running process, the actual game port and its UDP forwarding, then the password if ServerPassword is set. The documented PublicPort setting advertises an external port; it does not change the server's listening port. If only one platform fails, check whether CrossplayPlatforms was restricted. Compare each updated client with the server build before trying older workarounds.

Host on the same home network cannot join, but outside friends can

Do not diagnose this as a crossplay failure first. Pocketpair warns that a router without Hairpin NAT can prevent a local client from reaching its own community server through the public route. Test from an external connection or review the router's local-network behavior.

These are ordered checks, not guaranteed fixes for every error. The platform and networking rules come fromserver types,community setup, andcurrent settings.

How this guide was assembled

We used Pocketpair's version 1.0.4 server documentation as the authority for hosting and connection steps. Player discussions helped identify the confusing cases: anolder Steam discussionsays Steam/Xbox crossplay is unavailable, whilea 2026 player questionasks how an Xbox friend joins a Steam-hosted server. Two more player reports separatemissing community listings froma listed server that times out. Those threads are evidence of the problem, not proof that any one player's workaround will fix every server. We have not independently run a server or reproduced the connection steps in-game.

Checked September 26, 2026. If Pocketpair changes its server rules, verify the linked documentation before following older forum advice.