How to set up dedicated servers in Palworld?

Modified Feb 12, 2024 18:40 IST

As players around the world dive into this game, they often ask if Palworld has dedicated servers. The answer is a bit of an interesting one because the developer has promised community server support at launch. However, the game is still in the Early Access phase, so players cannot expect all the important features to be ready yet. If you want to play the game, you’re more than welcome to, and you can even play with friends in online groups, or in multiplayer.

Does Palworld have dedicated servers? The answer is both yes and no. There will be more support for this in the future, but as of now, the answer is a little more complicated and frustrating. Here’s what the current status of online gameplay is with this online survival game.

Are there dedicated servers in Palworld on PC and Xbox?

You can play online with your friends, but it's not always easy to do so (Image via Pocketpair)

PC gamers have access to servers, but unfortunately, Xbox players do not. This could change in the future, as Pocketpair’s roadmap does highlight more online community play. As it stands right now, you can only do this if you’re playing on a PC.

Xbox players can still play online, and still play with other people, but they have to use the standard multiplayer setup. Console players have no other recourse since they cannot access the tool that allows them to create a private online gaming experience with their friends.

Unfortunately, this game is not on PlayStation 4 or PlayStation 5 now, so only Xbox console gamers need to worry about online play.

How to set up Palworld dedicated servers

If you're on PC, you can bring your friends along for an adventure (Image via Pocketpair)

Open Steam.
Open your library.
Make sure certain “Tools” is checkmarked in your search bar.
Search for this game.
Open the Tool, and make sure a black command prompt opens.

It’s easy enough to join a dedicated server in Palworld - click on the official servers and join one. These are public servers, so anyone can take part in the adventure. However, if you want to set up a server, that’s a bit more complex. It requires you to use the Palworld Tool - so open Steam and in your library, make sure “Tools” is selected.

Run this program, and choose the Dedicated Server option. You’ll know it’s working if you see a black command prompt window pop up. If this doesn’t appear, check your internet security protocols to ensure it’s not being blocked.

Make sure to click the drop-down and select "Tools" (Image via Steam)

At this point, you have to share your IP with anyone that you want to play online with you. This is incredibly dangerous, so be certain it only winds up in the hands of people you trust implicitly. The other problem with this is that you need a PC that can run the game and that can also be the host machine.

There is another method, but it's not free, as you’ll have to go through a third-party host. This can become very expensive, and we don’t recommend doing it. Palworld will eventually offer players the ability to run servers.

Check out our Palworld guides to have an easier time in-game:

Edited by Anirudh Padmanabhan