Hosting a PalWorld Dedicated Server: What to Know Before You Start

PalWorld's dedicated server is notably RAM-hungry for a survival/crafting game, and its player-count scaling catches a lot of first-time hosts off guard. Here's what actually matters.

RAM is the real constraint

PalWorld's memory usage climbs steadily with world size, number of Pals spawned, and base structures built — not just player count. A server that felt fine with 2 players and a small base can struggle once a community builds out multiple large bases. Size your plan for where your world is headed, not just where it starts.

Player slots vs actual performance

Setting a high max-player count in the server config doesn't mean the underlying hardware can comfortably support that many active players building and fighting simultaneously. Start conservative and raise the limit as you confirm performance holds up.

Save file size grows fast

World saves grow continuously as players explore and build — keep an eye on disk usage over the weeks, not just at launch, and make sure scheduled backups are actually configured (see Create and download backups) before a server-breaking bug or crash catches you without one.

Updates can break mods/configs

PalWorld has shipped frequent updates during early access — a config tweak or mod that worked last patch isn't guaranteed to keep working after an update. Check patch notes before assuming a sudden issue is hosting-related rather than game-side.

Getting started

Order a PalWorld plan from our PalWorld hosting category, sized for where you expect your world to be in a month, not just on day one.