How to set up a Palworld dedicated server on a Linux VPS step by step

Update the package index and install basic dependencies:

sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y
sudo apt install -y software-properties-common
sudo add-apt-repository -y multiverse
sudo dpkg --add-architecture i386
sudo apt update
sudo apt install -y lib32gcc-s1 libsdl2-2.0-0:i386 curl wget ca-certificates

The i386 architecture is required because SteamCMD ships as a 32-bit binary, even though PalServer itself is 64-bit. Without lib32gcc-s1 SteamCMD fails on first run with a library error.

Create a dedicated palworld user with no login privileges:

sudo useradd -r -m -d /opt/palworld -s /bin/bash palworld
sudo su - palworld

The -r flag creates a system user, -m creates the home at /opt/palworld. You are now operating as palworld — all the next commands run in that context until further notice.

Download and prepare SteamCMD inside the user’s home:

cd /opt/palworld
mkdir -p steamcmd && cd steamcmd
curl -sqL "https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/client/installer/steamcmd_linux.tar.gz" | tar zxvf -
./steamcmd.sh +quit

The first run downloads updates for SteamCMD itself and exits. If a “Steam Guard” or similar error appears, ignore it — we are not logging into a Steam account (Palworld dedicated is anonymous).

Install the Palworld dedicated server (AppID 2394010):

cd /opt/palworld/steamcmd
./steamcmd.sh +force_install_dir /opt/palworld/server \
  +login anonymous \
  +app_update 2394010 validate \
  +quit

The download is approximately 5 GB. On a 1 Gbps VPS the operation takes 1-3 minutes. At the end, confirm the message Success! App '2394010' fully installed. before proceeding. If the internet drops mid-way, run the same command again — SteamCMD resumes from where it stopped.

Run the server once to generate the default configuration files:

cd /opt/palworld/server
./PalServer.sh

The server starts, generates the Pal/Saved/Config/LinuxServer/ directory with the default files and keeps running. Wait until the message Setting breakpad minidump AppID appears in the console — that means it is ready. Stop it with Ctrl+C. We will configure it before bringing it back up.

Copy the default template before editing — that way you always have a reference of what changed:

cd /opt/palworld/server/Pal/Saved/Config/LinuxServer
cp PalWorldSettings.ini PalWorldSettings.ini.default
nano PalWorldSettings.ini

The file has a single huge line starting with OptionSettings=(...). Do not break that line across multiple lines — Palworld’s parser is strict and breaking it invalidates the whole configuration.

Adjust the critical fields inside the OptionSettings parentheses. The most important ones for a public server:

ServerName="My Palworld Server",
ServerDescription="24/7 server",
AdminPassword="YOUR_STRONG_ADMIN_PASSWORD_HERE",
ServerPassword="",
PublicIP="YOUR_VPS_PUBLIC_IP",
PublicPort=8211,
ServerPlayerMaxNum=16,
bIsMultiplay=True,
bEnableInvaderEnemy=True,
RCONEnabled=True,
RCONPort=25575

Leave ServerPassword="" (empty) for a public server, or set a password for private access. The PublicIP is what appears in the community announcement — fill it in with the IP shown by curl ifconfig.me run on the VPS.

Tune progression rates to balance the pace of play. Defaults are designed for single-player; on a multiplayer server with shorter sessions, slightly increased rates avoid frustration:

ExpRate=1.500000,
PalCaptureRate=1.500000,
PalSpawnNumRate=1.000000,
PalDamageRateAttack=1.000000,
PalDamageRateDefense=1.000000,
PlayerDamageRateAttack=1.000000,
PlayerDamageRateDefense=1.000000,
DeathPenalty="All"

ExpRate=1.5 gives 50% more XP. PalCaptureRate=1.5 increases capture probability. DeathPenalty="All" keeps the default (lose everything on death) — other options are "Item", "ItemAndEquipment" and "None" for more casual servers.

Open the required ports in UFW:

sudo ufw allow 8211/udp comment 'Palworld game port'
sudo ufw allow 22/tcp comment 'SSH'
sudo ufw enable
sudo ufw status verbose

Do not open RCON (25575/tcp) to 0.0.0.0 — if you use it, restrict it to your admin IP: sudo ufw allow from YOUR_IP to any port 25575 proto tcp. Exposed RCON + weak password = server takeover.

Create the systemd unit file at /etc/systemd/system/palworld.service:

sudo nano /etc/systemd/system/palworld.service

Contents:

[Unit]
Description=Palworld Dedicated Server
After=network.target

[Service]
Type=simple
User=palworld
Group=palworld
WorkingDirectory=/opt/palworld/server
ExecStart=/opt/palworld/server/PalServer.sh
Restart=on-failure
RestartSec=15
LimitNOFILE=65536
StandardOutput=append:/var/log/palworld/server.log
StandardError=append:/var/log/palworld/server.log

[Install]
WantedBy=multi-user.target

Create the log directory and enable the service:

sudo mkdir -p /var/log/palworld
sudo chown palworld:palworld /var/log/palworld
sudo systemctl daemon-reload
sudo systemctl enable --now palworld

LimitNOFILE=65536 raises the file descriptor limit — Palworld opens many simultaneous sockets with multiple players and hits the default 1024 limit with 16+ players.

Configure an automatic restart every 12 hours to mitigate the memory leak. Create a systemd timer:

sudo nano /etc/systemd/system/palworld-restart.service

[Unit]
Description=Restart Palworld server

[Service]
Type=oneshot
ExecStart=/bin/systemctl restart palworld

sudo nano /etc/systemd/system/palworld-restart.timer

[Unit]
Description=Restart Palworld every 12h

[Timer]
OnBootSec=12h
OnUnitActiveSec=12h
Persistent=true

[Install]
WantedBy=timers.target

Enable it:

sudo systemctl daemon-reload
sudo systemctl enable --now palworld-restart.timer