Palworld
Self-host or rent?
Palworld's server guide documents two ways to run a dedicated server: on a machine you own, or deployed to a VPS or hosting service. It does not recommend one over the other, and neither figure is more official than the other. Which one fits comes down to your own machine, and that is what the questions below are about.
Which setup fits me?
Four questions. This is our guidance, not a Palworld recommendation, and there is no score behind it — we just say which answers pointed which way.
The official figures are on our Server requirements page.
A dedicated server has to be running for anyone to join it.
Self-hosting means letting the server's port through to your machine.
This changes how the server has to be published, not where it runs.
Answer all four to see a result.
What the guide documents
The facts underneath this decision, separate from our reading of them.
- Your own machine, or a rented one
- You can run a server on a computer you own, or deploy it to a VPS or hosting service. Both are documented options.
- Nobody has to host from their game
- A dedicated server runs on its own. The person who set it up does not need to keep Palworld open, or even be online, for everyone else to play.
- Community servers show up in-game
- A community server is a dedicated server registered to appear in Palworld's in-game server list, so people can find and join it from there.
- Xbox and PS5 need a community server
- Players on Xbox and PS5 can only join if the server is deployed as a community server. Worth settling before you set anything up.
- Operating system
64-bit Windows or 64-bit Linux
The server software runs on either, as long as it is a 64-bit version. Effectively every current desktop and server system is.
- Network port
UDP 8211 by default, and changeable
This is the door your friends connect through. 8211 is the default and can be changed. You may need to allow it through a router or firewall.
Sources, last checked:
- Palworld Server Guide — About the dedicated server — 29 September 2026
- Palworld Server Guide — Requirements — 29 September 2026
Two things worth doing either way
Whichever option you land on, the server still has to meet the same figures. We have not listed any hosting companies or prices here, and will not until we have something useful to say about them.
- Server requirements — the official figures, so you can check a machine against them or know what to look for in a rented one.
- Server Planner — four questions about how you play, and which of the official memory figures applies.