Palworld’s built-in co-op works until the moment it doesn’t: the world only exists while the host is online, four players is the ceiling, and everyone rides on one person’s upload speed. A dedicated server removes all three limits at once — the world persists around the clock, the player cap rises to 32, and your base keeps producing while everyone sleeps.
Co-op versus dedicated, briefly
| Co-op | Dedicated | |
|---|---|---|
| World online | Only with host | Always |
| Player cap | 4 | 32 |
| Performance | Host’s PC + upload | Server hardware |
| Progress while offline | No | Yes |
The settings worth changing
Palworld exposes its world through PalWorldSettings.ini (surfaced as friendly toggles in the Astronomical panel). Most defaults are sensible; these are the ones communities actually argue about:
ExpRateand gathering rates — 1x is the intended grind; friend groups with jobs often settle at 2–3x.PalCaptureRate— quietly the most beloved quality-of-life boost on casual servers.DeathPenalty—All(drop everything) is brutal with friends;ItemsOnlykeeps stakes without rage-quits.- Base limits — raising max bases per guild is tempting; every additional base is a permanent memory tenant (see below).
- A password — Palworld’s server browser is public by default. Set one unless you enjoy surprise visitors.
The memory appetite, honestly
Palworld is one of the hungriest dedicated servers we host, and the hunger is structural: every working Pal in every base keeps simulating whether anyone is nearby or not. A fresh world idles politely at a few gigabytes; an established world with three guilds’ worth of automated bases will stroll past 12 GB without apology. Two consequences:
- 8 GB is a starter allocation, honest for fresh worlds and small groups. Established worlds genuinely want 16 GB.
- Schedule a nightly restart. The server also leaks memory over long uptimes — a 4 a.m. restart is invisible to players and keeps week-old worlds feeling fresh.
Launch procedure
On Astronomical the sequence is short: pick the Palworld plate, choose Steam-only or crossplay build, set your rates and password from the panel, and share the address. From checkout to first Pal caught is comfortably under five minutes, of which the server’s share is about sixty seconds — the rest is your friends arguing about the base location.