Read this first
Three things worth knowing before you start
- Crossplay works. Palworld supports full cross-platform play between Steam, Xbox (console and PC/Game Pass), PlayStation 5 and Mac — so your friends on different platforms genuinely can join the same world.
- Your progress doesn’t carry across platforms. There’s no cross-progression — a save made on Steam stays on Steam. This doesn’t stop you playing together, it just means switching platforms later means starting fresh.
- Console players can’t type in an IP address. This is the single biggest source of confusion for Palworld specifically. PC players can direct-connect using a server’s IP and port; Xbox and PlayStation players can only find a server through the in-game public server list. Keep this in mind when choosing your method below if anyone in your group is on console.
Quick answer
Which method is right for you?
Answer honestly and jump straight to your method below.
⚡
Quick session, 4 or fewer friends?
Use Method 1: Invite Code — ready in under a minute, no setup.
🎮
Anyone in the group on Xbox or PS5?
Read the console note in Method 1 before you start.
💻
Want it always online, more than 4 players, free?
Use Method 2: Self-hosted dedicated server.
⏰
Don’t want to deal with your router at all?
Use Method 3: Rent a server — 2-day free trial available.
All methods, in detail
Three ways to play Palworld with friends
Ordered from fastest and free, to most control. Pick the one that matches your situation from the quiz above, or read through all of them.
1
Invite Code — fastest way to start
Ready in under a minute · up to 4 players
This is the multiplayer mode built directly into Palworld — one person hosts from inside their own game, and generates a code for others to join with. It’s the fastest way to get playing, and it’s what most people mean when they first ask how to play Palworld with friends.
1
Host starts or loads a world
From the main menu, select “Start Game”, then either create a new world or load an existing one.
2
Turn on multiplayer and grab the invite code
In the pause or options menu, toggle “Multiplayer” on, then copy the Invite Code that appears. Send it to your friends however’s easiest — Discord, text, whatever.
3
Friends join with the code
Each friend selects “Join Multiplayer Game (Invite Code)” from their own main menu, pastes in the code, and confirms. They’ll drop straight into your world within a few seconds, on their own platform, thanks to crossplay.
The catch: the host’s own PC or console is doing all the work, so the world only exists while they’re online, and only progress the host saves gets kept. You’re capped at 4 players total, and if the host restarts the game, the old invite code stops working and they’ll need to generate a new one and re-share it.
Console players: the invite code method works fine for Xbox and PS5 — it’s specifically direct IP connection to a dedicated server that consoles can’t do. Invite codes sidestep that entirely, so this is actually the easiest cross-platform option if your group is small.
2
Self-hosted dedicated server — free, on your own PC
Up to 32 players · always online while your PC is
Pocketpair gives away the dedicated server software for free — it’s a separate download from the game itself, and the machine running it doesn’t even need to own Palworld. This is the option once your group has outgrown the 4-player invite code cap.
1
Check your hardware
A quad-core CPU and at least 8GB of RAM is the floor — Pocketpair’s own recommendation for a full 32-player server is considerably higher (32GB+), so for a small group of friends, 8–16GB is realistic. You’ll also want roughly 20GB of free storage.
2
Download the server with SteamCMD
Install SteamCMD, then run the following to pull the free dedicated server files (App ID 2394010) — no Steam account or game purchase needed on this machine:
steamcmd.exe +login anonymous +app_update 2394010 validate +quit
3
Launch it once to generate config files
Run
PalServer.exe (Windows) or PalServer.sh (Linux) once — this creates the settings folder you’ll edit next.4
Edit your server settings
Open
Pal\Saved\Config\WindowsServer\PalWorldSettings.ini (not the “Default” file — that’s just a template) and set your server name, password, and player count. Also worth setting explicitly:ServerName=”Your Server Name”
ServerPassword=”” # leave blank for no password
PublicPort=8211
CrossplayPlatforms=(Steam,Xbox,PS5,Mac)
ServerPassword=”” # leave blank for no password
PublicPort=8211
CrossplayPlatforms=(Steam,Xbox,PS5,Mac)
5
Forward the right ports
Forward UDP port 8211 on your router for basic connections. If you want your server to appear in the in-game public server browser — which console friends need, since they can’t type in an IP — also forward UDP port 27015 and launch with the
-publiclobby flag.6
Share your connection details
PC friends connect directly using your public IP and port through Palworld’s “Join Multiplayer Game” → direct connect screen, e.g.
83.253.33.215:8211. Console friends should find your server by name in the public server browser instead, assuming you enabled -publiclobby in the step above.Worth knowing: like any self-hosted server, this only stays online while that specific machine is on and running. Palworld has had documented save corruption issues, so back up your
SaveGames folder on a regular schedule if the world matters to your group. If any home connection uses CGNAT, port forwarding won’t work at all — that’s a hosting-provider situation instead (Method 3).3
Rent a dedicated server — no router required
Always online · console-friendly out of the box
If port forwarding sounds like a hassle, or your group is on a mix of platforms including console, renting a server sidesteps the whole thing — the host runs public listing and crossplay settings correctly by default, so console friends can find it without you touching any router settings.
1
Start a free trial
Indifferent Broccoli offers a 2-day free trial for Palworld with no credit card required. Plans are priced by player count rather than RAM — from $5.99/mo for a small group up to $24.99/mo for the full 32-player cap — and every plan includes uncapped RAM and mod support.
2
Server is live in under a minute
Pick a plan and region, and the server provisions automatically — no SteamCMD, no config files to edit by hand, no port forwarding.
3
Everyone joins through the in-game browser
PC players can direct-connect with the IP and port shown in the control panel; Xbox and PS5 friends find it through Palworld’s public server list, exactly as intended, with no extra setup needed on your end.
Side by side
All three methods compared
| Method | Cost | Setup difficulty | Max players | Always online? | Console-friendly? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Invite Code | Free | None | 4 | ❌ Host must be playing | ✅ Yes |
| 2. Self-hosted server | Free | Moderate | 32 | ❌ Only while PC is on | ⚠ Needs -publiclobby set up correctly |
| 3. Rented server | From $5.99/mo | Easy | 32 | ✅ Always on | ✅ Yes, by default |
FAQ
Playing Palworld with friends — common questions
Yes — Palworld has supported full crossplay between Steam, Xbox (console and Game Pass PC), PlayStation 5 and Mac since the v0.5.0 update. Everyone should be on the latest version of the game for the smoothest experience.
Direct IP connection only works for PC players. Console players can only join a dedicated server by finding it in Palworld’s in-game public server list, which requires the server to be running with the -publiclobby launch option (and port 27015 open, if self-hosting). Invite-code co-op sessions don’t have this limitation — consoles can join those normally.
No. Palworld does not support cross-progression — a save made on Steam stays on Steam, and a save made on Xbox stays on Xbox, even though crossplay lets those players share a world together.
No, Palworld does not support split-screen or local couch co-op on any platform. Every player, even on the same console, needs their own device and Palworld installation to play together.
Nothing is charged automatically, since no payment details are collected to start the trial. To keep your world running, upgrade to a paid plan — starting from $5.99/month — before the 2 days are up; otherwise the trial server simply stops.
Ready for something more permanent?
Outgrown the invite code?
Our Best Palworld Hosting guide compares every provider on hardware, price and mod support for the full Palworld 1.0 release, or see the complete UK game server hosting ranking for every game we cover.
