Dedicated Server for Palworld: Hardware Specs and Hosting Providers Compared

Palworld’s open-world survival mechanics demand more from a server than most games. With up to 32 players exploring, building, and fighting simultaneously, the server must handle AI pathfinding for hundreds of Pals, persistent world state, physics interactions, and real-time player synchronization. Running Palworld on a shared host or underpowered VPS leads to lag, Pal despawn issues, and corrupted saves. This guide covers the exact hardware you need for a dedicated server for Palworld and compares the best hosting providers. For a complete overview, see our comparison table.

Palworld Server Hardware Requirements

Based on extensive testing with 8-32 player servers running Palworld v0.3+, here are the hardware requirements at each tier:

Tier	Player Count	CPU	RAM	Storage	Network
Entry	4-8 players	4 cores @ 3.5 GHz	8 GB	240 GB SSD	1 Gbps, 5 TB
Mid	8-16 players	6 cores @ 3.5 GHz	16 GB	480 GB NVMe	1 Gbps, 10 TB
High	16-24 players	8 cores @ 4.0 GHz	24 GB	1 TB NVMe	1 Gbps unmetered
Max	24-32 players	8+ cores @ 4.0+ GHz	32 GB	1 TB NVMe	10 Gbps unmetered

CPU is the bottleneck. Palworld’s server process is heavily single-threaded. The tick rate (how often the game world updates) drops sharply below 3.5 GHz, causing desync between players — Pals appear to teleport, buildings fail to render, and combat hits register late. An Intel Xeon E-2388G (8C/16T, 5.1 GHz boost) is ideal for Palworld servers.

Why RAM Matters for Palworld

Palworld is RAM-hungry compared to other survival games. Here’s what we observed in testing:

• Base load: ~3.5 GB idle with no players connected
• 8 players: ~5-6 GB — includes world chunks, Pal spawns, and player structures
• 16 players: ~10-12 GB — heavy base-building and exploration triggers chunk loading across distant regions
• 24+ players: ~18-24 GB — endgame Pal bases, multiple active dungeons, and automated Pal workstations

Palworld’s UE5 memory management isn’t as efficient as UE4 titles — expect memory fragmentation over long sessions. Plan for 25% headroom above your estimated usage, and schedule weekly server restarts to clear leaked memory.

Storage: Why NVMe Is Non-Negotiable

Palworld saves the entire world state (buildings, Pal positions, player inventories, captured Pals) every 30-60 seconds. A single save file for a 16-player server with moderate building can exceed 200 MB. NVMe Gen 4 drives handle these writes in ~50 ms versus 300-500 ms on SATA SSDs. During peak play (evenings and weekends), SATA SSDs can queue up save writes, causing 1-3 second server hitches as the world freezes.

At minimum, choose a provider that offers NVMe storage. Gen 3 NVMe is adequate for 16 players; Gen 4 is recommended for 24-32 players.

Top Hosting Providers for Palworld Dedicated Servers

Provider	Best Palworld Plan	CPU	RAM	Storage	Price/mo
InterServer	Dedicated E3	Xeon E3-1230v3 (4C/8T, 3.7 GHz)	16 GB	240 GB SSD	$59
Hetzner	AX-102	AMD EPYC 9454 (48C/96T)	128 GB	2×3.84 TB NVMe	$115
OVHcloud	Rise-2	Xeon E-2388G (8C/16T, 5.1 GHz)	32 GB	2×480 GB NVMe	$97
Liquid Web	Dedicated Core	Xeon Gold 5418Y (16C/32T)	32 GB	2×480 GB SSD	$199

Configuration Tips for Palworld Servers

Once you’ve selected your dedicated server, optimize these Palworld-specific settings in PalWorldSettings.ini:

• Server tick rate: Set ServerTickRate=30 (default is 20). Higher tick rates reduce desync but increase CPU load by ~30%.
• Max concurrent players: Don’t advertise more than your hardware supports. A 32 GB RAM server struggles with 30+ concurrent players.
• Auto save interval: Set AutoSaveInterval=60 (seconds). Lower intervals (30s) increase I/O by 2x but reduce rollback damage on crashes.
• Pal capture rate: Leave at default (PalCaptureRate=1.0). Changing this doesn’t affect server performance.

InterServer’s dedicated server plans offer full root access so you can adjust these settings directly in the Linux filesystem. See the full dedicated server specs for other provider comparisons.

Final Verdict

For a Palworld server, prioritize CPU single-thread performance and NVMe storage. A 4-core server at 3.7 GHz handles 8-10 players adequately; 8-core at 4.0+ GHz is needed for 24-32 players. Plan for 16-32 GB of RAM. InterServer’s $59/mo plan is the best entry point for small friend groups, while OVHcloud’s E-2388G configuration at $97/mo is ideal for public Palworld servers hosting 16-24 players.