Palworld system requirements: Minimum & recommended

Below: the full PC requirements from the Steam page, the official dedicated server requirements, and what actually makes a server need more.

Last updated 9 October 2026. Checked against Palworld 1.0.5. PC figures are from the Steam store page; server figures are from Pocketpair's official server documentation (version 1.0.4).

Palworld system requirements for PC

These are the figures on the game's Steam page since the 1.0 release. Both lists need a 64-bit processor and operating system, DirectX 11 and a broadband internet connection.


OS	Windows 10 (64-Bit)	Windows 11 (64-Bit)
Processor	Intel Core i5-9400F	Intel Core i5-12400 / AMD Ryzen 5 5600X
Memory	16 GB RAM	32 GB RAM
Graphics	GeForce GTX 1660	GeForce RTX 3060 Ti / Radeon RX 6700 XT
DirectX	Version 11	Version 11
Storage	40 GB available space	40 GB available space
Notes	SSD required. Performance may vary depending on the amount of active Pals.

Windows 10 (64-Bit)

Windows 11 (64-Bit)

Processor

Intel Core i5-9400F

Intel Core i5-12400 / AMD Ryzen 5 5600X

Memory

16 GB RAM

32 GB RAM

Graphics

GeForce GTX 1660

GeForce RTX 3060 Ti / Radeon RX 6700 XT

DirectX

Version 11

Storage

40 GB available space

Notes

SSD required. Performance may vary depending on the amount of active Pals.

Click a column heading to sort.

Two things worth knowing:

An SSD is a requirement, not a nice-to-have. Pocketpair lists it as required in both columns.
Your Pals count. Pocketpair says performance varies with the number of active Pals.

Older guides, ours included until this rewrite, list the Early Access figures such as an i5-3570K and GTX 1050 for the minimum. They no longer match the Steam page. If the game runs badly on hardware that meets these figures, our Palworld FPS boost guide goes through the settings that matter.

Palworld dedicated server system requirements

Hosting a world on a dedicated server uses a separate download (Steam app ID 2394010, "Palworld Dedicated Server") and has its own requirements. This is the official list from Pocketpair's server docs:

Part	Official requirement
CPU	4 cores or more
Memory	16 GB. The docs note it is "recommended for larger than 32GB", and that 8 GB is bootable but raises the chance of the server crashing when it runs out of memory
Network	UDP port 8211 by default (changeable), and you must be able to port forward it on your router
Storage	A fast SSD is recommended; low-performance storage may corrupt saved data
Operating system	Windows 64-bit, or Linux 64-bit (Ubuntu, AlmaLinux and so on)

Part

Official requirement

CPU

4 cores or more

Memory

16 GB. The docs note it is "recommended for larger than 32GB", and that 8 GB is bootable but raises the chance of the server crashing when it runs out of memory

Network

UDP port 8211 by default (changeable), and you must be able to port forward it on your router

Storage

A fast SSD is recommended; low-performance storage may corrupt saved data

Operating system

Windows 64-bit, or Linux 64-bit (Ubuntu, AlmaLinux and so on)

The docs' wording on memory is terse. Our reading is that 16 GB is the figure for a normal server and a large one wants more than 32 GB. Pocketpair does not publish a figure by player count or world size, so treat 16 GB as the starting point and watch real memory use.

The docs list four ways to deploy: the Windows Steam client (the easiest, recommended for first-timers), Windows with SteamCMD, Linux with SteamCMD, and the official Docker image (pocketpairjp/palworld-dedicated-server-docker). On Docker, Pocketpair says deploying with Docker Desktop is deprecated because of storage IO performance and the risk of corrupted saves. On the command line, installing or updating is one command:

steamcmd +login anonymous +app_update 2394010 validate +quit

Windows and the router both need setting up too: the docs say separate Windows firewall and router settings are required for the Windows methods, and separate router configuration for Linux (plus, in some cases, Linux security settings). Our Palworld server guide walks through the whole setup, and the connection guide shows how players join.

What makes a Palworld server need more RAM and CPU

The official config docs flag the settings that raise the load on a server. If a server is struggling on paper-good hardware, look here first:

BaseCampMaxNumInGuild Bases per guild, default 4 (maximum 10). Increasing it raises processing load.

BaseCampWorkerMaxNum Pals per base, maximum 50. Increasing it raises processing load.

PalSpawnNumRate Pal spawn rate. Impacts performance.

ServerReplicatePawnCullDistance How far from players Pals are synced, from 5000 to 15000 cm.

MaxBuildingLimitNum Per-player cap on buildings (0 means unlimited). Added in patch 1.0.4 so admins can limit build counts.

bIsUseBackupSaveData World backups. Enabling it increases disk load.


`BaseCampMaxNumInGuild`	Bases per guild, default 4 (maximum 10). Increasing it raises processing load.
`BaseCampWorkerMaxNum`	Pals per base, maximum 50. Increasing it raises processing load.
`PalSpawnNumRate`	Pal spawn rate. Impacts performance.
`ServerReplicatePawnCullDistance`	How far from players Pals are synced, from 5000 to 15000 cm.
`MaxBuildingLimitNum`	Per-player cap on buildings (0 means unlimited). Added in patch 1.0.4 so admins can limit build counts.
`bIsUseBackupSaveData`	World backups. Enabling it increases disk load.

Click a column heading to sort.

One launch-option change is worth knowing about as well. Older guides told you to start the server with -useperfthreads -NoAsyncLoadingThread -UseMultithreadForDS. The current docs say that from v1.0 onwards, leaving those arguments unset may improve performance. If you set them in an older setup, try removing them.

Do you need a powerful PC to run a Palworld server?

Only if you host it yourself. A home server has to stay on 24/7, needs the port forwarded, and shares your connection and electricity with everything else. If you'd rather skip all that, you can rent a Palworld server and the hardware and port setup are looked after for you.

Palworld system requirements FAQ

What are the minimum system requirements for Palworld on PC?

Windows 10 (64-bit), an Intel Core i5-9400F, 16 GB of RAM, a GeForce GTX 1660, DirectX 11, 40 GB of free space and an SSD.

What are the recommended system requirements for Palworld?

Windows 11 (64-bit), an Intel Core i5-12400 or AMD Ryzen 5 5600X, 32 GB of RAM, a GeForce RTX 3060 Ti or Radeon RX 6700 XT, DirectX 11, 40 GB of free space and an SSD.

Does Palworld need an SSD?

Yes. The Steam page lists an SSD as required for both the minimum and the recommended specs.

What are the Palworld dedicated server requirements?

Four CPU cores or more, 16 GB of RAM recommended (8 GB can boot but risks out-of-memory crashes), a fast SSD, UDP port 8211 forwarded by default, and a 64-bit Windows or Linux operating system.

How much RAM does a Palworld server need?

Pocketpair recommends 16 GB. Its docs say 8 GB is bootable but increases the chance of crashes from running out of memory, and that larger servers want more than 32 GB. Settings like base count, Pals per base and Pal spawn rate raise the load.

Which port does a Palworld server use?

UDP 8211 by default. You can change it with the -port= launch argument, and you need to forward it on your router if you host at home.

Planning a world for your friends? Start with our Palworld server guide, then see the best world settings for Palworld before you invite anyone.