Fixes · 6 min read

Friends can't connect to your Palworld server? Check these nine things

Still starting, the wrong address or port, a game update, Xbox and PS5, the password, a full server, mods or a ban: nine checks for a Palworld server.

Last checked 12 November 2026

Short answer

It's often one of four things: the server is still starting; friends are typing the wrong address or port; Palworld updated and the server hasn't restarted to match; or a friend on Xbox or PS5 is looking for a server that isn't a community server. Work down this list in order: each check says how to tell.

1. It's still starting

A Palworld server can't be joined until it has finished starting, and the first start after a game update takes a few minutes longer because the server updates first. On our servers the panel shows the server as running once its console prints Running Palworld dedicated server on :. If it says starting, wait for that line before anyone tries again.

2. The address or port is wrong

Friends choose Join Multiplayer Game and type the address and port into the box below the server list, for example 203.0.113.10:8211. Both halves matter, and so does the colon between them.

On a home server, the address is your router's public address, not your PC's home address (those start 192.168. or 10.). The port is 8211 unless you start the server with -port=. PublicPort in the settings file is not the port to type: Pocketpair say it doesn't change the port the server listens on.
On our servers, copy the address from the server's Overview page in the panel and send that. It already has the port on the end.

3. The port isn't forwarded (home servers)

Pocketpair's guide lists one port: UDP 8211. Forward it on UDP, not TCP, to the PC that runs the server, and allow the server through that PC's firewall.

If the forwarding is right and nobody outside can join, compare the address your router shows for its internet connection with the one a “what is my IP” site shows you. If they differ, your provider shares one public address between many homes and forwarding can't reach you.

If friends outside can join and you can't from inside your own home, the cause is probably your router. Pocketpair say that without Hairpin NAT you can't connect to a community server hosted on your own network.

4. Palworld updated

Players' games update on their own, and a server that's a version behind can't be joined. If everyone could get in yesterday and nobody can today, look for a Palworld patch first.

The fix is to update the server and start it again. On a home server, run the SteamCMD command again: steamcmd +login anonymous +app_update 2394010 validate +quit. Our servers check for an update every time they start, while Update on start is on (it is by default, under Game → All settings). So restart yours from the panel, and if you had turned Update on start off, turn it back on first. A daily restart does this for you each day. If you're worried about a patch, download a copy of your world from the panel's Files page first.

5. A friend is on Xbox, PS5 or Mac

Palworld servers are cross-play by default, with one condition for consoles. Pocketpair: “If you want to join the server from the Xbox version or the PS5 version, you need to deploy it as a community server.” A community server is one started with -publiclobby. Console friends then find it under Community server, on the left of the server list.

Then check which platforms the server allows. CrossplayPlatforms is (Steam,Xbox,PS5,Mac) by default, and a platform taken out of that list can't join. Xbox there also covers the PC version from the Microsoft Store.

Our servers start as community servers, with -publiclobby already set, and allow all four platforms unless you change Crossplay platforms in the panel.

6. The password

ServerPassword is the password players need to join. It has to be typed exactly, and it isn't the admin password. On our servers you set it in the panel, and the server reads it when it starts: after changing it, restart the server and send friends the new one.

7. The server is full

ServerPlayerMaxNum is the most players who can be on at once. Ours allow up to 32, the most a Palworld server takes. If the people who can't get in are always the last to arrive, count who's online.

8. Their game has mods

bAllowClientMod decides whether players with mods turned on may join. It's True in the game's default settings. If it has been set to False, a friend with mods is kept out until they turn them off. The setting is on the long line of PalWorldSettings.ini with the rest.

9. They're banned

If one player is kept out and everyone else gets in, check the ban list. An admin can lift a ban in the game with /UnBanPlayer and the player's ID. On our servers the panel shows the server's banlist.txt and the Players tab can unban them.

Still stuck?

On a home server, read the last lines of the server's window. Our Palworld server setup guide covers the install, the port and the settings file from the beginning.

On our Palworld servers, open the server's Overview page and press Run the checks under Can players reach it?. It checks from our side that the machine answers and the server is running, and sends a Steam query where the server has a query port. If the checks pass and a friend still can't join, the cause is often on their side: their router, firewall or VPN.

If a check fails, press Copy the last 200 lines above the console, then open Help in the panel and paste them into your message. A message holds up to 5,000 characters, so if it's too long, keep the end. A person reads it, not a bot.

Game facts checked against Palworld v1.0.5 on 12 November 2026.