Palworld has full crossplay between Steam, Microsoft Store/Xbox, PlayStation 5 and Mac — but it has no cross-progression, so your character stays on the platform that made it.
The crossplay support matrix
Crossplay was added in the v0.5.0 Crossplay Update on 19 March 2025. Before that date, platforms were siloed, which is why older guides still say Steam and Xbox players cannot mix.
| Steam | MS Store / Xbox | PS5 | Mac | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Steam | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| MS Store / Xbox | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| PS5 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Mac | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
This is not a guess from press coverage: Pocketpair's official server documentation exposes a CrossplayPlatforms setting whose default value is (Steam,Xbox,PS5,Mac).
Server owners can edit CrossplayPlatforms to allow fewer platforms. If a server rejects you but works for your friend on another system, platform restriction is the first thing to check — not a bug on your end.
Player limits
| Mode | Players | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Single-player | 1 | Your own world, no host needed |
| Online co-op (invite world) | 4 | Host must be online; the world lives on the host's machine |
| Dedicated server | 32 | Runs independently of any player; set via ServerPlayerMaxNum |
| Split screen / local co-op | 0 | Not supported on any platform |
The 4 and 32 figures are stated on Palworld's own Steam store listing. The store's feature list contains single-player and online co-op entries and no shared or split-screen entry, which is the cleanest confirmation that local multiplayer does not exist.
Server types explained
Co-op world (easiest)
You start a world, generate an invite code, and up to three friends join. The catch: the world only exists while the host is playing. If the host logs off, everyone stops. Progress made in someone else's world stays in that world.
Dedicated server (persistent)
A dedicated server keeps the world running whether or not you are online, supports up to 32 players, and gives you a config file full of tunable rules. You can self-host it or rent it.
Official servers
Pocketpair has operated official servers since the Early Access launch — its January and February 2024 Steam announcements dealt with cheating countermeasures and access issues on them. They are the zero-setup option, but you have no control over settings and no admin tools.
Self-hosting a dedicated server
Palworld's dedicated server tool (PalServer) is free and documented officially at docs.palworldgame.com. It runs on Windows and Linux and is installed through SteamCMD using app ID 2394010. There is no console self-hosting — PS5 and Xbox players can join servers, not run them.
| Requirement | Official guidance |
|---|---|
| CPU | 4 cores or more recommended |
| RAM | 16 GB recommended. 8 GB will boot but raises the chance of out-of-memory crashes |
| Storage | SSD recommended — low-performance storage may corrupt saved data |
| OS | 64-bit Windows or Linux (Ubuntu, AlmaLinux and similar) |
| Port | UDP 8211 by default |
The config file, exactly
| OS | Path |
|---|---|
| Windows | steamapps\common\PalServer\Pal\Saved\Config\WindowsServer\PalWorldSettings.ini |
| Linux | steamapps/common/PalServer/Pal/Saved/Config/LinuxServer/PalWorldSettings.ini |
The official documentation is explicit: editing DefaultPalWorldSettings.ini has no effect. That file is a template you copy from. Only the copy inside the Config subdirectory is read at runtime, and that folder is created after the server's first startup.
Settings worth knowing before you open the file
| Setting | What it does |
|---|---|
ServerPlayerMaxNum | Maximum players who can join |
CrossplayPlatforms | Which platforms may connect. Default (Steam,Xbox,PS5,Mac) |
bAllowClientMod | Whether players with mods enabled may join |
All three names and the crossplay default are taken from Pocketpair's official server documentation. Palworld's server config also exposes RCON and a REST API in the same docs for admin tooling.
Set AdminPassword so you can run the /Save command before any planned restart, and enable bIsUseBackupSaveData for rotating world backups. Pocketpair notes backups increase disk load — take the trade. Both are covered in the saves guide.
Palworld's server load scales with the number of players and with how many bases and Pals exist in the world, because Pals keep working while you are away. A long-lived 32-slot world is far heavier than a fresh one at the same player count, so budget headroom rather than matching the slot count exactly.
How to check whether a server is up
- In-game: the community server list shows live servers and their current player counts. A server missing from the list is either down, private, or filtered by platform.
- Direct connect: joining by IP and port bypasses the list — if direct connect works but the browser does not show the server, the listing is the problem, not the server.
- Your host's control panel: rented servers expose status and logs there, which is the only way to see crash loops.
- Platform-wide outages: check Pocketpair's official channels. Official server issues have been announced there before, as in February 2024.
Cross-progression, and the one transfer feature that exists
Crossplay and cross-progression are different things, and Palworld only has the first. Your character is tied to the world it was created in.
The exception is Pals, not people: the Global Palbox, added in the same v0.5.0 update, stores Pal data so you can move Pals between your own worlds. The Dimensional Pal Storage added at the same time expanded storage capacity substantially.
Palworld has a genuine single-player mode, and Steam Cloud saves are supported. However, Steam's own system requirements list a broadband internet connection under both minimum and recommended specs, and we found no official Pocketpair statement about fully offline play. Reports that single-player works without a connection are community-reported; treat them as such.
What to read next
- Save files and world settings — where worlds live and which options matter
- Modding guide — why
bAllowClientModexists and what breaks on servers - Platforms and versions — which version can host and which cannot