Steam saves Palworld to %LOCALAPPDATA%\Pal\Saved\SaveGames\, the Game Pass version uses a completely different folder under Packages\PocketpairInc.Palworld_ad4psfrxyesvt, and the two formats are not interchangeable.
Save locations by platform
| Version | Saves | Config |
|---|---|---|
| Steam (Windows) | %LOCALAPPDATA%\Pal\Saved\SaveGames\<uid>\ | %LOCALAPPDATA%\Pal\Saved\Config\Windows\ |
| Microsoft Store / Game Pass | %LOCALAPPDATA%\Packages\PocketpairInc.Palworld_ad4psfrxyesvt\SystemAppData\wgs\<uid>\ | %LOCALAPPDATA%\Pal\Saved\Config\WinGDK\ |
| Dedicated server (Windows) | <PalServer>\Pal\Saved\SaveGames\0\<worldid>\ | <PalServer>\Pal\Saved\Config\WindowsServer\ |
| Dedicated server (Linux) | <PalServer>/Pal/Saved/SaveGames/0/ | <PalServer>/Pal/Saved/Config/LinuxServer/ |
| Xbox / PS5 | Platform cloud storage; not user-accessible | — |
%LOCALAPPDATA% expands to C:\Users\<you>\AppData\Local. Paste it straight into the Explorer address bar.
The Game Pass version writes into Microsoft's wgs container format. You cannot copy a wgs folder into a Steam SaveGames directory and expect it to load, and there is no supported migration in either direction. This is also true between PC and console.
Palworld's Steam build is Windows-only, so on Steam Deck it runs through Proton and the save lands inside the compatibility prefix rather than a native Linux path. We could not verify the exact location from a primary source, so this guide deliberately does not print one.
Backing up correctly
- Close the game completely.
- Copy the whole
SaveGamesfolder — not individual.savfiles — to another drive. - Do this before every game patch and before any mod change.
- Keep pre-1.0 backups separately. A save migrated to 1.0 does not go back.
Steam Cloud is supported on the Steam version, which helps with device changes but is not a substitute for a manual copy before risky operations.
Autosave and manual saving
The Auto save interval world setting ranges from 30 seconds to 30 minutes. Lower values reduce how much you lose in a crash but write to disk more often, which matters on big worlds.
On dedicated servers you can force a save with the /Save console or RCON command, which requires AdminPassword to be set first. The same action is exposed through the server REST API. Run it before any planned shutdown.
Server owners should also enable bIsUseBackupSaveData, which writes rotating world backups into a backup directory. Pocketpair notes it increases disk load — accept that trade.
Version 1.0 states that the save process was improved to reduce the risk of corruption, and v1.0.1 on 15 July 2026 fixed a bug where save data could be unintentionally discarded after certain operations. Earlier, v0.5.3 on 9 April 2025 fixed dedicated server save rollback and a PS5 autosave bug. If you were burned before, you were not imagining it.
World settings that actually change your game
These are the in-game names, with the ranges the game allows.
| Setting | Range / options | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Pal Capture Rate | 0.5–2 | The single biggest lever on how long catching takes |
| EXP Rate | 0.1–20 | Raise it if you want to reach the level 80 cap without grinding |
| Pal Appearance Rate | 0.5–3 | How densely Pals spawn in the world |
| Death Penalty | None / Item / ItemAndEquipment / All | "All" drops your items and the Pals on your team |
| Day / Night Time Speed | 0.1–5 | Long nights are the usual complaint; shorten the night, not the day |
| Item Weight Rate | 0–10 | 0 removes weight limits entirely |
| Max Number of Guild Members | 1–100 (default 20) | Cap for co-op groups |
| Max Pals Working at Base | 1–50 | Directly proportional to simulation cost |
| Max Structures per Base | 500 – No Limit | Same trade: more building, worse performance |
| Hardcore Mode: Pal Permadeath | Off / On | Irreversible loss of Pals on death |
| Random Pal Mode | No Randomization / Completely Random + seed | Cannot be changed after world creation |
| Maximum Number of Dropped Active Items | Added in v1.0 | A direct performance lever on loose items |
Random Pal Mode and its seed are locked once the world exists. Everything else in the list can be changed later, so do not agonise over capture and EXP rates up front.
The same settings on a dedicated server
Server worlds are configured in PalWorldSettings.ini, where the names differ from the in-game labels: ExpRate, PalCaptureRate, PalSpawnNumRate, CollectionDropRate, ItemWeightRate, DayTimeSpeedRate, NightTimeSpeedRate, DeathPenalty, GuildPlayerMaxNum, BaseCampWorkerMaxNum, MaxBuildingLimitNum, bHardcore, bEnableFastTravel, bIsPvP and RandomizerType, among others.
Two are worth flagging specifically: bExistPlayerAfterLogout decides whether your character stays in the world after you disconnect, and bAllowEnemyCampSpawnNearBaseCamp was added in v1.0.3 on 12 August 2026.
Is the map random?
No. Palworld's world is a fixed, handcrafted map — the same terrain, dungeons and landmarks in every save, which is why shared maps and coordinate guides work. Version 1.0 expanded it substantially with the Sunreach sky region, the World Tree, seven new islands and reworked Wildlife Sanctuaries.
Only Pal spawns can be randomised, via Random Pal Mode. Note that the 1.0 rebalance means placement data from v0.7.3 and earlier is not carried over in that mode.
Moving between worlds
| Move | Supported? |
|---|---|
| Pals between your own worlds | Yes — Global Palbox, added v0.5.0 (19 Mar 2025) |
| Character between worlds or servers | No official feature |
| Save between Steam and Game Pass | No — incompatible formats |
| Save between PC and console | No |
Third-party character transfer tools exist on GitHub. They are unsupported, carry a real risk of save corruption, and are not covered by Pocketpair's support. If you use one, back up first — see the modding guide for the same reasoning applied to mods.
What to read next
- Crossplay and servers — the full server config picture
- Performance and crashes — which settings cost you frames
- Modding guide — how to avoid mod-caused save loss