Palworld 1.0 Save Transfer and Dedicated Server Setup Guide (2026)

Palworld 1.0 launched on July 10, 2026, marking the end of nearly two years in Early Access. For returning players with hundreds of hours already invested, the biggest questions are whether those saves survive the transition and how to get dedicated servers running for the full release. This guide covers every step of the save migration process, known compatibility issues, and complete server setup instructions for PC, Xbox, and PS5.

Pocketpair has officially confirmed that Palworld 1.0 does not wipe save data. Your existing Early Access character, bases, Pals, and world progress all carry over when the full release launches. The game automatically converts your save files upon first launch of the 1.0 client — no manual intervention required for the basic transfer.

However, starting a new character is recommended by the developers but is completely optional. Because 1.0 includes major mechanic overhauls and reworked progression, starting fresh lets you experience the new content as designed. This includes the new Sunreach sky island and World Tree regions, reworked Tower Boss battles, and the completely revamped tech tree progression.

The Global Palbox lets you transfer tamed Pals between your old Early Access worlds and new 1.0 worlds. You can move your best breeders, your perfect-IV Pals, and your favorite companions into the new world. This can dramatically speed up your opening hours in 1.0.

Before updating to 1.0, securing your save data is essential. It is highly recommended to manually back up your local save folder before initiating the update. Navigate to your AppData folder (%USERPROFILE%AppDataLocalPalSavedSaveGames) and copy the contents to a safe location. This gives you a fallback if anything goes wrong during migration.

Mods present the biggest risk to a clean transition. Old mod files from before the 1.0 update are a common cause of crashes, corrupted saves, and quest issues. Simply disabling mods isn’t enough. Leftover mod files and loaders can still launch with the game, so you’ll need to remove them manually. To fix crashing issues, you must completely clear out your existing mod folders (typically located in PalBinariesWin64Mods) and verify your game files through Steam.

You must manually delete old mod files from your game directory. Simply disabling them can still cause the game to crash or corrupt your save data upon launching version 1.0. Check with mod authors for explicit 1.0-compatible versions before reinstalling anything.

Pocketpair gives the dedicated server binary away for free on Steam, for both Windows and Linux. If you’ve got a box sitting idle with decent single-thread performance and 16 GB of RAM to spare, you can absolutely run it yourself. Palworld’s dedicated server runs best with around 16 GB of RAM. Pocketpair recommends it even for small servers, because memory use grows over time.

Head to Library, then on the left panel, tick: Games/Software/and Tools. Then type Palworld in the search box. You will see Palworld Dedicated Server appearing on the left panel. Install it alongside the main game.

For configuration, locate PalWorldSettings.ini inside the server folder. Key settings include ServerName=”YourServerName” — what players see in lists. ServerPassword=”OptionalPassword” — keep empty for public, set for private. AdminPassword=”StrongAdminPass” — enables in-game admin. ServerPlayerMaxNum=32 — hard cap is 32; reduce if your hardware is modest.

Port forward 8211 (UDP) and 27015 (TCP/UDP) through your router to allow player connections. Launch with -publiclobby flag to enable cross-play and appear in community server lists. This flag is critical — without it, console players cannot see or join your server.

If you want to explore the new Awakening and Mutation systems with friends, check our Awakening and Mutation guide for what to expect once your server is running.

If you want to join the server from the Xbox version or the PS5 version, you need to deploy it as a community server. Console platforms cannot enter IP addresses directly — Xbox and PS5 players can only join community servers. Console versions of Palworld have no way to enter a server IP address. They browse the in-game list and join from there. If your server isn’t registered as a community server, console players cannot see it or connect to it.

PC players can connect to your server by direct IP through the in-game “Join via IP” flow. Console players cannot. Xbox and PS5 users can only find your server through the in-game community server browser, which means your server has to be listed as a community server and has to have a recognisable name your friends can actually search for.

For console-only groups, renting from a managed host remains the simplest option. On managed hosts, crossplay is enabled by default with all four platforms active. Your server is registered as a community server automatically. Console and PC players find your server in the in-game browser and join. No configuration needed.

Palworld now supports crossplay across PC, Xbox, PlayStation, and Mac. Pocketpair added crossplay in the v0.5.0 update, with the official patch notes stating that cross-play is available across all platforms.

Crossplay for Hosted Co-Op Worlds

For casual sessions where one player hosts, the process is straightforward. Select the specific saved world file you intend to play from your list. Open up the World Settings menu attached to that specific save. Locate the Cross-Play option and toggle it to the on position. Launch the world normally. Only the host needs to enable or disable crossplay.

Crossplay for Dedicated Servers

Palworld crossplay lets Steam, Xbox, PlayStation 5 and Mac players share one dedicated server. Control it with the CrossplayPlatforms setting in PalWorldSettings.ini — the default is (Steam,Xbox,PS5,Mac). The default CrossplayPlatforms value includes Steam, Xbox, PS5 and Mac, so a fresh server allows full crossplay unless you restrict it.

Palworld dedicated server has two distribution channels: the Steam-only build (PC clients only) and the EOS build (cross-platform). For crossplay you must use the EOS-enabled build. If you run a managed Palworld dedicated server, EOS is enabled out of the box; if you self-host via SteamCMD, your launch command must include the EOS authentication parameters.

Game Crashes on Load After 1.0 Update

If Palworld crashes after the 1.0 update, the most common cause is outdated mods. Clear your game’s mod folder, verify the integrity of your game files on Steam, and ensure your graphics drivers are fully updated. Only reinstall mods after their creators have updated them for 1.0. Install and test them one at a time.

Base Structures Missing or Floating

If your base was built on the edge of the map in Early Access, check its structural integrity immediately upon loading 1.0, as some terrain meshes were slightly altered to accommodate the new biomes. Edge-of-map bases near the new World Tree and Sunreach zones are most at risk. If structural issues occur, you may need to rebuild affected sections.

Server Players Cannot Connect

Work through this checklist in order: confirm port forwarding is correct, confirm the connecting player has the right password, confirm your server version matches the client version (Steam auto-updates the client, which breaks things if your server falls behind), and try Direct Connect with the IP and port instead of browsing the server list.

For returning players looking to catch the new Pals efficiently, our 1.0 Pals tier list and breeding combos covers which ones are worth hunting first.