Palworld Dedicated Server in Docker

Palworld is one of the game servers running on my Steam Game Server Framework. Native Linux server, no Wine workarounds -- just pull the image and start.

Here's everything you need to set up your own Palworld server.

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Quick Start

Create a directory and add a docker-compose.yml:

mkdir palworld-server && cd palworld-server

services:
  palworld:
    # Docker Hub:
    image: rndmjoker/gameserver-steam-palworld:latest
    # Or from GitHub Container Registry:
    # image: ghcr.io/rndmjoker/gameserver-steam-palworld:latest
    container_name: palworld-server
    restart: unless-stopped
    network_mode: host
    mem_limit: 12g
    volumes:
      - serverdata:/home/steam/serverdata
      - serverconfig:/home/steam/serverconfig
    environment:
      - ServerName=My Palworld Server
      - AdminPassword=secure-password
      - ServerPlayerMaxNum=16

volumes:
  serverdata:
  serverconfig:

docker compose up -d
docker compose logs -f

The first start takes a bit longer because SteamCMD downloads the full server (~7 GB). After that it's fast.

Alternative with docker run

docker run -d \
  --name palworld-server \
  --restart unless-stopped \
  --network host \
  --memory 12g \
  -e ServerName="My Palworld Server" \
  -e AdminPassword="secure-password" \
  -e ServerPlayerMaxNum=16 \
  -v serverdata:/home/steam/serverdata \
  -v serverconfig:/home/steam/serverconfig \
  rndmjoker/gameserver-steam-palworld:latest

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Technical Details

Property	Value
Steam App ID	2394010
Platform	Linux (native)
Default Port	8211/udp
RCON Port	25575/tcp
RAM Recommendation	12 GB
Server Binary	PalServer.sh

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Networking

The server runs in host network mode. That means the ports are directly open on your machine.

Port	Protocol	Description
8211	UDP	Game port (player connections)
25575	TCP	RCON (remote console, optional)

If you have an external firewall (e.g. at your hosting provider), you need to open port 8211/udp there. Docker doesn't do that automatically in host mode.

---

Configuration

The entire server is configured via environment variables. You don't need to edit any config files -- anything you want to change, you just add as -e VARIABLE=value to your docker run or in the environment: section of your docker-compose.yml. The actual config files are generated from these variables on every container start.

The Quick Start above shows a minimal example. If you want to see all available settings at once, grab the complete docker-compose.yml or the .env.example from the GitHub repo -- they contain over 80 parameters with descriptions and default values.

Here's an excerpt of the most important settings:

Server Basics

Variable	Default	Description
ServerName	My Palworld Server	Server name
ServerDescription	(empty)	Description
ServerPassword	(empty)	Password to join
AdminPassword	changeme	Admin password (change this!)
ServerPlayerMaxNum	32	Max players
GAME_PORT	8211	Game port
RCON_PORT	25575	RCON port
RCONEnabled	False	Enable RCON

Game Balance

Variable	Default	Description
DayTimeSpeedRate	1.0	Day time speed
NightTimeSpeedRate	1.0	Night time speed
ExpRate	1.0	Experience rate
PalCaptureRate	1.0	Capture rate
PalSpawnNumRate	1.0	Pal spawn rate
WorkSpeedRate	1.0	Work speed
PlayerDamageRateAttack	1.0	Player attack damage
PlayerDamageRateDefense	1.0	Player defense
DeathPenalty	All	Death penalty (None, Item, ItemAndEquipment, All)

All other parameters (PvP, Hardcore, Randomizer, building limits, etc.) are in the docker-compose.yml on GitHub.

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Build from Source

If you want to modify the Dockerfile or the hooks:

git clone https://github.com/RndmJoker/gameserver-steam-palworld.git steam-palworld
cd steam-palworld
cp .env.example .env
nano .env
docker compose up -d --build

---

Server Management

View logs

docker compose logs -f

Restart (applies config changes)

docker compose restart

Stop the server

docker compose down

Force update

The server is automatically updated on every container start. For a manual update, just restart:

docker compose restart

Fast restart (skip update)

- SKIP_STEAM_UPDATE=true

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Backups

Save games are stored in the serverdata volume. To create a backup:

docker cp palworld-server:/home/steam/serverdata/Pal/Saved ./palworld-backup-$(date +%Y%m%d)

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Troubleshooting

Server crashes immediately

Check if you have enough RAM:

free -h
docker stats palworld-server --no-stream

Palworld needs at least 8 GB, 12 GB is better.

Players can't connect

1. Server running? docker ps | grep palworld
2. Port open? ss -tulnp | grep 8211
3. Firewall checked? Port 8211/udp must be open externally

Crash logs

docker logs palworld-server 2>&1 | tail -50

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Links

• GitHub: github.com/RndmJoker/gameserver-steam-palworld
• Docker Hub: hub.docker.com/r/rndmjoker/gameserver-steam-palworld
• Official Palworld Docs: docs.palworldgame.com
• Framework: Steam Game Server Framework

If you have questions or need help, reach out via the contact form.