Palworld needs more memory than most games, and its memory use grows the longer the server runs. Start with 16 GB, keep the daily restart Wilderack sets up, and go easy on Pal spawns and base sizes.
How much RAM you need
Pocketpair recommends 16 GB, and 32 GB or more for big servers. A server can boot on 8 GB, but Pocketpair warns it’s more likely to crash from running out of memory.
| Players | Plan |
|---|---|
| 1 to 4, small bases | 8 GB, with a higher risk of crashes |
| 4 to 12 | 16 GB |
| 12 to 20, big bases | 24 GB |
| 20 to 32, many guilds | 32 GB |
Bases matter as much as players. Every base keeps its working Pals and buildings running, even when nobody is near it. A small group with many large bases can need more than a big group that shares one.
Memory grows with uptime
Palworld’s memory use creeps up the longer the server runs. After a day or two without a restart, it can fill the plan and crash.
That’s why every new Palworld server on Wilderack has a daily restart at 05:00 server time:
- Players get a chat warning 5 minutes before, then 1 minute before.
- The server saves, restarts and comes back with fresh memory in about a minute.
- It’s skipped while the server sleeps. Waking gives a fresh start anyway.
To change the time, open Schedules and edit the restart. Pick an hour when your group is offline. If your server is busy all day, two restarts, 12 hours apart, keep memory lower.
The settings that cost the most
Pocketpair marks several settings as raising the server’s processing load. The biggest ones:
| Setting | Default | Advice |
|---|---|---|
PalSpawnNumRate |
1.000000 |
Keep it at 1 or below. Higher numbers put many more Pals in the world |
BaseCampWorkerMaxNum |
15 |
Pals working at each base, up to 50. Each one adds work for the server. 15 to 20 is a good balance |
BaseCampMaxNumInGuild |
4 |
Bases per guild, up to 10. More bases means more Pals and buildings running |
BaseCampMaxNum |
See file | Total bases on the server. Lower it on a busy public server |
MaxBuildingLimitNum |
0 |
Buildings per player. 0 means no limit. Pocketpair’s PvP guide uses 1000 to cut the load |
PhysicsActiveDropItemMaxNum |
See file | Dropped items that move with physics. Lower it if items pile up |
ServerReplicatePawnCullDistance |
15000 |
How far from players the server syncs Pals, in centimetres, from 5000 to 15000. Lower means less work and less network |
bIsUseBackupSaveData |
True |
Palworld’s own backups add disk load. Wilderack already backs up your world, so you can turn this off |
Change them in Settings or PalWorldSettings.ini and restart. The config reference explains each one.
Abandoned bases
Players who quit leave their bases running. bAutoResetGuildNoOnlinePlayers clears a guild’s buildings and base Pals after nobody in it has played for a while. The wait is AutoResetGuildTimeNoOnlinePlayers, in hours. Tell your players before you turn it on.
Player count
Each player adds work. If you rarely have more than 10 online, lower ServerPlayerMaxNum in Settings. It also stops a sudden crowd from overloading the server.
Pick the right region
Palworld sends game traffic over UDP, so distance shows up as rubber-banding and Pals that freeze. Pick EU or US East, whichever is closer to most of your players. For a mixed group, choose the side where most of them live.
Read the graphs on Overview
Overview shows CPU, RAM, players and network over the last 24 hours and 7 days.
- RAM: a line that climbs all day and drops after each restart is normal for Palworld. If it hits the top of your plan before the next restart, restart more often or move to a bigger plan.
- CPU: high CPU with lag usually means too many working Pals or bases. Lower
BaseCampWorkerMaxNumorPalSpawnNumRate. - Players: shows your busiest hours. Schedule restarts away from them.
When the server lags
- Restart the server and see if the lag goes away. If it does, memory was the cause: add a second daily restart.
- Check the RAM graph. If it’s always near the top, move to a bigger plan.
- Lower
PalSpawnNumRateandBaseCampWorkerMaxNum. - Ask players to tidy up huge piles of dropped items and unused bases.
- Make sure the server is in the region closest to your players.
- If one player lags and others don’t, the problem may be on their side, like Wi-Fi or a PC running many programs.
Questions
How much RAM does a Palworld server need?
Pocketpair recommends 16 GB, and 32 GB or more for big servers. A server boots on 8 GB, but Pocketpair warns it is more likely to crash from running out of memory.
Why does my Palworld server use more memory over time?
Palworld's memory use grows the longer the server runs. A restart brings it back down, which is why Wilderack gives every new Palworld server a daily restart at 05:00 with warnings in chat.
What settings make a Palworld server lag?
The ones that add things to keep track of. PalSpawnNumRate, BaseCampWorkerMaxNum, BaseCampMaxNumInGuild and building limits all raise the load, as do many guilds with big bases. Pocketpair marks several of them as increasing processing load.
Sources we checked
- RequirementsPocketpair
- Configuration parametersPocketpair
- PvPPocketpair
- Palworld v1.0 Official Release ChangelogPocketpair
