Your time in Palworld is never truly spent alone since there are many Pals to capture and have join you on your adventures or tend to your base. Pals aren't the only company one has to keep, however, as a dedicated multiplayer server can host up to 32 players in one world.
While all survival games have a typical "grinding" gameplay loop, Palworld respects the players' time in terms of progression and makes it feasible to enjoy the game without feeling inefficient when playing solo. That being said, a world as large as Palworld's begs to be explored and marveled at with friends while you work together toward accomplishing your goals. There are multiple ways to start a new game in Palworld with friends, but setting up a server for a large group of friends may require a bit of know-how.
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How to start a multiplayer game in Palworld
Choosing how to host a multiplayer game of Palworld will depend on your group's requirements. Each method has pros and cons, but you'll need to choose the one that best suits your and your friends' intended gameplay.
Co-op (up to four players)
Setting up a multiplayer instance for smaller groups of up to four players is simple. When starting a world in-game and configuring its settings, a Multiplayer option is listed just above the difficulty selection. Multiplayer must be toggled on for other players to join the game.
Once in-game, head to the Options menu to find a section to the right containing a hidden Invite Code. You can unhide the code to read to friends or hit the Copy button to the right and send it to them directly. The Invite Code changes each time the world is started, so you'll have to resend it every time you wish to play multiplayer in Palworld.
Since a co-op world depends on the invite code being available only when the host is actively playing that particular save, other players don't have access when the host is offline. This method may be perfect for a small group of friends who want to ensure they experience everything together, but those needing a persistent world or have a larger player count will need to look into hosting a dedicated server.
Dedicated server (up to 32 players)
There are two main options when setting up a dedicated server for any game — you can set up the server on your own hardware or rent one through a third-party service. To host a dedicated Palworld server yourself, you must own a copy of the game on Steam. Once the game is purchased, you can access "Palworld Dedicated Server" in the Tools section of your Steam library.
Right-click the dedicated server tool in the Steam library, then select Manage and "Browse local files." You should see the file "DefaultPalWorldSettings.ini" within the opened folder. This file contains a few commented statements followed by a list of settings beginning with the line "[/Script/Pal.PalGameWorldSettings]." Copy that line and everything that follows it and paste it inside "PalWorldSettings.ini" found in PalServer > Pal > Saved > Config > WindowsServer, then save and close the file. You can change the world's settings however you see fit or set a password by altering values like "PalEggHatchingTime" or "ServerPassword" in the PalWorldSettings.ini file. Any changes made to the world should be seen after restarting the server.
With the settings saved, return to the Tools section of the Steam library and start Palworld Dedicated Server. The launcher will present you the options of either starting the Dedicated Server or creating a community server that will appear in the public list of multiplayer servers. In this case, choose the standard Dedicated Server and continue. A command prompt titled "PalServer.exe" will open, and you'll need to keep it running for the Palworld server to stay active.
You and your group can join the server by selecting Join Multiplayer Game in the main menu and then entering the server's IP address and port beneath the server list. Using sites like WhatsMyIP on the machine hosting the dedicated server is an easy way to find the address you need to share, as long as you're not hiding behind a VPN. Palworld uses port 8211 by default, meaning you'll need to add :8211 after the IP address (Address:8211) to join the server. Consult your internet router's manual for port forwarding if you encounter problems.
Hosting the server on the same PC that Palworld will be played on requires higher specs than the game would typically demand. If you try to do both on slower hardware, you could face performance issues with the game or the dedicated server. You can mitigate this if you have an extra machine that can run the server alone or rent a Palworld server from a hosting provider. Thanks to their browser-based interface, these services can simplify many of the more complicated configuration tasks, removing many of the general frustrations of hosting servers for a premium price.
PvP and Guilds in Palworld
There is currently no PvP in Palworld at the time of writing, but the recently announced roadmap shows that the feature is planned to be implemented. While there may be no combat against your fellow player, you can join dedicated teams within a server known as Guilds to partner up and work with others within the same base. You can offer other players competition through how quickly your team progresses versus theirs, but until the future update bringing PvP arrives, make no plans to ruin their base or their day.
