Palworld Server Mods: How to Install Them Safely

Mods and custom settings are the easiest way to make your Palworld world your own, whether that's faster breeding, more XP, or new cosmetics for your Pals. This guide shows you how to install mods on a PLAYERTICK Palworld server safely, and how to change the server settings most groups want to tweak first.

Prerequisites

• A Palworld server. You can view our plans here, including a free plan.
• The mod files you want to install, downloaded to your computer and unzipped.

Which Palworld mods work on a dedicated server?

Palworld mods come in two main kinds, and only one of them works on a dedicated server:

PLAYERTICK Palworld servers run the official Linux dedicated server. UE4SS, and every mod that depends on it, only works with the Windows version of the game, so stick to pak mods. If a mod's page mentions UE4SS, Lua or LogicMods, it won't work on the server.

Many pak mods also need to be installed on each player's game. Check the mod page: if it says "client and server" or "everyone needs it", share the files with your players too.

Step 1 - Back up your server

Mods can break a world, so always take a backup first.

1. Log in to the client area and open your Palworld server.
2. Click Backups, then Create backup.

If anything goes wrong, you can restore the backup from the same page.

Step 2 - Create the ~mods folder

1. Click Stop in the top right and wait for the server to go OFFLINE.
2. Open File Manager and go to Pal, then Content, then Paks. You'll see the game's own Pal-LinuxServer.pak file here.
3. Click Folder, name the new folder ~mods (with the tilde at the start), and click Create folder.

The tilde matters: Palworld loads anything in ~mods after the base game, so mods override the game's own files.

Step 3 - Upload your mod files

1. Open the ~mods folder.
2. Click Upload and select the mod's .pak file. If the mod also came with .ucas and .utoc files of the same name, upload those too; they belong together.
3. Click Start.

Put the files directly in ~mods. A common mistake is uploading a whole folder from the mod's download, which ends up as ~mods/SomeMod/Pal/Content/Paks/SomeMod.pak. The game won't find a pak buried like that.

Once the server is running, join it and check the mod does what it should. If you're adding several mods, add them one at a time and test in between. If something breaks, you'll know exactly which mod caused it.

Step 4 - Set your server name and passwords

The most common settings are in Settings, under Startup Variables:

• Server Name and Server Description: what players see in the community server list.
• Server Password: leave it empty for a public server, or set one to keep it private.
• Admin Password: lets you become an admin in-game. Open chat and type /AdminPassword YourAdminPassword. Change it from the default and keep it secret.
• Max Players: up to 32.
• Enable PvE Enemy Raids: turn raids on your bases on or off.
• Auto Update: keeps the server on the latest Palworld version every time it starts.

Click Save Variables to apply. The server restarts with the new settings.

These values always win over anything in the config file, so change them here rather than in PalWorldSettings.ini.

Step 5 - Change gameplay settings in PalWorldSettings.ini

Everything else, such as XP rate, capture rate, day length and Pal spawn numbers, lives in Palworld's own config file:

1. Stop the server.
2. In File Manager, go to Pal/Saved/Config/LinuxServer and click PalWorldSettings.ini.

The whole config is on one long line starting OptionSettings=(. Find the setting you want and change its value. Some popular ones:

1. Click Save, then Start.

Be careful with the formatting: keep the brackets, commas and quote marks exactly as they are, and don't add a second OptionSettings line. If the line is broken, the server may ignore your settings. The server's main folder has a clean copy called DefaultPalWorldSettings.ini if you need to start again.

Admin commands from the panel

The Console in the panel sends commands straight to the running server, so you can manage it without logging in to the game. Type commands without a slash:

ShowPlayers
Broadcast Server_restarting_in_5_minutes
Save

Save forces a world save, which is worth doing before you stop the server for maintenance. Broadcast messages sent this way can't contain spaces, so use underscores.

Troubleshooting

The mod doesn't do anything. Check the files are directly inside Pal/Content/Paks/~mods, not in a sub-folder. Then check the mod page: it may need installing on players' games too, or it may be a UE4SS mod that can't run on a dedicated server.

The server won't start after adding a mod. Delete the last mod you added from ~mods and start again. Mods often break after a Palworld update until their author updates them.

My settings changes didn't stick. Make sure you stopped the server before editing PalWorldSettings.ini, and that the setting isn't one of the Startup Variables, which override the file.

Players can't join after an update. Everyone needs the same game version. Restart the server with Auto Update set to True so it picks up the latest release.

Wrapping up

That's it: your Palworld server is modded and tuned the way your group likes it. If you get stuck, reach out to us on Discord or through support.