Palworld: connection to the server failedCommunity list, address and platform-specific pitfalls

Published on August 9, 2026 · last updated on October 21, 2026

Always first: connect directly

The community list in Palworld is known to be incomplete and slow. That is why it is not a good test of whether a server is running.

Use the direct connection with the full address made up of IP and port as shown in the web interface instead. If that works, the server is running - everything else is then a question of visibility or of the client. The ways for each platform are in Join a Palworld server.

The server does not appear in the community list

That is the most common case - and usually not an error:

• After a restart, the list takes a few minutes until a server shows up.
• With a very large number of servers, not all of them are delivered - searching for the exact server name is more reliable than scrolling.
• If the configuration does not contain a sensible, unique server name, it is practically impossible to find.
• If the server is configured as private or protected by a password, the list behaves differently anyway.

The direct connection is and remains reliable. Give your friends the address made up of IP and port - then the list does not matter.

Settings are not applied

A Palworld classic disguised as a connection problem - for example when a password you set does not take effect or the number of players is wrong. It is almost always one of three causes:

1. The wrong file was edited. What counts is the PalWorldSettings.ini in the server's configuration folder, not the template file.
2. The server was still running while you saved - when shutting down, it overwrites the file with its own state.
3. The line was broken: all values are on one long line in brackets, and a missing comma makes the rest ineffective.

The right order: stop the server, edit the file, save, start. The parameters are explained in PalWorldSettings.ini explained.

Disconnects or timeouts

If the connection drops in the middle of the game or joining runs into a timeout, take a look at the memory. The Palworld dedicated server has a known memory leak: consumption grows while it runs, and a server at its memory limit no longer responds reliably.

• Scheduled, regular restarts free the memory and keep the server stable.
• If the server is tightly sized anyway, only more RAM helps - guideline values in How much RAM does a Palworld server need?.
• Palworld is strongly limited by single-thread performance; with a full server, the performance per core is what counts.

Consoles: Xbox and PlayStation

Crossplay works: Steam PC, Xbox Series X|S and PlayStation 5 can play together on the same dedicated server. The way there differs by platform, though - and that is usually where it fails, not the compatibility.

• Joining works differently depending on the platform - entering the address works differently on a console than on PC.
• An online subscription of the respective platform may be required for multiplayer.
• Client and server have to be on the same game version - otherwise things get stuck after updates. See Update your server.

So if a console player cannot get in while PC players connect without problems, it is almost never the platform itself - but the address entry or a version mismatch. The concrete steps for each platform are in Join a Palworld server.

Frequently asked questions