How Much RAM Does a Palworld Server Need? (2026 Guide)

8 GB of RAM is enough for most Palworld dedicated servers: a group of friends with a few bases and a daily restart runs well on it, and it is where our Palworld plans start. Full servers of up to 32 players, long-running worlds and large bases need more, usually 12 to 16 GB. Pocketpair’s official requirements for CPU, storage and network are below.

Memory use depends on your players, your bases and how long the server stays up. This guide starts from the official requirements, explains what makes memory grow and suggests a size for each kind of group.

What Pocketpair says

The requirements page of the official server guide, for version 1.0.4, lists these values:

What makes memory grow

• Bases and workers. The official settings reference says that raising BaseCampMaxNumInGuild (default 4, maximum 10) or BaseCampWorkerMaxNum (maximum 50) increases processing load. More bases and more working Pals mean more for the server to track.
• Spawn rate. PalSpawnNumRate is flagged as affecting performance.
• The number of players. A dedicated server supports up to 32.
• Time since the last restart. Server owners report memory use creeping up over hours, and many schedule restarts for that reason.
• Mods. They add files and load more at startup.

Suggested sizes by group

Pocketpair gives no table by player count, so these are the sizes we suggest as a starting point. They are not hard limits, and you should check real use after a few hours of play.

Prices are monthly in US dollars, from our plans page. Palworld needs at least 8 GB, so the 2, 4 and 6 GB plans are not an option for it.

How to check your real usage

Do not guess. The server can tell you how it is doing:

• The REST API. With RESTAPIEnabled=True, GET /metrics returns the server FPS, frame time, current and maximum players, uptime and number of bases. Pocketpair says to keep the API on your local network. Both are documented in Pocketpair’s REST API reference.
• The panel. Watch the resource figures at the top of your server page at your busiest hour.
• Time. Look at the numbers right after a restart and again after several hours. A steady climb tells you how often to restart.

An example: a 10-player friends server

Say ten friends play on one server, each with a base, and everyone is online in the evening. Start with the 8 GB plan at $6.96 USD per month, keep BaseCampWorkerMaxNum at a moderate value, leave PalSpawnNumRate alone and restart once a day. After a week, check memory at your busiest hour. If it sits well below the limit, stay on 8 GB. If it sits close to the limit, move to 12 GB. This is one possible path, not a rule.

RAM is not the only part

Memory is not the only thing Pocketpair’s table covers. Keep these in mind when you size a server:

• CPU. The guide recommends 4 or more cores. Lag in fights and big bases is often CPU, which more RAM will not fix.
• Storage. A fast SSD is recommended, and slow storage may corrupt save data. Our plans use NVMe storage.
• Disk load from backups. Turning on bIsUseBackupSaveData keeps rolling save backups, and Pocketpair notes that it increases disk load.
• Network. Players connect over UDP 8211 by default. A close location lowers ping.

How to decide in three steps

1. Start at the size that matches your group in the table above. For most friend groups that is 8 GB or 12 GB.
2. Play for a week. Look at memory use at your busiest hour and after several hours of uptime.
3. Move to the next size if memory stays close to the limit, or lower your bases and workers if the world is the cause.

Use less memory without losing players

1. Lower BaseCampWorkerMaxNum and BaseCampMaxNumInGuild if the server struggles with big bases.
2. Keep PalSpawnNumRate at the standard value unless you need more Pals.
3. Restart on a schedule. On our panel, the Schedules tab handles it.
4. Do not run other programs on a server machine.
5. Keep the server on fast storage, as Pocketpair recommends.

All of these settings live in PalWorldSettings.ini. If you are still deciding how to host, Palworld co-op vs dedicated server compares the options, and the setup guide shows how to install one.

FAQ

Hosting for these games

• Palworld server hostingUp to 32 players · from $6.96 USD/month
• Rust server hostingWipes, Oxide and Carbon