Palworld Server Hosting: How Much RAM Do You Need?
Pocketpair's own documentation recommends 16 GB of RAM for a Palworld dedicated server, and warns that 8 GB boots but is more likely to crash from running out of memory. The right number for you depends on the group: a few friends exploring need far less than a 32-player community server with bases running flat out.
Key takeaways
- Pocketpair's official requirements page recommends 16 GB; 8 GB "is also bootable, but increases the possibility of server crashes due to out of memory."
- Player count matters less than base activity: Pals working at full bases load the server more than the same number of players just exploring.
- Four CPU cores or more is the official baseline. OnPowered's Palworld plans scale from 3 vCores on the smallest plan to 6 on the largest.
- RAM use tends to climb the longer a world stays online, which is why a scheduled restart matters more here than on most game servers.
What Pocketpair's own requirements page says
Pocketpair's dedicated server requirements page gives the memory figure in two parts: 16 GB is the number it lists, and 8 GB "is also bootable, but increases the possibility of server crashes due to out of memory." It also recommends four or more CPU cores and a fast SSD, warning that slower storage "may corrupt saved data." Treat 16 GB as the target to plan around, not 8 GB as a safe floor.
Hosting guides don't always repeat these numbers the same way. Some flip it around entirely, quoting 8 GB as the minimum and "more than 32 GB" as the recommendation, which is the opposite of what the page actually says; others get the 16 GB right but drop the crash warning that comes with the 8 GB figure. The wording above is copied straight from Pocketpair's page, version 1.0.4, so it's worth checking there directly if a guide you're reading gives you something different.
How much RAM for your group, in practice
Pocketpair's 16 GB is a baseline for a dedicated server in general, not a per-player formula, so matching it to your own group means thinking in ranges rather than one fixed number. A handful of friends exploring casually needs well under Pocketpair's recommended figure; a full 32-player community server with several guilds running bases at capacity needs more than it.
| Your group | Suggested RAM | OnPowered plan |
|---|---|---|
| 1 to 4 players, one or two bases | ≈ 8 GB | Mega |
| Up to 8 players | 10 to 12 GB | Giga |
| Up to 16 players, several guilds | 16 GB (Pocketpair's figure) | Hyper |
| Up to 32 players, big bases | 24 GB or more | Legendary |
These ranges assume the scheduled restart covered below. Skip it, and RAM use tends to climb past whichever figure you started from, no matter which row you picked.
Why RAM keeps climbing, even without new players
A Palworld server's memory use doesn't stay flat once a world is running. Several hosts and players report it climbing the longer the world stays up, with or without anyone joining. Pocketpair hasn't published a specific explanation for this, so treat it as an operational fact worth planning around rather than a bug with a documented fix.
Two settings Pocketpair documents directly raise the load on top of that baseline drift: the maximum number of Pals working at a single base, and how many bases a guild can run at once. The official configuration guide states plainly that increasing either one "raises processing load." A group running several full bases needs more headroom than the same number of players still early in the game, even at an identical player count.
The common fix is a save followed by a restart every six to twelve hours, set up once in the hosting panel's scheduler and then left to run on its own — short enough that players barely notice, frequent enough to stop memory drifting toward the ceiling of whatever plan you're on.
CPU matters too, not just memory
RAM gets most of the attention, but Pocketpair's requirements page recommends four CPU cores or more for a reason: the Pals working inside a base are simulated continuously, which loads the processor rather than memory. A server can have RAM to spare and still feel laggy near a base packed with working Pals.
This is also where the official guidance stops being specific. Pocketpair's own performance notes for version 1.0.4 mention that certain server launch settings "may improve performance" without giving numbers, and the requirements page doesn't state a core count per player. In practice, a group that keeps expanding its bases benefits more from a plan with more vCores than from RAM alone; OnPowered's Palworld plans scale both together, from 3 vCores on the smallest plan up to 6 on the largest, so the jump from Mega to Hyper adds a core at the same time as it adds memory.
Which OnPowered plan fits your server?
Pocketpair's own figure for a dedicated server is 16 GB, which lines up with the Hyper plan below. Smaller groups can start lower; bigger community servers with full bases are safer on Legendary.
| Plan | RAM | vCores | Storage | Price | Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mega | 8 GB | 3 | 30 GB NVMe | €10.99 per month | Order |
| Giga | 12 GB | 4 | 40 GB NVMe | €14.99 per month | Order |
| Hyper | 16 GB | 4 | 50 GB NVMe | €19.99 per month | Order |
| Legendary | 24 GB | 6 | 70 GB NVMe | €25.99 per month | Order |
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FAQ
How much RAM does Pocketpair recommend for a Palworld server?
Pocketpair's own dedicated server requirements page lists 16 GB as the recommended figure, alongside a four-core-or-better CPU and fast SSD storage. It also states that 8 GB is bootable but increases the possibility of server crashes due to running out of memory, so 16 GB is the number to budget for rather than the lowest one that technically starts.
Can I run a Palworld server on 8 GB of RAM?
It will boot. Pocketpair's documentation says so directly, while warning that 8 GB increases the chance of crashes from running out of memory. In practice it only suits a very small group on one or two bases; add more players or a second full base and the risk Pocketpair describes becomes a lot more likely to show up.
Does Palworld need more RAM the longer the server stays online?
Several hosts and players report memory use climbing the longer a world runs, even without new players joining, though Pocketpair hasn't confirmed a specific cause. The common workaround is a scheduled save and restart every few hours, which keeps usage from drifting toward your plan's ceiling instead of climbing unchecked between sessions.
Do base workers really affect server performance?
Yes. Pocketpair's own configuration documentation states that raising the maximum number of Pals working at a base, or the number of bases a guild can build, directly increases processing load. A group that keeps several bases full of working Pals needs more headroom than the same number of players exploring with none.
How many players can a Palworld dedicated server actually hold?
Up to 32 on a community server, set through the Max Players option and the figure most dedicated-server guides use. That ceiling comes from the game itself, not from how much RAM is behind it — extra memory keeps a full server smooth as bases grow, it doesn't unlock more player slots.
See also
- Palworld server hosting in Brussels
- Hytale multiplayer not working: firewall & NAT fixes
- How much RAM for a Minecraft server?
If sizing all this feels like overkill for a weekend with friends, a Palworld server at OnPowered starts at €10.99 a month for the Mega plan (8 GB), with the Hyper plan at €19.99 matching Pocketpair's own 16 GB recommendation once your group outgrows it. Order the Hyper plan or compare all Palworld plans.