Is Palworld crossplay? Every platform pairing in 2026

Yes. Palworld is crossplay between Steam, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, the Microsoft Store and PC Game Pass version, PlayStation 5 and Mac, and it has been since the v0.5.0 “Crossplay Update” on 19 March 2025. Palworld 1.0 kept all of it. The two catches are that a co-op session only crosses platforms when the host switches Crossplay on, and that console players can only reach a dedicated server if it runs as a community server. This guide gives you the short answer, a pairing matrix for co-op and for servers, the reasons an invite code works for one friend and not another, and the route that fits your group.

Get the short answer: who plays with whom in 2026#

Every platform Palworld ships on can play with every other one. Pocketpair’s own server guide lists the cross-play enabled versions as the Steam version, the Xbox versions plus the Windows PC version from the Microsoft Store, the macOS version and the PS5 version. There is no Nintendo Switch version, so “Palworld Switch crossplay” is not a thing yet, and there is no PS4 version either. Check our dated Switch 2 release status before treating a rumor as confirmation of another crossplay platform.

What “crossplay” covers is playing in the same world at the same time. It does not cover three things people often bundle into the word:

• Cross-progression. Your character and Pals live in the world they were made in. A Steam character does not appear when you log in on Xbox.
• Cross-buy. Owning Palworld on Steam does not give you the Game Pass or PS5 version.
• Mods. Console players cannot install PC client mods. Check which server mods your group can use before adding one; a server-only label does not guarantee crossplay compatibility.

There is an important Microsoft exception: Palworld’s Xbox Play Anywhere support covers eligible digital purchases and synchronized progress between Xbox and Windows PC with the same Microsoft account. It does not include Steam. The guide to crossplay vs cross-progression and cross-buy explains that distinction before you buy another copy.

The rest of this guide is about the first thing, playing together, and it splits into the two ways Palworld lets you do that.

Read the pairing matrix: co-op session or dedicated server#

Palworld has two multiplayer modes and they have different rules. A co-op session is the world you host from the title screen and share with an invite code. A dedicated server is a separate program that runs a world without anyone playing on that machine. Crossplay works in both, but not in the same way.

Two lines in that table decide most groups. Co-op holds four people and dies when the host closes the game. A dedicated server holds 32 by default and stays up, but a console can’t run one, and console players can only find it through the in-game Community server list, which means it has to be started as a community server. The existing walkthrough for setting up Xbox and PC crossplay step by step covers the server side in detail; the rest of this page tells you which side you need.

If your group includes PS5 players and needs the PC-host versus remote-host steps, see how to set up a server for PS5 friends.

If you are still choosing a shared world, see how Palworld multiplayer fits together for player limits, host availability, and who looks after the save. For the separate question of joining a public official world or setting up a private group world, read the official-versus-private Palworld server guide.

Understand why your invite code works for some friends and not others#

The invite code is the part of crossplay people fight with most, because the code itself is never the problem. It is a session key. What decides whether a given friend can use it is a short list of conditions on the host’s side and on theirs.

• Crossplay is off in the host’s World Settings. Before loading the world, select it and open Change World Settings, then enable Crossplay. Load the session and share its current invite code. The host controls this option.
• Multiplayer is off. A world created for solo play has Multiplayer switched off, and no code is generated at all. Both toggles have to be on.
• The world is full. Co-op is four players including the host. The fifth friend gets refused no matter what platform they are on.
• The code changed. A new code is generated every time the host starts the session. The one you pasted in Discord yesterday is dead today. Copy it from the pause menu after the world loads.
• The builds are incompatible. Check available updates and the relevant patch notice. Different version numbers alone do not prove incompatibility; some platform-specific hotfixes retain crossplay.
• A console friend has no online subscription. The PlayStation Store page says it plainly: PS Plus is required for online play. Xbox consoles follow the usual Xbox rule of an online subscription for multiplayer.

If all of that checks out and the join still fails, the problem is on the network side of the host, and that is the point where a lot of groups stop using co-op and move to a server, where the connection does not depend on one person’s home internet.

Check the four things that break crossplay on a server#

Once you are on a dedicated server the invite code disappears from the picture and a different set of switches takes over. When “crossplay isn’t working” on a server, it is one of these four.

1. The platform is not allowed by the server. PalWorldSettings.ini has one setting for this:

CrossplayPlatforms=(Steam,Xbox,PS5,Mac),

That is the default and it allows everyone. A host who trimmed it to (Steam) to keep a server PC-only has locked out every console. On a rented server this is a set of checkboxes in the panel; on your own machine it is that line, edited with the server stopped, applied on the next start. If a console friend is still refused after the edit, our free tool can check why your Palworld settings aren’t applying.

2. The server is not a community server. Steam and Mac players can connect by IP address and port. Xbox, Microsoft Store PC / PC Game Pass, and PS5 players use the Community server list. Pocketpair’s server overview establishes that distinction. Start the server with -publiclobby so it registers on the list, and keep a password if access is private. Check listing when those friends cannot find it; a successful Steam connection does not verify their route.

3. Version compatibility. Check the server and each client’s available updates, then read the relevant official patch announcement. Pocketpair’s July 2026 PC hotfix notices explicitly retained crossplay with other platform versions. Keep builds compatible and current, but do not diagnose an incompatible session solely from differing numbers or promise a fixed wait for another store.

4. Subscriptions and accounts. Online play on PS5 needs PS Plus. Xbox consoles need their online subscription. PC Game Pass and Steam need nothing extra. A console friend whose subscription lapsed last week will see the server and still fail to join.

Pick your route by group#

The right setup depends less on platforms than on how many of you there are and whether you play at the same time. Here is the honest version.

The last row is where crossplay groups usually end up, and it is worth being clear about why. A console can’t host a dedicated server. So a group of Xbox and PS5 players with one PC friend puts the whole world on that friend’s PC: it has to stay on, forward UDP 8211, run as a community server, and update in step with three stores. The only always-on option that doesn’t depend on that one PC is a dedicated server on a machine that isn’t anyone’s gaming rig, which is what a rented crossplay-ready Palworld server is: the platform checkboxes and the community listing are set from a panel, and the server keeps running when everyone logs off. If Xbox is the platform you need to support, our Xbox server hosting guide explains the separate choice between a PC friend and a rental. If you’d rather run it yourself, how to host a Palworld server for your friends walks through the PC route.

Know the platform details before you buy the game for a friend#

The matrix is true for every pairing, but each platform has a quirk worth knowing before someone spends money on a copy.

• Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One. Both versions join crossplay worlds and servers. They share the Xbox family with the Microsoft Store PC version, so Xbox and PC Game Pass players are the pairing least likely to hit version mismatch, since they update from the same store.
• PC Game Pass and the Microsoft Store. Same build as Xbox, installed on a PC. It joins Steam players fine. What it does not do is share saves with Steam: a Game Pass character is a separate character.

For the current subscription tiers and the difference between catalog access and cloud streaming, see whether Palworld is on Xbox Game Pass.

• PS5. Joins co-op with the invite code and joins servers from the Community list. PS Plus is required for online play. Dedicated server support for PS5 players arrived after the March 2025 update, so any guide that says PS5 can’t join servers is out of date.
• Mac. The macOS client supports crossplay and can join dedicated servers. Client support does not prove native server support: Pocketpair’s server requirements list Windows and Linux 64-bit operating systems.
• Steam Deck. It is the Steam version. It joins co-op and servers exactly like a Windows PC, by invite code or by IP and port.
• Nintendo Switch and Switch 2. No version exists and nothing has been announced as of September 2026. If that changes, this page will say so.

Set it up: five minutes for co-op, ten for a server#

For most groups the whole job is two toggles and a code.

1. Host: create or load the world and open World Settings

   From Start Game, select the world and open Change World Settings before loading it. This is the host’s menu; friends do not need to create their own worlds.

2. Turn on Multiplayer and Crossplay

   Set Multiplayer to on, then set Crossplay to on. Worlds created before the crossplay update may have Crossplay off by default, which is the single most common reason a code “doesn’t work for Xbox”.

3. Copy the invite code from the pause menu

   The code shows in the pause menu once the world is running. It changes every session, so send the fresh one each time you play.

4. Friends: Join Multiplayer Game (Invite Code)

   From the title screen they choose Join Multiplayer Game (Invite Code), paste the code and connect. Steam, Game Pass, Xbox, PS5 and Mac all use the same screen.

For a dedicated server, the crossplay part is three lines and one launch argument.

1. Allow the platforms

   Stop the server and open Pal/Saved/Config/WindowsServer/PalWorldSettings.ini (Linux: LinuxServer). Make sure the line reads CrossplayPlatforms=(Steam,Xbox,PS5,Mac), with a trailing comma; our Palworld server settings generator writes a complete file with this line in place. On a rented server, tick every platform in the panel instead.

2. Start it as a community server

   Add -publiclobby to the server’s launch arguments so it appears in the in-game Community server list. Set ServerName to something your friends will recognise and ServerPassword to keep the listing private in practice.

3. Tell each platform how to join

   Steam and Mac friends can use the server’s IP and port. Xbox, Microsoft Store PC / PC Game Pass, and PS5 friends open Community server, search your ServerName, and enter the password.

4. Keep versions aligned

   Check the patch’s compatibility notes, update the server and clients as needed, and test a join from each platform. Some hotfixes preserve compatibility across differing version numbers.

That is the whole of Palworld crossplay in 2026: it works everywhere, the co-op host has to switch it on, and consoles reach servers only through the community list. Pick the row in the group table that matches you and the rest follows.