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How much RAM does a Palworld server need?

Real Palworld server memory numbers for 2, 8 and 20 players, why usage climbs over time, and how to pick a plan without overpaying.

Difficulty
Easy
Time to do
5 min
Reading
3 min
Updated
By
Game Hosting team

You will need

  • Five minutes
  • An honest count of how many friends will actually show up

Official numbers say 16 GB, hosting companies sell 6 GB plans, and your friend swears his ran fine on a laptop. All three are telling the truth about different situations. Here is how Palworld actually uses memory so you can size a server for your group instead of for the worst case.

The short answer#

Your group Comfortable Notes
2 to 4 players, casual 6 GB Restart daily
5 to 10 players, active base building 8 GB Restart daily, watch Pal count
10 to 20 players, big shared base 12 to 16 GB Restart daily, consider capping Pals
20 to 32 players 16 GB or more You are running a community, not a squad

These are numbers we see on running servers, not a spec sheet. The single most important habit is in the third column, and it’s the same on every row. For your own group, our free Palworld server requirements tool sizes RAM by player count.

Where the memory goes#

Palworld’s server keeps the world’s state in memory: every base, every placed structure, every Pal assigned to a job, every item dropped on the ground. Three things drive usage:

  1. Players online at the same time. Each adds a chunk, but less than you’d think. Player count alone rarely decides RAM.
  2. Base size and working Pals. A base with 15 Pals hauling, mining and cooking is constantly simulating. Three bases like that are expensive. This is the real multiplier.
  3. Uptime. A freshly started server with a big world might sit at 5 GB. The same server after four days can be at 10 GB doing exactly the same work. Memory creeps upward over long sessions and a restart resets it.

The official requirements, in context#

Pocketpair’s dedicated server documentation recommends 16 GB of memory and notes that 32 GB is safer for stability during long sessions. Read that as: “a full 32-player server that you never restart.” It’s a conservative number for a scenario most friend groups never reach.

It is not wrong. It’s just answering a different question than “what do six friends need on weeknights.”

How to pick a plan without overpaying#

  • Start one size smaller than you think. Moving up a plan is quick on any decent host. Paying for 16 GB while five people use 4 is the common mistake.
  • Schedule a daily restart at whatever hour nobody plays. This alone removes most “we need more RAM” moments.
  • Cap the working Pals per base if the group loves automation. Settings like BaseCampWorkerMaxNum in the server config directly trade convenience for headroom; our Palworld server settings generator explains each limit before you change it.
  • Ask what “8 GB” means on the plan. On a serious host it means 8 GB reserved for your container. On a bargain host it can mean a shared machine where forty servers fight over the same memory in the evening. Same number, very different night.

What about CPU?#

Memory decides whether the server fits. CPU decides whether the world feels smooth. Palworld’s simulation leans on a single fast core, so a modern CPU with high single-thread performance beats an old server chip with more cores. Ask your host what the machine runs on; “dedicated hardware” should come with a model number.

Our take#

For most squads, 8 GB with a nightly restart is the sweet spot. Start there, watch the graph for a week, and move up only if it tells you to. That’s exactly how our plans are laid out, and why the smallest one exists.

Quest complete

Before you invite your friends, check that the intended world loaded and that each player can connect. If those checks pass, you're ready for a session; if you'd rather not keep a PC on, that's what we're here for.

Quick answers

Is 8 GB enough for a Palworld server?

For a group of up to about 8 players with regular restarts, yes. Big bases, many Pals working, and long uptime push it higher.

Why does my Palworld server use more RAM every day?

The server accumulates memory over a long session. A scheduled daily restart is the standard fix and takes a few seconds of downtime.

Does more RAM make the server faster?

Only if you were running out. Once there is enough headroom, extra RAM does nothing. Single-core CPU speed is what keeps the world smooth.

What do the official requirements say?

Pocketpair lists 16 GB as recommended and 32 GB for stability over long sessions. Those numbers assume a full server left running for days.

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