Palworld SteamCMD: How to Install and Update the Server

Yes: a Palworld SteamCMD install can download the Dedicated Server without signing in to a Steam account. Pocketpair’s command uses the server’s App ID, 2394010, and an anonymous login. This is useful on a headless box, VPS, or second PC where you want a repeatable command instead of the Steam client. Here you’ll find the official Windows and Linux paths, where the files go, and how to repeat the command before an update. For the wider choice of ways to run a Palworld dedicated server, start with the route overview.

Choose the Palworld SteamCMD route for headless installs#

SteamCMD is the command-line route for downloading the same dedicated-server tool that is also available in the Steam Library. Choose it when the machine has no desktop session, you want to script downloads, or you already administer the operating system from a terminal. It does not keep the game server running after the command exits; it installs or updates files. The server process, machine uptime, saves, and network access are separate jobs.

The two routes install the Palworld Dedicated Server tool. SteamCMD is not a separate server edition, and using an anonymous download does not mean each player can play without access to Palworld on their own platform. If you want the clickable route, use the Steam Library tool walkthrough. If you are deciding where to run the world, the dedicated-server overview compares the bigger choices without treating this command as the whole setup.

Install SteamCMD for Windows or Linux#

Install SteamCMD for your operating system before asking it for the Palworld app. Pocketpair’s official deployment guide lists Windows with SteamCMD and Linux with SteamCMD as supported routes, then sends readers to Valve’s SteamCMD instructions. For Linux, Pocketpair says to follow the instructions for your distribution; there is no single package command in its Palworld guide.

1. Follow Valve's instructions for your operating system

   Use Valve’s SteamCMD page to install the command-line tool. Keep the folder where you put SteamCMD easy to identify; Pocketpair’s default PalServer locations are relative to that SteamCMD install context. On Linux, package names and install steps depend on the distribution. If you need the full Ubuntu 24.04 install, the Linux server walkthrough has the specific packages and tested install location.

2. Open the shell where SteamCMD is available

   On Windows, open Command Prompt or PowerShell with access to steamcmd. On Linux, use the shell and executable created by your distribution’s or Valve’s install steps. If the command is not found, check the directory and command name from those install instructions before troubleshooting Palworld: the dedicated-server app has not been requested yet.

You do not need to install the full Palworld game client just to use the documented anonymous download command. The dedicated server tool is a separate Steam app, and the install command below asks for that app specifically. Keep SteamCMD’s own folder distinct from any manually chosen server folder so you can tell which files you are updating.

Download App ID 2394010 anonymously#

Run Pocketpair’s exact command from a shell where SteamCMD is available:

steamcmd +login anonymous +app_update 2394010 validate +quit

The command requests the Palworld Dedicated Server app and then exits SteamCMD. Its pieces are:

This is the server download, not a test that another player can join. It also does not give players a game license. The official deployment instructions show the same app ID and command for Windows with SteamCMD and Linux with SteamCMD.

Find the PalServer folder SteamCMD created#

Check the folder after SteamCMD finishes before starting a second copy of the server. Pocketpair gives these default locations when SteamCMD uses its normal install context:

The Windows path is relative to the SteamCMD installation directory. On Linux, Pocketpair says the folder is usually under the user’s home directory, but a custom SteamCMD install directory changes where you should look. If you selected a different location, record that exact path now and keep it for future updates. Do not assume the game client library and a separately installed SteamCMD copy point at the same server files.

1. Check the default folder for your platform

   On Windows, inspect steamapps\common\PalServer below the SteamCMD directory. On Linux, inspect ~/Steam/steamapps/common/PalServer unless your install steps selected another location. You should see the platform’s server launcher named in the table.

2. Use the full server path in the next setup guide

   The launcher only starts the server process. It does not configure a community listing, edit the active settings file, open a firewall, or prove an outside connection. Continue with the Windows setup guide or the Ubuntu setup guide for those OS-specific steps.

If the folder is missing, first check the output from SteamCMD and the install context you used. A common mistake is looking in the Steam game library while SteamCMD put its files under a different directory. Re-running the command from another SteamCMD copy can create a second install instead of updating the one you intended.

Repeat the command for a controlled update#

SteamCMD can run the same documented app command again to request the server files. Before doing that on an existing world, stop the server cleanly and keep a separate copy of its Pal/Saved folder outside the install directory. Then run the command from the same SteamCMD install context used the first time. That matters because a default install uses the context’s usual folder, while a custom install may live somewhere else.

For a manual Windows reminder, save this as a .bat file in a folder where the steamcmd command is available:

@echo off
steamcmd +login anonymous +app_update 2394010 validate +quit
if errorlevel 1 exit /b 1

For Linux, save this as a .sh file and make it executable after checking that steamcmd resolves in the shell you use to run it:

#!/usr/bin/env bash
set -euo pipefail
steamcmd +login anonymous +app_update 2394010 validate +quit

These wrappers request files and return an error status when the command fails; they do not stop or restart PalServer, create a save backup, or confirm a successful player connection. Schedule them only after you decide how your host will stop the process and preserve the world. For the install, stop, and update sequence on Linux, use the full Ubuntu procedure; the Windows walkthrough owns the larger Windows setup.

Use only a Palworld branch Pocketpair names#

Pocketpair’s current deployment guide documents the default server download command but does not name an experimental or beta branch. Do not copy a branch name such as experimental from a different Steam app or an old community post and assume Palworld Dedicated Server exposes it. For a normal server, use the documented default route.

If Pocketpair announces a server test branch later, check that announcement and the app’s current branch list for its exact name and any access requirements before changing your install. Valve’s SteamCMD page could not be fetched during this research, and the official Palworld guide gives no beta flag syntax, so this article does not invent a -beta command or a return-to-default command. Until you can verify both a branch name and the official command to select it, do not add a branch override; keep the documented default command.

This keeps a routine update from pulling a build that your group did not intend to test. The official Palworld announcements are the place to check for a server-specific change; a client patch notice alone is not a branch instruction.

Keep validate separate from save recovery#

Pocketpair includes validate in its documented SteamCMD download command. This guide has not run a Palworld-specific validation repair, so it does not promise that the option will recover a world, reverse an update, or restore a missing save. Keep a separate copy of Pal/Saved before updates and keep that copy outside the folder SteamCMD manages.

If SteamCMD reports an error, save the exact output and confirm that you are running the expected SteamCMD executable and install context. If the command exits successfully but the server does not start, the problem has moved beyond file download; use the platform-specific setup steps rather than repeating validate against a different installation. For the full set of self-hosted routes and their ongoing responsibilities, return to the Palworld dedicated-server overview.\n