UE4SS Palworld Server: Install It on a Dedicated Server

UE4SS Palworld setup depends on the mod and server build: Pocketpair documents its official Workshop route for eligible packages on the Windows dedicated-server edition. The manual Palworld-specific RE-UE4SS procedure in this guide also targets a Windows server executable. Those routes have different files and activation rules. Other native Linux or compatibility-layer projects need separate evidence and are outside this guide. See the official server-mod workflow for managed packages. Current release notes do not establish compatibility with every Palworld patch, so check the exact game and mod versions before you put your main world at risk.

Choose the manual UE4SS route for Palworld#

Use the manual route only when the mod author provides UE4SS instructions for Palworld and the server edition you run. If the mod is distributed as an eligible Steam Workshop package, Pocketpair’s managed workflow installs it and places its managed UE4SS files under Mods/NativeMods/UE4SS; follow the server mods guide for that route. Do not copy a manual loader over the managed files or install the same loader twice.

Route	Where the loader comes from	Who owns its files	Use it when
Official Workshop	Pocketpair’s server mod deployment	Palworld creates managed folders after restart	The mod is published as a Workshop package and its Info.json marks it for server use
Manual UE4SS	The current Palworld-specific RE-UE4SS release and mod author	You manage the loader and mod files beside the server executable	The mod author documents a manual UE4SS install for your server build

Pocketpair’s v1.0.4 server-mod guide says its official server-mod route currently applies to the Windows dedicated-server edition. A host’s “mods supported” label or SFTP access does not change the server executable or establish that a Linux build supports this Windows procedure. Game Hosting’s Palworld service runs Linux, so this guide does not apply there. Check the general mod upload guide for the questions to ask a host before you upload anything.

Check the Palworld and mod versions first#

There is no single UE4SS download that this guide can promise for every Palworld version. Start with the mod’s own current instructions, then compare the required game build and loader version with the Palworld-specific RE-UE4SS releases. Use the Palworld build intended for playing; the project labels its separate _zDev archive for development. Do not choose an archive just because its filename contains “latest.”

The latest Palworld-specific release available during this research was published on September 3, 2026. Pocketpair’s server-mod documentation is labeled v1.0.4, published September 6. The release page does not name v1.0.4 as a supported game build, so those dates do not prove compatibility. Recheck the release notes and the mod author’s issue or compatibility page when you install; a newer game patch can change the engine in ways the loader or mod has not handled yet.

Find the Windows server executable folder#

Install UE4SS beside the Palworld server executable, not in the client’s game folder. The Palworld Modding Docs server guide describes the Windows server executable under Pal/Binaries/Win64; the actual root can differ between Steam’s tool install and a provider’s image. Locate the server executable first, then confirm that the folder is the one the server start command uses. Pocketpair’s dedicated-server requirements list Windows and Linux server options, so do not assume this Windows path describes a Linux install.

1. Stop the server

   Stop the Palworld process from its console or host panel and wait until the process has exited. Copy the world save and current server configuration to a separate location before changing loader files.

2. Open the server binary directory

   Browse from the dedicated-server install root into Pal/Binaries/Win64. Look for the Windows server executable in that directory. If your provider shows only a game root or a file manager view, ask for the actual Windows server path before uploading.

3. Keep the client and server paths separate

   Do not use the Steam client’s Palworld/Pal/Binaries/Win64 folder as evidence of the server path. The client and dedicated server can have similarly named folders but different files and launch options.

If the server host cannot confirm that it runs the Windows dedicated-server edition or cannot expose the loader’s target folder, stop here. File transfer is only one requirement; the image itself must support this mod route. The Palworld server options guide explains how to check the server OS and mod type before you choose an installation method.

Copy the manual loader beside the server executable#

Download the Palworld-specific playing archive linked by the RE-UE4SS project, not its development archive. Read the release note before extraction. The project warns against combining a Workshop-managed copy with a manual install because running both can crash the game.

1. Extract the playing archive

   Unzip the loader package locally. Keep its ue4ss folder and dwmapi.dll in the structure supplied by that release. Do not flatten the folders or copy only the DLL; UE4SS also reads its settings and support files from its own directory.

2. Copy files to the server binary folder

   Upload the package contents beside the Windows server executable in Pal/Binaries/Win64. If the archive or the mod’s instructions include an additional layout file, preserve it in the exact location they specify. Provider layouts vary, so compare the uploaded tree with the archive before starting.

3. Check for duplicate installs

   Inspect the Workshop-managed area and the manual executable folder. Keep one route for the loader. If the server already has a managed UE4SS install under Mods/NativeMods/UE4SS, remove nothing blindly; follow the mod author’s migration steps or test on a copy first.

A “file uploaded” message only proves that the transfer completed. Check that dwmapi.dll and the ue4ss folder sit next to the executable, with the original subfolders intact. If your host’s file browser cannot preserve that layout, use its documented SFTP workflow or choose another supported installation path. For a rented server, the broader mod upload checklist covers backups, access and reinstall questions.

Keep UE4SS headless and follow the mod’s enable instructions#

Open the UE4SS-settings.ini that came with the loader you installed. Use that file as the source of truth for available settings: non-development builds have changed their defaults over time, and old guides may show debug-console values that no longer match the current package. For a server without a desktop, confirm that the debug GUI console is disabled; do not paste a full settings file from another release.

Then read the specific mod’s current README. UE4SS packages can use different folders or enable files, so there is no safe universal line to add to Palworld’s default mods.txt or mods.json. Pocketpair’s Info.json and ActiveModList values belong to the managed Workshop route; they are not a generic switch for manual UE4SS mods. Keep a note of every file you change so you can undo only those changes if the loader fails.

If the mod does not document dedicated-server support, do not infer it from a client install guide. Some mods require matching client files; others are server-side. The mod’s author is the source for that requirement. Console players cannot install Windows client files, so a client-only or both-sides dependency can exclude them even when the server loads.

Read a fresh UE4SS log before testing the mod#

Start the server once after you copy the files, then wait for initialization to finish. Inspect the new ue4ss/UE4SS.log under the loader folder for startup messages and errors. The UE4SS settings template and project changelog explain the loader’s configuration and changes; use the file bundled with your selected release when they differ.

A newly written log with loader initialization means UE4SS ran far enough to start logging. It does not prove that the target mod loaded, that its behavior is correct, or that a player can join. If there is no fresh log, recheck the Windows executable path, the dwmapi.dll placement, the ue4ss folder and the host’s startup log. If the log reports an error, save a copy before changing files so you can compare it with the mod’s issue tracker.

Once the loader starts cleanly, test the specific behavior the mod promises on a disposable world. Check its documented server/client requirements and use a compatible client. Only after that check should you repeat the change on the world your group uses. A successful server boot is not a compatibility test for every mod or every Palworld patch.

Update or roll back without risking the only world#

Before a Palworld, UE4SS or mod update, stop the server and create a fresh backup of the world plus the loader and mod configuration. Check the new release notes for the exact game build and ask whether the mod author supports the updated loader. Do not update the game and loader together when you have no clean rollback point; changing one thing at a time makes a failure easier to diagnose. For the game-server update order across Steam, SteamCMD, and Docker, see the Palworld patch-day checklist.

If the server stops starting, restore the last known-good files and world copy together. If only the loader changed, remove or replace only the manual UE4SS files you recorded during installation; do not delete a managed Workshop folder or default Palworld Mods file based on an old guide. The Palworld server mods map separates Workshop, manual and client-side questions, while the rented-server mod guide covers provider-side upload and recovery checks.

A working UE4SS.log is a useful first check, not a promise that a specific mod survives the next game patch. Keep your backup until the group has joined and you have confirmed the mod’s intended behavior in the copied world.

Quick answers

How do you install UE4SS on a Palworld dedicated server?

For a manually installed mod, use a compatible Palworld-specific RE-UE4SS package beside the Windows server executable, following that release and the mod author. Workshop packages use Pocketpair’s separate managed route.

Which UE4SS version works with Palworld?

There is no verified universal version for every Palworld patch. Check the current RE-UE4SS release and the specific mod author’s supported game and loader versions before installing.

Does UE4SS work on a Linux Palworld server?

Pocketpair’s current server-mod documentation limits its official server-mod route to the Windows dedicated-server edition. Native Linux ports or Windows-under-Proton setups are separate routes and need their own compatibility evidence; this Windows procedure does not establish either one.

How do I know if UE4SS is working?

A fresh UE4SS.log with loader initialization and no startup error is evidence that the loader ran; it does not prove that your chosen mod works in the world.