A Palworld dedicated server needs one port for players: the game port, over UDP. It also has an RCON port and a REST API port for admin tools, which the panel uses for you. On PlayNHost the game port and the RCON port are assigned and open to the internet, and the REST API stays inside your server. Players only need the address on the Play with friends card.
Which ports does a Palworld server use?
| Port | Protocol | Pocketpair's default | On your PlayNHost server | Where you see it |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Game port: players connect here | UDP | 8211 | The Primary port | Address on the Play with friends card, and Ports & Network |
| RCON port: remote admin commands | Pocketpair does not say; your port accepts TCP and UDP | 25575 | A port of its own | The second row under All ports |
| REST API port: the panel's player list and actions | HTTP | Pocketpair's guide gives no number | Inside your server only, not open to the internet | Nowhere, nothing to set |
Pocketpair's server requirements list one network port: "UDP Port 8211 (Default, Changeable)". Their official Docker example publishes only that port, over UDP. Pocketpair's guide has no separate query port: a server joins the in-game Community server list when it starts with -publiclobby, and yours always does.
Pocketpair says RCON and the REST API "are not designed to be exposed directly to the Internet" and recommends using them "within the LAN". Their RCON page for version 1.0.4 also marks RCON as deprecated: "RCON is scheduled to stop functioning in an upcoming update." What that means on PlayNHost is under "What do RCON and the REST API do on PlayNHost?" below.
Why is my Palworld port usually not 8211?
Each PlayNHost server gets its own ports from the machine it runs on, so many servers can share one IP address. 8211 and 25575 are Pocketpair's numbers for a server you run yourself. Your server's numbers are usually different, so always give players the address the panel shows, never a number from a guide for home servers.
The panel passes your game port twice every time the server starts: with -port, the port Palworld listens on, and with -publicport, which Pocketpair describes as a setting for community servers that "does not change the port number itself that the server uses for listening". Both get the number the panel shows.
You cannot change these ports. Before every start, the panel also writes PublicPort, RCONPort and RESTAPIPort into PalWorldSettings.ini, so an edit to those lines is replaced at the next start.
Where do I find the address and ports in the panel?
- Open your server in the panel. On the Overview page, find the Play with friends card and click the copy icon next to Address. It is the IP and the game port together, for example
203.0.113.10:25600. - For the full list, click Ports & Network in the left menu. Give this to your players shows the same address with a copy button.
- Look under All ports. The port with the Primary badge, described as The port players connect to, is the game port. The other row is the port the panel gave to RCON.
- To label the RCON row, open the ... menu at the end of it, choose Rename, type a Description such as
RCON, and click Save Changes. The row now shows your description instead of No description.
The Server Address row on the server card of the Overview page holds the same address as Play with friends.
How do players connect to a Palworld server on PlayNHost?
Players choose Join Multiplayer Game in Palworld, paste the address with its port into the box at the bottom of the server list, and press Connect. They can also find your server under Community server by its Server Name. They never type the RCON port. The full steps are in How to join your Palworld server.
Do I need to open ports on my router or firewall?
No. The machine your Palworld server runs on accepts connections from the internet on the ports the panel gives to servers, for both TCP and UDP, and your game port is one of them. The panel says so under All ports: Every port accepts TCP and UDP. Your players' home routers let outgoing connections through, so they do not open anything either.
The port forwarding in Pocketpair's guide is for a server you run at home behind your own router. With a hosted server it is not your job.
What does the firewall not allow?
Only the ports listed under All ports reach your server from outside. The REST API is not one of them on purpose: the panel reaches it from inside your server. The RCON port is one of them, so it can be reached from the internet like the game port. If your plan includes extra ports, All ports shows Add a port, and the machine picks the number. If the button is not there, your plan includes no extra ports: open a ticket and say what needs one.
Can I change which port is the primary, or remove one?
Keep the game port as Primary, and leave both ports in place. Make primary in a row's ... menu moves only the game port: the panel would still start RCON on its old number, which would then be the game port's number too.
The menu can also offer Remove port on the RCON row. Do not use it: Palworld would still be started with RCON on that number, and a removed port goes back to the machine, where another server can get it.
What do RCON and the REST API do on PlayNHost?
You do not need an RCON tool. The panel's Console sends each line you type to Palworld over RCON, from inside your server, signed with your Admin Password. The Stop button, announcements with spaces, and the Active players card with its kick, ban and unban use the REST API, also from inside your server. Commands are in How to use the Console on your Palworld server and admin rights in How to become admin on your Palworld server.
Unlike the REST API, the RCON port is one of your server's ports, so it is open to the internet, and the only thing that guards it is your Admin Password. Pocketpair advises against exposing RCON to the internet, so:
- Use the panel's Console for commands, not an RCON tool on your own computer.
- Keep a long Admin Password. A new server starts with a random 16-character one. If you change it, do not make it shorter or easy to guess.
- Share the Admin Password only with people you trust: in-game admins type the same password, and anyone who has it can also send commands over RCON.
Common Palworld port problems and fixes
My Palworld server is not in the Community server list
There is nothing to open: your server registers itself at every start. Wait until the Console shows Running Palworld dedicated server on, then search for the Server Name from Game Settings. Players on Steam and PC can join by address in the meantime. More checks are in Your Palworld server does not show in the community server list.
A friend cannot connect with the address
- Copy the address again from Play with friends, with its port. The RCON port never works for joining.
- Check that the badge says Online and that the Console shows
Running Palworld dedicated server on. - School, work and public networks can block game ports. Ask the player to try another network.
Version, password, crossplay, whitelist and ban causes are in Players cannot join your Palworld server.
Console commands or the Active players card get no answer
This is not a firewall problem: the panel talks to Palworld from inside your server. Palworld answers once the Console shows [playnhost] Palworld is answering: the server is ready. The causes are in Console commands do nothing on your Palworld server and The Active players card says No answer from the server on Palworld.
Good to know
- Every setting is listed in Palworld server settings: every option explained, and other errors are in Palworld server problems and fixes.
- Moving from another host changes the address. Send players the new address from Play with friends: How to move your existing server to PlayNHost.
- The Ports & Network page itself is explained in How to find your server's ports and IP address.
