How to Enable Crossplay on Your Palworld Server (Steam, Xbox, PS5)
Palworld v0.5.0 added full crossplay between Steam, Xbox, PlayStation 5, and Mac. Here's how to enable it on your server and make sure console players can actually find it.
What Crossplay Enables
As of Palworld v0.5.0 (released March 2025), players on the following platforms can share the same server:
- Steam (PC) — direct connect by IP or community server browser
- Xbox — Xbox console and PC Game Pass client, community server browser only
- PlayStation 5 — community server browser only
- Mac — Steam on Mac, direct connect or community server browser
The key thing to understand about console players: Xbox and PS5 players cannot type in a direct IP address. They can only find servers through the in-game community server browser. For your server to appear there, you need to register it with Palworld's public server list using the -publiclobby startup flag — more on that in a moment.
Requirements
- Your server must be running Palworld v0.5.0 or later. You can check your server version in the control panel. If you're behind, see How to Update Your Palworld Server.
bUseAuth=Truemust be set in your configuration (it's the default — don't change it).
Step-by-Step Setup
Step 1 — Stop your server
Always stop the server before editing configuration files. Palworld overwrites PalWorldSettings.ini on shutdown, and any changes made to a running server will be lost.
Step 2 — Open PalWorldSettings.ini
In your control panel, open the file manager and navigate to:
Pal/Saved/Config/LinuxServer/PalWorldSettings.ini
Step 3 — Add the crossplay setting
Inside the OptionSettings=(...) block under [/Script/Pal.PalGameWorldSettings], add or verify the following:
[/Script/Pal.PalGameWorldSettings]
OptionSettings=(...,CrossplayPlatforms=(Steam,Xbox,PS5,Mac),bUseAuth=True,...)
CrossplayPlatforms takes a comma-separated list of platform names inside its own parentheses. The valid values are Steam, Xbox, PS5, and Mac. Include only the platforms you want to allow. The names are case-sensitive — ps5 won't work, it must be PS5.
bUseAuth=True is required for crossplay authentication to function. Do not set it to False.
Step 4 — Add -publiclobby to your startup parameters
This is the step people most often miss. Without it, console players cannot find your server.
In your control panel, locate the startup arguments or command line section for your server. Add -publiclobby to the existing startup parameters. It typically looks something like this after adding it:
./PalServer.sh -port=8211 -players=32 -publiclobby
The exact location of this setting varies by control panel — look for "Startup Parameters," "Command Line," or "Launch Arguments." Once set, this flag registers your server with the Palworld public server list each time the server starts.
Step 5 — Save and start your server
Save your changes to PalWorldSettings.ini, then start the server from the control panel. After the server finishes loading, it will take a few minutes to appear in the community browser. This is normal — give it 3–5 minutes before testing.
Platform-by-Platform Notes
Steam (PC)
Steam players have the most flexibility. They can connect directly using your server's IP address and port (format: 123.45.67.89:8211), or they can find your server through the in-game community browser. Direct connect is usually faster and more reliable. See How to Connect to Your Palworld Server for the full walkthrough.
Xbox (Console & Game Pass PC)
Xbox players use the Xbox/Game Pass version of Palworld. They access multiplayer through the in-game community server browser — there is no option to type in an IP directly. Your server must have -publiclobby set for them to find it.
PlayStation 5
PS5 support was added in v0.5.0. Like Xbox, PS5 players use the community server browser exclusively and cannot direct connect. -publiclobby is mandatory if you want PS5 players on your server.
Mac (Steam)
Mac players use the Steam client on macOS. They have the same options as Steam PC players — direct connect by IP or the community browser.
Restricting Crossplay to Specific Platforms
You don't have to allow all platforms. Just include the ones you want in CrossplayPlatforms:
Steam and Xbox only (no PS5 or Mac):
CrossplayPlatforms=(Steam,Xbox)
Steam only (effectively disables crossplay):
CrossplayPlatforms=(Steam)
If you're going Steam-only, you can also remove -publiclobby from your startup parameters — that flag is really only needed when console players need to find you through the browser.
Troubleshooting
Console players can't find the server in the browser
This is almost always a missing or incorrectly set -publiclobby flag. Double-check:
- The flag is in your startup parameters (not in the INI file)
- The server has fully finished starting up — wait at least 5 minutes after start before testing
- Your server is running v0.5.0 or later
If it was already set, try removing it, saving, restarting, then re-adding it and restarting again to force a fresh registration.
Authentication errors when joining
bUseAuth must be True. If you or a previous admin set it to False, crossplay will not work. Set it back to True and restart the server.
Only some platforms can see the server
Check the spelling in CrossplayPlatforms carefully. The values are case-sensitive: Steam, Xbox, PS5, Mac. A typo like ps5 or XBOX will silently exclude that platform.
Server shows up in the browser but players can't connect
This is usually a firewall or port issue rather than a crossplay configuration issue. Make sure UDP port 8211 (or whichever port you're using) is open. See Palworld Common Connection Issues for a full diagnostic guide.
Mixed version errors
All players must be on a game version that supports crossplay (v0.5.0+). If a player's client is out of date, they'll get a version mismatch error. The fix is for them to update their game client — you can't change this on the server side.