Since Palworld's v0.5.0 update, Steam, Xbox, PS5, and Mac players can all play together on the same dedicated server. This guide covers confirming your crossplay setting and what to know about each platform, including one important distinction that trips a lot of server owners up.
Dedicated Servers vs. Community Servers
Palworld players connect to your server in one of two ways, and which one your friends use depends entirely on their platform:
- Direct Connect (Steam & Mac): Players enter your server's IP address and port directly. Fast, reliable, and doesn't depend on your server appearing in any list.
- Community Servers (Xbox & PS5): Console versions of Palworld have no way to enter an IP address at all. Xbox and PS5 players can only find and join servers that show up in the in-game Community Servers browser.
In other words, it's not enough for your server to just be online — for Xbox and PS5 friends specifically, it also needs to be registered and visible in that in-game list.
Step 1: Confirm Your Crossplay Setting
Palworld servers use a setting called CrossplayPlatforms in PalWorldSettings.ini to control which platforms are allowed to connect. By default, it includes all four:
If you only want to allow certain platforms, remove the ones you don't want from that list. Otherwise, you shouldn't need to touch this setting at all — just confirm it's still set to all four if you're troubleshooting a friend who can't connect.
🚀 Launch Your Unlimited RAM Game Server — Just $9.99/mo!Step 2: Make Sure Your Server Is Discoverable On Console
This is the step that matters specifically for Xbox and PS5 players. Your server needs to be registered as a Community Server for it to appear in their in-game browser. On MintServers, this is something we handle on our end rather than a setting you configure yourself.
If your Xbox or PS5 friends can't find your server after checking the tips below, get in touch with support and we'll confirm Community Server registration is active for your specific instance.
🛠️ Troubleshooting Crossplay Issues
Xbox/PS5 friend can't find the server:Give your server a distinctiveServerNameand have them search that exact name in the Community Servers tab rather than scrolling, since the in-game browser only shows a limited number of results at a time."Incompatible version" error:The server and client are on different Palworld versions. Restart your server to pick up the latest update, since console updates sometimes land a day or two after PC.Players connected but can't see each other:Palworld servers can host more than one world. Double-check everyone joined the same one.One platform missing entirely:Check thatCrossplayPlatformsin yourPalWorldSettings.inistill includes that platform.
If you run into anything crossplay-related that these steps don't cover, no worries! Just open a support ticket and our team will be happy to help you get everyone connected.