How To Fix The Palworld Server Not Loading? Palworld is a unique single-player and multiplayer action-adventure survival game developed by Pocket Pair and released in 2022. In the game, you explore a vibrant island paradise inhabited by cute, pacifist creatures called Pals while also building bases and vehicles.
One of the most exciting parts of Palworld is the online multiplayer mode where you can interact and work with other players. However, sometimes you may encounter issues with connecting to the Palworld servers or the servers not loading at all.
This comprehensive guide will walk you through the top troubleshooting tips to try when facing the Palworld server not loading error. Follow the solutions below to identify and resolve the problem so you can get back to enjoying the quirky world of Palworld online.
1. Check for Updates
The first thing to try when dealing with any server connection issues in Palworld is to check for pending game or system updates. The developers often roll out patches to fix bugs and improve server performance.
So there could be a new game update available that resolves the loading error you have been facing.
Here are the steps to check for game updates in Palworld:
- Launch the Steam client on your PC
- Navigate to the Library tab and right-click on Palworld
- Select Properties and open the Updates tab
- Steam will automatically check and display any game updates that are available. Install them.
You also need to check that your Windows OS and graphics drivers are updated. Driver conflicts can sometimes interrupt connectivity.
Visit Windows Update and your GPU manufacturer’s website to install the latest updates. Restart your PC once installed to ensure any changes are reflected.
Staying updated with all critical system and software updates is key to fixing performance issues like the Palworld server failing to load.
2. Restart the Game and Steam
If there are no pending updates, the next simple fix is to restart both Palworld and the Steam client application. Rebooting clears any cached error data that could be preventing the servers from loading correctly.
Follow these steps:
- Close Palworld if it is running
- Right-click Steam’s icon in the system tray and select ‘Exit’
- Wait a few seconds and launch Steam again
- Load Palworld and try joining an online session
Restarting flushes DNS caches, refreshes network settings, and re-establishes connections. This allows you to sign in cleanly and could resolve the server loading issue immediately without troubleshooting further.
You can also try rebooting your wireless modem/router if playing over Wi-Fi. Or just reconnect by toggling Airplane mode on and off.
3. Forward Ports on Your Router
Another common reason for the Palworld server failing to load is restrictive network ports blocking connectivity. Palworld uses specific ports that need to be open in your router’s firewall for smooth data transmission.
Here are the steps to forward ports in your Wi-Fi router:
Step 1: Sign in to Your Router Admin Page
First, access your router admin page on your web browser. Usually, this will be through an IP address like 192.168.0.1
.
Consult your router documentation and sign in with admin credentials.
Step 2: Navigate to Port Forwarding Settings
The terminology can vary between router brands e.g. port forwarding, virtual servers, etc. But check the settings to find options related to managing network ports.
In most routers, it is under Advanced Settings or the Firewall tab.
Step 3: Add Palworld Ports
Now add the following port forwarding rules for Palworld:
- UDP 7777
- UDP 7778
- UDP 27015
- UDP 27016
Input these ports under single or range forwarding configurations. And apply them.
Save changes and restart your router once done. Reconnect devices to the network. This should open the ports for allowing better Palworld server access.
4. Join a Different Online Session
While atypical, sometimes connection issues to Palworld servers can come up if the current session you’re trying to load into has a poor ping, network congestion, or too many active players.
Before troubleshooting complex router configurations, try quickly joining a different online game session.
On the main menu, open the Matchmake tab listing available sessions you can join. Select one that displays decent latency and is not marked full on player capacity. Prefer sessions closer to your region as well for better connectivity.
See if entering another session allows the Palworld server to load correctly. If another game works fine, it likely indicates a temporary fault with the previous session rather than overall server problems on your side.
This quick check lets you identify and isolate the error before spending time on technical troubleshooting steps unnecessarily.
5. Enable UPnP / QoS Settings
Universal Plug and Play (UPnP) is a router capability that can automatically configure port forwarding and other network settings seamlessly for gaming traffic without manual intervention.
Enabling UPnP routes ports dynamically, reducing conflicts for heavy Palworld data. Similarly, Quality of Service (QoS) settings in a router prioritize game latency and packets ahead of other network usage for smoother connectivity.
Follow these steps to enable UPnP and QoS:
Step 1: Access Router Admin Page
First, log in to your Wi-Fi router admin dashboard. Consult router documentation for the default gateway IP and admin login credential.
Step 2: Enable UPnP Capability
Navigate to advanced router options and enable the Universal Plug and Play setting displayed as UPnP. This functionality goes by other names too like NAT-PMP.
Allowing UPnP auto-configures firewalls and opens necessary gaming ports without needing manual port forwarding.
Step 3: Configure QoS Rules
Under advanced settings, access Quality of Service or QoS configuration. Here create priority rules for your gaming platform’s IP address and Palworld gaming traffic:
- Enter your computer’s local IP address
- Set high priority for TCP and UDP ports 7777, 7778 27015 and 27016 used by Palworld.
This gives Palworld packets preferential bandwidth and latency compared to web browsing, video streaming, etc.
Save QoS rules and reconnect to your Wi-Fi network. Launch Palworld to see if the servers now load successfully without any interruptions or timeouts.
6. Testing Connectivity with Ping Plotter
If you have tried all troubleshooting tips above rigorously but the Palworld server keeps failing to load, the problems could be ISP level.
Your Internet Service Provider may be experiencing service issues like regional outages, routing problems, etc. impeding connectivity.
You can perform further network diagnostics with the PingPlotter tool to pinpoint the fault:
Step 1: Download PingPlotter
Get the free trial of PingPlotter from https://www.pingplotter.com/download
This is an advanced traceroute and ping utility for in-depth connectivity testing.
Step 2: Input Palworld Server IP
Add Palworld’s server IP address 104.128.48.106
as the target host in PingPlotter. This traces the route to test if all network hops to the server are responding optimally.
Step 3: Start Traceroute
Click Begin Traceroute. Pingplotter will now monitor real-time transmission metrics like packet loss, latency, disconnections across each network node to the Palworld server.
Let trace run for a few minutes or until server load timeout occurs. Check reported data for anomalies.
Step 4: Interpret Results
The pingplotter result can prove either of two outcomes:
- No packet loss: If ping traces show 0% packet loss through the route, then your ISP connectivity is likely not at fault. Instead, revisit game-specific solutions like updates, restarts covered earlier.
- High packet loss: However, if high packet loss above 50% is noticed sporadically on some nodes, this indicates regional ISP infrastructure issues. Contact your Internet provider’s customer support with traceroute proof to escalate. Meanwhile, try playing at later off-peak times until issues are stabilized.
PingPlotter diagnoses the scope of connectivity problems accurately – whether server-side or last-mile ISP. Contact PingPlotter technical support to learn how you can share traceroute reports with your game publisher as well.
7. Tweaking DNS Settings
The Domain Name System (DNS) maps domain names to corresponding IP addresses. Your PC uses DNS servers assigned by the ISP to resolve website and game server URLs into playable IP addresses seamlessly.
Sometimes these default DNS servers can run slow or get overloaded, unable to resolve Palworld servers correctly. This prevents connecting despite no deficits on your side.
Luckily, tweaking the primary and secondary DNS settings can redirect requests through faster alternatives for DNS lookup.
Follow these steps:
Step 1: Change DNS to Cloudflare or Google
Open Control Panel > Network & Internet > Network Connections. Right-click your active Wi-Fi network and access Properties.
Navigate to TCP/IPv4 settings and change preferred and alternate DNS servers to either:
Cloudflare DNS
- Primary DNS:
1.1.1.1
- Secondary DNS:
1.0.0.1
Google DNS
- Primary DNS:
8.8.8.8
- Secondary DNS:
8.8.4.4
Step 2: Flush DNS Cache
For changes to apply, clear your PC’s DNS cache so new DNS lookups can occur through updated settings.
Open Command Prompt as admin and run the command:
ipconfig /flushdns
Step 3: Reconnect & Test
Disconnect and reconnect to your home network to reroute connections through the new DNS.
Try loading Palworld servers again. Faster DNS response should be able to resolve game server IPs better, reducing lookup failures that cause loading errors.
If issues persist, repeat steps above choosing alternate public DNS servers like OpenDNS or Verisign. Using different DNS providers isolates and narrows troubleshooting further.
8. Contacting Palworld Support
If you still face the Palworld server failing to load after trying all standard troubleshooting steps thoroughly, it requires intervention from the developer. Reach out to Palworld customer support through the following channels:
- Support Email – Drop an email to support@palworld.com clearly describing your server connection issues and troubleshooting attempted already. The game makers monitor and respond to player emails about persistent technical problems.
- Submit Support Ticket – On the main menu, navigate to the Options tab > Support section. Fill game-related details like username, session ID, device information and use the in-game ticketing portal to send the connectivity problem. The developers can track and resolve based on logs.
- Community Forum – Visit the official Palworld GameForums website (https://forums.palworld.com) and search existing threads about server issues or post a new topic yourself. Interact with their community managers and playerbase for fixes, workarounds about loading problems.
- Social Media – Tweet to @PalworldGame or comment on their official Facebook page to highlight server connection issues instantly. Social media posts publicly highlight problems faster directly with the developers. React promptly with any troubleshooting advice received.
- Playtesting Opt-in – For advanced users, opt into Palworld playtesting from game settings. This grants early access to pre-release beta builds which may already have upcoming patches and network optimizations before public deployment. However, expect bugs in unfinished pre-update builds.
Proactively detailing the problem through these direct channels prompts the game makers to diagnose faults their end and roll out necessary hotfixes for players unable to connect due to loading errors.
9. Switching Internet Connection
After trying every software and network-related troubleshooting step covered in detail above to no avail, the Palworld server loading can fail due to problems at your Internet Service Provider’s end.
ISPs throttle bandwidth for peer-to-peer games during peak traffic hours. Temporary outages because of damaged cables or faulty regional infrastructure can also happen sporadically which affects gaming connectivity.
While you cannot fix these backend issues single-handedly, a simple workaround is switching the gateway connection being used:
Hotspot to Home Broadband
If already on Wi-Fi, connect smartphones or laptops via mobile hotspot to route traffic through cellular 4G/5G instead. Multiplayer games require very little data, so enables play until your fixed line broadband connectivity stabilizes.
Wired to Wireless
If already on wired ethernet, try the same router’s Wi-Fi or tether phone instead to evaluate where the ISP’s problem lies – wired ports or wireless delivery. Similarly, swap mobile data providers by inserting another carrier’s SIM card as a redundancy measure.
Use VPN
As an advanced option, use a reliable VPN service to channel all network traffic through an encrypted tunnel unchanged by your ISP’s restrictions. This grants unfettered connectivity via VPN servers to load Palworld ignoring last-mile service problems.
Switching the gateway connection type for Palworld diverges traffic through alternate paths. Once home broadband connectivity is restored, you can revert primary access back from 4G or VPN to wired ethernet fixed line which is cheaper long term.
10. Uninstalling and Reinstalling the Game
If all else fails, uninstalling Palworld completely and re-downloading game files afresh should reset any corrupted data or configuration conflicts preventing server connectivity in rare cases.
Follow step-by-step:
Backing Up Saves
First, backup valuable Palworld progress locally not to lose unlockables and rankings when deleting the game.
On Steam, right-click Palworld > Manage > Browse Local Files to open the game directory. Copy “Save Games” and “Palworld” folders to external storage before uninstalling.
Uninstalling Palworld
Then return to Steam, find Palworld in Library > right-click > Manage > Uninstall. Confirm when prompted.
Also delete any residual Palworld files left behind in Documents and program folders on your PC’s local storage through Windows Search. Clear cache.
Reinstalling Palworld
Download and reinstall Palworld’s latest version from Steam onto your system storage or SSD rather than external drives for best performance.
Restoring Saves
After installation completes, replace the backed up “Saves Game” and “Palworld” progress folders back into the newly set game directory. Allow permission overrides.
Launch Palworld again post-reinstallation to initialize settings and server connectivity afresh free of legacy issues persisted through outdated installations.
Reinstall forces a clean slate environment optimal for connecting successfully instead of a piecemeal fix. Download afresh directly through Steam rather than third parties like torrents which can contain malware.
Conclusion
Checking for software and network-level updates, restarting clients, port forwarding, switching ISPs temporarily or manipulating DNS settings covers the wide spectrum of fixes you can attempt independently to troubleshoot Palworld’s server failing to load errors before seeking developer assistance on priority.
Reach out to customer support through email tickets, community forums if game reinstallation still does not resolve server connection issues on your end on priority.
Staying calm and methodically working through these Palworld loading solutions step-by-step should identify and restore smooth gameplay access taking hardly 15-20 mins instead of being upset or panicking. We hope you can resolve PAL loading issues ASAP and enjoy the adorable Pal creature world seamlessly again!
FAQs
Why does restarting my router help connect to Palworld servers?
Restarting your wireless router resets the network connection, clears any cached errors, and renews the IP address & DNS settings. This cycle can fix transient network conflicts that were preventing Palworld connectivity.
How do I access my router admin dashboard to tweak settings?
To log in to the router admin panel, open the router IP address (usually 192.168.0.1 or 192.168.1.1) on your web browser. Consult router documentation for default admin user credentials like admin/password needed for access.
Should I enable UPnP or Port Forwarding on my router?
Enabling Universal Plug and Play (UPnP) capability automatically configures port forwarding and firewalls in your router for Palworld’s gaming traffic without any manual intervention, hence preferred. But you can directly port forward UDP 7777, 7778, 27015 & 27016 too.
Is a public DNS faster than my ISP default DNS?
Yes, public DNS services like Cloudflare, Google DNS, etc. route queries more efficiently through dedicated servers reducing lookup failures that trigger Palworld connectivity errors due to DNS timeouts/caching by ISP DNS.
How can mobile hotspot help Palworld connectivity vs Wi-Fi?
If your home broadband Wi-Fi faces frequent service outages, using a mobile hotspot bridges network traffic through cellular 4G/5G instead letting you play Palworld uninterruptedly until primary fixed line internet comes back online.
What details should I include in a support ticket to Palworld?
Critical information to specify in a Palworld support ticket includes full computer specs, your username, device details, game version, session ID of when error occurs, traceroute/evidence of network tests done, frequency of loading issues faced, troubleshooting attempted already before contacting for developer assistance.