Palgorithm
Palworld dedicated server saves: where they live and how to read them
A dedicated server keeps the world save on the host, not on your PC. Palgorithm can read it from there, so your palbox, bases and breeding plans stay live while your world runs, but live sync only works when the host has a real API. Here's where the save lives, how to get it off each host, and the honest state of play on hosting.
DatHost Palworld servers: one-click connect and live sync
DatHost publishes a proper API, which is why they're the host Palgorithm supports with one-click connect and live auto-sync — connect once and the site re-pulls your save every few minutes while the tab's open, firing hatch and catch alerts as things happen on the server. No FTP, no file downloads, no faff. Palworld servers need a fair chunk of RAM (8–16 GB for a busy world), so pick a plan accordingly.
Get a Palworld server at DatHost →
Disclosure: that's an affiliate link — it supports Palgorithm at no cost to you. DatHost is recommended because its API is what makes live sync possible, not because of the commission. If you already have a server elsewhere, everything below still works.
Hosts without an API (still fine, just manual)
Shockbyte moved to their own panel and don't publish an API, so file access is their
web file manager or SFTP. Palgorithm has a guided flow: grab Level.sav,
LevelMeta.sav and the Players folder from
Pal/Saved/SaveGames/0/<world folder>/ and drop them in — takes about 30
seconds per update.
Any host with FTP/SFTP works the same way — those save paths belong to the game, not the host, so the generic guided option in the connect box covers everyone from self-hosted boxes to the small panel hosts.
Nitrado Palworld saves: the console route
Nitrado is the big host covering PS5 and Xbox crossplay Palworld servers — and a dedicated server is the only way console players get save access at all (Sony and Microsoft don't let anything read console saves, but a crossplay server's world lives on the server, which Palgorithm can read). Nitrado publishes a file API and a one-click sync connector is in development; until it lands, the guided FTP setup works today.
Get a Palworld server at Nitrado →
Disclosure: also an affiliate link, same deal — supports Palgorithm at no cost to you, recommended because they're the host that covers console players.
Other hosts
If your host has an API you'd like supported, use the feedback button on the site and name it; connectors get built in the order people ask.
Dedicated server save FAQ
Where is the save file on a Palworld dedicated server?
In the server's game folder under Pal/Saved/SaveGames/0/<world id>/.
The world id is a long hex folder name. Inside it, Level.sav is the world (every Pal
in every box, bases, guilds), LevelMeta.sav is the world name and settings, and
Players/ holds one <player id>.sav per person plus, since 1.0,
one <player id>_dps.sav for their Dimensional Pal Storage. On a Windows
PalServer install the full path starts PalServer\Pal\Saved\SaveGames\0\; on Linux
it is the same path under the PalServer folder in steamapps. Hosts put that folder behind a file
manager or FTP, the layout is identical everywhere because it belongs to the game, not the host.
How do I get my Palworld save off DatHost?
You don't have to download anything. On Palgorithm's Home page choose "Play on a
dedicated server", pick DatHost, sign in with your DatHost account or a subuser (Account →
Subusers, recommended) and pick the server. Palgorithm reads the save through DatHost's API and
keeps it live with auto-sync. If you'd rather have the files, DatHost's file manager shows the
same Pal/Saved/SaveGames/0/ folder and you can drop them onto the Home page.
How do I get my Palworld save off Nitrado?
Open the server in the Nitrado web interface, go to the file browser (or use FTP with the
details on the same page) and find Pal/Saved/SaveGames/0/<world id>/.
Download Level.sav, LevelMeta.sav and the whole Players
folder, then drop them onto Palgorithm's Home page. This is also the only way console players
get at their Pals: PS5 and Xbox saves cannot be read, but a crossplay server's world lives on the
server, and that file can. A one-click Nitrado connector is in development.
How do I get my Palworld save off Shockbyte or another FTP host?
Same files, same folder. Use the host's Files tab or connect with FileZilla using the
SFTP or FTP details from the panel, open Pal/Saved/SaveGames/0/, then the world
folder, and download Level.sav, LevelMeta.sav and the
Players folder. Keep the Players folder intact so per-player Paldeck records and
Dimensional Pal Storage come through. The connect box on the Home page has these steps written
out per host.
Why does moving a co-op save to a dedicated server break my character?
Because the player IDs change. In a local or co-op world the host's character is stored
as Players/00000000000000000000000000000001.sav, a fixed ID the game uses for
whoever is hosting. On a dedicated server there is no host, so every player's ID is derived
from their Steam ID instead, including the old host. The server looks for a file named after
that new ID, finds nothing, and creates a fresh level-1 character. Guests usually survive the
move because their IDs were already Steam-based. The fix is the community "Palworld host save
fix" script, which renames the host's player file to the new ID and rewrites the matching
references inside Level.sav. Stop the server before touching the files and keep a
backup of the whole world folder first.
How does live auto-sync work?
Only with hosts that have an API, which today means DatHost. Once a server is connected, Palgorithm re-pulls the save every 5 minutes while the tab is open (a backgrounded tab catches up as soon as you come back) and re-reads it in the browser, so new hatches, catches and condensing show up without you doing anything. The Live/Manual switch in the header turns it off if you'd rather sync by hand. Hosts without an API can't do this; you drop the files in whenever you want a fresh view.
Are my save files uploaded anywhere?
No. The save is parsed in your browser, in a web worker, and never sent to Palgorithm. With a DatHost connection the files travel from DatHost to your browser through a relay on palgorithm.app that forwards your credentials over HTTPS and stores nothing, no logs, no copies. The only thing recorded is an anonymous counter that a save was parsed, with a Pal count and a country, so the developer can see the tool is being used. Nothing in it identifies you or your world.
Does it read Dimensional Pal Storage on a server?
Yes. Since Palworld 1.0 each player's Dimensional Pal Storage is a separate
<player id>_dps.sav in the Players folder, and Palgorithm reads the real 1.0
format. Include the whole Players folder when you drop files in; a DatHost connection picks them
up on its own. Pals in DPS show up in My Pals with "Dimensional Storage" as their location, and
they count for breeding routes and the Paldeck like everything else.