Palworld multiplayer not working

Palworld shows an error at the start of multiplayer indicating that multiplayer is currently not possible. What you can do about the error can be found on MeinMMO.

Do you want to start a multiplayer game on Steam or Xbox but see an error? Your game partner is earning achievements, but unfortunately, you are not? MeinMMO explains what the problems are and what you can do about it.

More about multiplayer: If you want to create a game, then take a look at our guide to multiplayer and crossplay in Palworld. Here we also explain what is possible and where the differences between single player, servers, and coop lie.

Update from July 10, 2026: Palworld 1.0 has been released today, and we have updated the article with the information from the patch notes.

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Palworld shows the new content for 1.0 in the launch trailer

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Palworld: Error when hosting multiplayer game – Here’s what you can do

What kind of error is this? If you want to host a coop game, you will see an error in some cases that it is not possible: You should either check your internet connection or restart the PC. However, no multiplayer game is started or hosted.

Why is there an error? Simply put, the servers are overloaded. Take a look at the server status of Palworld: Here you can always see how well the official servers can be reached. If the servers are heavily overloaded, there will be problems when starting a multiplayer game. Single-player games that you start offline are not affected.

What can be done about it? We have found several tips to be useful:

For one, you can first host the game as a solo game, start it, and then save and exit. After that, you select the game again and switch to multiplayer and try to start the game again. In some cases, this has worked for us.
On the other hand, you can confirm the error with “OK” and try to start the multiplayer game again. Again, it worked for us after several attempts.
In some cases, switching the host can also help. Let another player host the coop game, and it might work.
A final option is to restart the game.

Tip: Once you have successfully hosted your game, do not leave the game! As soon as you leave the game, you will have to host it again, and the error may appear again.

If you have successfully entered the game, we recommend taking a look at the best tips for starting Palworld. Here you will find plenty of advice on how to successfully start your adventure in the world of Palworld.

Palworld: Multiplayer on Xbox grayed out

What does that mean? On Xbox, you need an “Xbox Game Pass Core” membership in addition to the game. Without a membership, you cannot use multiplayer. If you do not have an active subscription, the menu item in the game will be automatically grayed out.

Without a membership, you cannot join official servers or private games. The “Xbox Game Pass Core” membership is unfortunately mandatory for multiplayer. The “Xbox Game Pass Core” subscription costs 6.99 euros per month. You can find more information directly at Xbox.com.

Palworld: Achievements in multiplayer not working

What is the problem? Even in July 2024, achievements in multiplayer only worked to a limited extent:

If you defeat a boss in multiplayer, all participants in the session receive the achievement on Steam.
General achievements, such as “collect 50 different Pals”, can only be completed by the host. For all other participants in the session, these will not be unlocked.

At the release of 1.0, the developers announced that synchronization errors had been eliminated. This may also mean that achievements are now functioning correctly for everyone.