How to Mod Palworld: The Ultimate Guide

Palworld is an open-world survival game where you capture and train creatures called Pals to fight and build your base. Mods can enhance this experience by adding new creatures, balancing game mechanics, or improving quality-of-life features. 

For example, many players install mods to speed up grinding (like breeding time) or increase carry weight, fixing frustrations beyond the base game settings.

What is Palworld & Why Mod It?

Palworld combines monster-collecting with survival and crafting. Players capture Pals in battle (using spheres to catch them) and then tame them for combat or assign them tasks at their base. The game boasts over 100 unique Pals with diverse skills and equipment. 

However, like many survival games, Palworld can feel grindy (long breeding times, limited inventory, slow levelling). Mods let players customise or speed up these aspects: for example, there are mods to drastically reduce breeding wait times or remove weight limits. Mods can also add entirely new content or cosmetics that keep the game fresh long-term.

Modding appeals to players who want more control over their experience. Quality-of-life mods (e.g. larger stack sizes, better inventory management) and balance tweaks (e.g. faster levelling curves) are especially popular. Since the game’s design centres on collecting and upgrading Pals, players often seek mods for new Pals, or even creative play modes.

Is Modding Palworld Officially Supported?

Palworld does not yet include built-in mod support (like a Steam Workshop interface), so most modding requires community tools and manual file edits. That said, the developers are pro-mod: Pocket Pair has indicated they plan to support mods in the future, possibly via Steam Workshop. In the meantime, all mods for Palworld are user-created and loaded by adding custom .pak or script files to the game folders.

Importantly, Palworld’s creators have said they welcome modders, and you won’t be banned from offline or private play for using mods. (Just avoid cheating on official online servers – mods that grant unfair advantages there can lead to a ban.) For now, modding Palworld requires a bit of effort, but it’s fully possible on PC. The Xbox/Game Pass versions lag in modding support because of certification, but on Steam/Epic PC, you can freely add mods.

Essential Tools and Mod Managers

Before installing mods, gather some key tools. These make modding Palworld easier and safer:

Nexus Mods (Palworld section) – The largest collection of Palworld mods. Browse at NexusMods Palworld for .pak and script mods. Nexus scans files for viruses (see “Virus scan: Safe to use” on mod pages), and provides descriptions and install instructions.

CurseForge – Another major mod repository with filtering and easy downloads. Like Nexus, it hosts many Palworld mods (especially .pak mods) and shows user ratings.

Reddit r/PalworldMods – A central community hub where modders share new mods and tutorials.

Vortex (Nexus Mod Manager) – A free graphical mod manager by Nexus. Install Vortex and add the Palworld game extension to it. The Vortex Palworld Extension auto-detects your Palworld install and supports all mod types: PAK mods, UE4SS (Lua) mods, and blueprint mods. Vortex can download mods directly from Nexus and manage the ~mods folder for you.

UE Mod Hub – A dedicated Palworld mod manager (by a Nexus user) that can download and install mods from Nexus. It has a simple UI and can also auto-install UE4SS for you. (See “Mod Hub – Palworld Mod Manager” on Nexus.)

R2ModMan (Thunderstore App) – A popular mod manager (originally for Risk of Rain 2) that now supports Palworld via Thunderstore. It can download/install mods directly, manage profiles, and update mods automatically. Useful for players who use Thunderstore mods.

UE4SS (Unreal Engine Script) – A community-created “script hook” for Unreal Engine games. Many Palworld mods (especially cheats or complex tweaks) require UE4SS. Installing UE4SS simply means copying the UE4SS files into your Palworld Pal/Binaries/Win64 folder (after downloading from GitHub). Once installed, UE4SS enables Lua-based mods and other advanced mods.

AdminEssentials (Nexus mod) – This is a required companion mod for many Palworld mods. Its Nexus page even notes “REQUIRED TO USE PALWORLD MODS”. Install AdminEssentials via a mod manager or manually (it is a UE4SS/Lua mod) before trying other mods.

FModel and UnrealPak – For advanced mod creators, FModel is an asset explorer for UE games, and UnrealPak is the official Unreal Engine tool to pack .pak files. These let you extract game assets or build your own mods. For example, the Palworld modding community shows how to use UnrealPak to package cooked assets into a .pak file and then copy it into Pal/Content/Paks.

Palworld Modding Docs & Discord – The community-maintained Palworld Modding Wiki has a Modding Kit section with guides, and the Palworld modding Discord is active with support. These aren’t official Pocket Pair docs, but they compile up-to-date instructions and examples.

How to Mod Palworld (Single-Player)

In single-player or on your private server, installing most mods is straightforward:

Download the Mod

Find a mod on Nexus, CurseForge or another trusted site. Mods often come as a .zip containing a .pak file (or a folder of files). Always read the mod description carefully.

Install UE4SS and AdminEssentials (if required)

If the mod is a Lua/script mod or notes that UE4SS is needed, first install UE4SS as described above. Then, place the AdminEssentials mod folder (from Nexus) into Pal/Binaries/Win64/Mods.

Place the .pak file 

If it’s a pure .pak mod: Extract the downloaded .zip and locate the .pak file. On PC Steam: right-click Palworld in Steam -> Manage -> Browse Local Files. Then navigate to Pal/Content/Paks. Inside Paks, create a new folder named ~mods (if it doesn’t exist). Copy your .pak file into this ~mods folder.

Use a Mod Manager (optional)

If using Vortex or R2ModMan, simply download the mod through the manager. Vortex will automatically deploy .pak mods into Pal/Content/Paks/~mods and handle UE4SS/Lua mods in the correct locations. R2ModMan works similarly via Thunderstore. These managers also make it easy to enable/disable mods and update them.

Launch Palworld

Start the game normally. If installed correctly, the mod should load with the game. Some mods have in-game config menus or require the AdminEssentials command to function.

Verify and Backup

It’s good practice to back up your save and original game files before installing many mods. You can simply copy the Palworld install folder or save games to another location. This way, you can restore if something goes wrong.

How to Mod Palworld (Multiplayer & Dedicated Servers)

Setting up mods on a Palworld server is very similar to single-player, but with an extra step for syncing clients:

Server Installation 

Download the mod .pak file as above. On your server (whether self-hosted or with Kinetic Hosting), open the Palworld install directory and go to Pal/Content/Paks. Create a folder named ~mods if needed, and place the mod’s .pak file there. If using UE4SS or blueprint mods, install those on the server as well (e.g. UE4SS in Pal/Binaries/Win64 and AdminEssentials in Mods). 

Our panel explicitly supports uploading Pak and UE4SS mods, and provides full file access (via SFTP or file manager) so you can add mods easily.

Client Requirements 

Any player connecting to a modded server must have the same mods installed locally. The Nexus guide notes: “Once they’re installed on the server, anyone who wants to join must have the same mods installed on their game”. In practice, tell your friends to install the same .pak files (in their own ~mods folder) or have them use the same mod manager profiles. Otherwise, they won’t be able to join, or the game will crash.

Dedicated Server Tips 

Kinetic Hosting offers Palworld server plans (for Steam/Epic) that include Pak mod support. They even highlight that you can “Upload and use Pak mods.” The panel lets you restart the server easily after adding mods. Remember that server updates may break mods, so be prepared to restore mods after game patches.

By following these steps, you can create a modded Palworld session for you and your friends. Mods in multiplayer extend gameplay just like in single-player, but always coordinate mods across the server and clients.

Safety Tips and Best Practices

Backup Everything. Before installing mods, make a copy of your save files and the original game folder (Palworld installation). That way, you can restore if a mod causes problems. Kinetic’s hosting even offers automatic backups and full file access.

Use Trusted Sources 

Only download mods from reputable sites like Nexus Mods or CurseForge, or from well-known modders. Nexus and similar sites automatically scan uploaded mods for malware, so “Safe to use” badges generally mean the community vetted the file.

Read Instructions Carefully 

Some mods have special requirements (specific load order or disabling conflicting mods). Follow the mod author’s directions on the download page. Many mods will tell you whether they require UE4SS, AdminEssentials, or conflict with other mods.

Update Mods After Game Patches 

Palworld is updated frequently, and game patches can break mods (especially UE4SS-based ones). Keep your mods updated, check Nexus for new versions, and disable mods until they’re confirmed compatible. A badly out-of-date mod can crash the game on startup.

Avoid “Cheat” Mods on Official Servers 

In single-player, you can experiment freely, but on any public official servers, don’t use mods that give you an unfair advantage (like godmode or item hacks). Stick to creative or cosmetic mods there. (Official servers generally prevent any mods anyway.) In your own server, feel free to use fun mods, but use them responsibly.

By taking these precautions, you can enjoy Palworld mods with minimal risk.

Contact Kinetic Hosting Today

It doesn’t matter if you want to host a private modded server for friends or set up a Palworld server with full control; we make it easy.

With fast setup times, reliable UK-based servers, and full support for Pak and UE4SS mods, we are the perfect choice for gamers who want the best performance.

Explore our full range of game hosting services. Also, you can contact us, get in touch with our support team for setup help or custom configurations.