When Palworld releases a patch, your server has to be updated to the same version before anyone can join, or players hit a version mismatch error, and updating on GuavaHost is usually just a restart.
The symptom
Right after a Palworld update lands on Steam, players who have already patched their game will try to join and get bounced with a disconnected or incompatible version message. Nothing is broken. Your server is simply running the older build and needs to catch up to the client version.
Back up first
Before any update, take a snapshot on the Backups tab. Updates almost never touch your save, but a two-minute backup means you can restore instantly if anything goes wrong. Restoring overwrites current files, so a fresh snapshot is your safety net.
The easy way: restart
Most GuavaHost Palworld servers check for and pull the latest server build on boot through SteamCMD (the tool that downloads and updates Steam server files). So the first thing to try is simple:
- Open the Console tab.
- Stop the server, then start it again.
- Watch the log. You will see it check the game files and download the update if one is available.
- Once it settles on a running state, try to join.
For a lot of patches, that is the whole process.
If a restart did not update it
If players still see a version mismatch after a clean restart, force a fresh copy of the server files:
- Confirm you have a recent snapshot on the Backups tab.
- Open the Settings tab and use Reinstall.
- The panel re-runs the install and pulls the current server build from scratch.
Reinstalling replaces the game files, not your world. Your save lives in Pal/Saved/SaveGames, which the reinstall leaves in place, but the backup you took keeps you covered either way.
Confirm the version and tell your players
Once the server is back up, join it yourself to confirm the mismatch is gone. If you have admin access, the /Info command shows the server version. Then let your group know they are clear to hop back on. Everyone needs the same game version, so if a friend still cannot join, have them update Palworld through Steam.
Stay in sync going forward
- Restart on a schedule. Use the Schedules tab to set an automatic daily restart. That keeps the server fresh and picks up many updates without you lifting a finger.
- Watch patch days. Palworld updates fairly often in early access, so a quick restart after a patch drops is a good habit.
- Keep backups on. A snapshot before each update is cheap insurance against a bad patch day.
Still stuck? Jump into our Discord at discord.gg/GuavaHost and the team will help you out.