How to Improve Your Connection with Friends in Palworld

Palworld is at its best when co-op just works—whistle a Pal, drop a workbench, and roll into the wild together. That vibe dies fast when Palworld can’t connect to friends, invites never arrive, or you’re stuck on Joining forever. This guide assumes PC, in-game invites, and official servers. No mystery tweaks—just a clean, testable flow to fix Palworld can’t join friends without wasting your night.

Fast Checks for "Palworld Can't Connect to Friends"

Start with the obvious; it solves more nights than people admit.

1. You're mutually Friends, both Online/Visible, and invites are sent from the in-game party menu (not a third-party overlay).
2. The server isn’t full. A full instance often looks like Palworld can't join friends or stuck on joining.
3. If it’s a private server, the owner has Friends Allowed or your username on the allowlist; otherwise you'll see "not authorized" style failures.
4. Everyone restarts Palworld → launcher → PC, then runs Verify/Repair for any client that looks out of sync.

If you have already confirmed that none of the above issues exist, then the reason for the connection failure may come from your network node connections; we will explain this in detail below.

Steps to Fix Friends Connection in Palworld

Pick the Right Host

Our definition of a good host is not that it has very fast internet speed or high performance, but we place more emphasis on its network stability. If this host is from your friend, then please have them ensure:

1. Preferably Ethernet (or a stable 5GHz Wi‑Fi in the same room)
2. No background uploads (cloud backups, file synchronization, photo uploads, streaming)
3. The router is nearby to avoid unstable mesh network hopping

Optimize Your Network Nodes

If you are connected to a public server or another player's host, then what you need to consider is adjusting the node you connect to, that is, the data relay as we understand it. Contrary to what many people think, the default connected node is very likely not the best, but players find it difficult to adjust them, so you need the assistance of GearUP. It will dynamically switch nodes based on real-time network conditions, allowing Palworld to have low latency, stable connections, and not interfere with your gameplay.

PC players only need a few simple clicks to complete this optimization:

1. Search for Palworld.
   
2. Select a server—you can connect to any available one.
   
3. Start boosting. You’ll see the optimized network results, then launch the game.
   

Console players can choose HYPEREV, so there is no need to start a PC to accelerate the host when playing PS5 or Xbox in the living room; network optimization can be completed with just a mobile app:

GearUP provides a secure, stable, and convenient network optimization solution, and is therefore welcomed by many players around the world.

Home Network Basics

• Prefer Ethernet. If you must use Wi-Fi, sit in the same room as the router on 5 GHz and avoid three walls between you and it.
• Pause uploads. A saturated upstream is the #1 cause of Palworld stuck on joining and Palworld can’t connect to server errors.
• Reboot the router and update firmware; keep it in open air, not buried in a cabinet.
• Enable simple QoS / Device Priority so your PC’s tiny session packets don’t queue behind the TV and NAS.
• Avoid double NAT. Bridge one box or let a single router handle NAT; double NAT regularly triggers can’t join friends–style timeouts.

A good tell that you've fixed the root problem: once you finally join, voice chat sounds clean. Clear voice is a great proxy that the next join will behave.

Literal translation:

You May Still Have Questions

Q1: Will hosting myself reduce connection problems?

Hosting yourself will generally ensure that you can play smoothly, but if you do not have good upload bandwidth, your friends will not be able to connect to you properly — they will experience noticeable stuttering or connection failures.

Q2: Will connecting to a public server reduce connection problems?

Yes. In general, public servers provide greater capacity and more stable data transmission. If you and your friends all connect to the same server, the experience should be better.

Q3: Why can't I change the node?

Node connections depend on your ISP, and players find it difficult to intervene manually. GearUP changes node connections through its self‑developed intelligent algorithms.