How to Fix: Palworld Crashing After the 1.0 Update

Quick Fix

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Manually remove all mod files before doing anything else. Simply unsubscribing or disabling mods is not enough — leftover files still load and crash the game.

1. Close Steam completely.
2. Go to your Palworld install folder, e.g. SteamLibrary\steamapps\common\Palworld\Pal\Content\Paks, and delete any .pak and ModConfig files that are not the huge Pal-Windows.pak file (about 18GB, never delete it).
3. Go to Pal\Binaries\Win64 and delete any leftover UE4SS files, DLLs, or mod-loader files.
4. Restart Steam, verify integrity of game files, and launch into a brand new world to confirm it is stable before touching your old save.

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Step-by-Step Guide

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What this error means

Palworld 1.0 made major changes to the game's core systems and Unreal Engine version. This broke compatibility with mods, mod loaders, and even leftover mod files from Early Access, which is now the single most common cause of post-update crashes.

Pocketpair itself warned players before launch that old mods could cause crashes, corrupted saves, or blocked progression, and that simply turning mods off is not enough to prevent this.

Other, less common causes include corrupted game files from the large update download, GPU/overlay software conflicts, outdated graphics drivers, save-specific corruption, and (on Linux/Steam Deck) Proton version issues.

Cause 1: Leftover or outdated mod files (most common)

1. Unsubscribe from all Steam Workshop mods. Note that unsubscribing alone does not remove leftover files from disk, so you still need to delete them manually.
2. Close Steam and Palworld completely before touching any files.
3. Delete mod .pak files. In Pal\Content\Paks, remove each mod's ModConfig and associated .pak file. Never delete Pal-Windows.pak (the ~18GB core game data file).
4. Remove script mod loaders. If you ever used UE4SS, delete its files from Pal\Binaries\Win64 (or Binaries\WinGDK if you're on the Xbox/PC Game Pass app) — these can remain and keep hooking into the game even after mods are 'disabled'.
5. Check for a leftover mods folder or stray .ini file even if no mod files remain; some players found an old ini file was still causing the crash.
6. Verify integrity of game files last (Steam Library > right-click Palworld > Properties > Installed Files > Verify integrity of game files). Do this only after manually removing mod files, since verification does not remove unauthorized files, only replaces missing official ones.
7. Test on a brand new world first. If a new world loads and runs fine but your old save still crashes, the save itself is the next thing to check (see Cause 2).
8. Reintroduce mods one at a time only after confirming with the mod's creator that it has been updated for 1.0, testing each one individually.

Cause 2: Corrupted or outdated save file

1. Test with a new world. If only one existing save crashes while new worlds work fine, the problem is with that specific save rather than the install.
2. Restore from an automatic backup. Pocketpair automatically creates local and world backups; check the SaveGames\backup folder inside your save directory and copy a recent backup over the corrupted save files.
3. Back up before touching anything. Always copy your entire save folder to a separate drive or folder before restoring backups or removing mods, since Steam Cloud alone should not be treated as your only backup.
4. Update to the latest patch. Palworld v1.0.1 was released shortly after 1.0 and specifically fixed an issue where save data could be unintentionally discarded after certain operations, so make sure you're fully patched before troubleshooting further.

Cause 3: Overlay or background software conflicts

1. Close Discord before launching. Multiple players reported that the Discord overlay conflicts with this Unreal Engine game and causes random crashes; closing Discord (or disabling its overlay/Game Activity settings) stopped the crashes for them.
2. Disable other overlays. Turn off GeForce Experience/Game Bar overlays, RGB software, and any GPU tuning or monitoring tools before launching.
3. Launch with a clean environment — no mods, no overlays, no third-party launch options — as a baseline test.

Cause 4: Outdated graphics drivers or display mode

1. Update your GPU driver to the latest stable version from NVIDIA, AMD, or Intel.
2. Switch display mode. Some players found the crash stopped after changing from Fullscreen to Borderless mode in the game's display settings (or vice versa if you need to change resolution).
3. Restart your PC after installing drivers before relaunching Palworld.

Cause 5: Corrupted or missing installation files

1. Verify integrity of game files via Steam Library > right-click Palworld > Properties > Installed Files > Verify integrity of game files. This is most useful if your download was interrupted or you never had mods installed.
2. Ensure enough free disk space and a stable internet connection during the verification/download.
3. Reinstall as a last resort if verification doesn't help — but delete the entire local files directory first, especially if mods were ever installed, since a normal reinstall over old files can leave mod remnants behind.

Cause 6: Linux / Steam Deck Proton version

1. Try a different Proton version. Some Linux/Steam Deck users found certain Proton versions crash Palworld immediately, while switching to a different version (such as Proton Experimental or a specific numbered release) let the game launch normally.
2. Check Proton compatibility threads on the Steam forums for the currently recommended version, as this can change between game and Proton updates.

When to get official help

1. Contact Pocketpair support if crashes continue after a clean, mod-free install on a new world — this points to a bug rather than a local config issue.
2. Note that mod-related issues are not covered by official support, so make sure you've fully removed mods before submitting a ticket.
3. Check for hotfixes. Watch Palworld's official channels and Steam patch notes, since post-1.0 hotfixes (like 1.0.1) have already addressed some crash and save-corruption bugs.

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