// modpack server guide
Pixelmon server hosting & setup guide
A Pixelmon server needs Java 21. We'd start it on 8 GB of RAM (our Premium plan) and watch the memory as players join.
This Modpack includes everything you need as a pre-built Pixelmon exerience - The Pixelmon Mod, The Pixelmon OST, Journeymap, BYG, Natures/Explorers Compass.
Summary from The Pixelmon Modpack on Modrinth.
The Pixelmon Modpack is a NeoForge and Forge modpack for Minecraft 1.21.1 (older versions go back to 1.16.5) with 13 mods. We'd pick our Premium plan (8 GB) for it.
Quick facts
| Loader | NeoForge and Forge |
|---|---|
| Minecraft versions | 1.21.1, 1.20.2, 1.20.1, 1.16.5 |
| Java needed | Java 21 for Minecraft 1.21.1Older pack versions: Java 17 for 1.20.2, 1.20.1; Java 8 for 1.16.5. Java version chart. |
| Mods | 13 modsCounted from the pack's file list on Modrinth. None are marked client-only. |
| RAM | 8 GB to startWhy we don't estimate it from the mod count. |
| Downloads | 2,279,007 on Modrinth |
| Last updated | September 17, 2026 (version 9.4.1) |
| First published | February 14, 2023 on Modrinth |
| Server support | Supported: it runs on a server, and works in single player too. |
| Server pack | None for the newest versionThe last one on CurseForge is serverpack9314.zip, for The Pixelmon Modpack 9.3.14. Checked October 5, 2026. |
| Modrinth tags | adventure, quests |
Pixelmon on a server: what to know
The Pixelmon Modpack 9.4.1 runs Pixelmon 9.4.1 on NeoForge 21.1.248 for Minecraft 1.21.1. Pixelmon's wiki says it has needed NeoForge, not Forge, since 9.3.0, and Java 21 exactly: earlier or later versions will not work. The wiki points to a server pack on CurseForge, but 9.4.0 and 9.4.1 had none when we checked, so build the server yourself: install the NeoForge server, then add Pixelmon (the smaller -server jar from reforged.gg works too) and the pack's world generation mods, Terralith, Tectonic, Structory, Structory: Towers, Incendium and Lithostitched.
The wiki recommends deleting the world created before Pixelmon was installed, so players spawn in a village and Pixelmon features generate near spawn. Players on a different Pixelmon version get a Mod Rejection error.
Watch out for
- PokéLoot chests default to spawn-mode FCFS, which makes a chest vanish once one player loots it; set PL or TIMED in config/pixelmon/pokeloot.yml before players explore. Source.
- Pixelmon's server performance guide says pre-generating the world can't be skipped on a server. Source.
Sources: modrinth.com, modrinth.com (2), curseforge.com, pixelmonmod.com, pixelmonmod.com (2), pixelmonmod.com (3). Checked October 12, 2026.
Pixelmon server files
Not for the newest version. The Pixelmon Modpack 9.4.1 has no server pack on CurseForge or Modrinth; the last one CurseForge has is serverpack9314.zip, for The Pixelmon Modpack 9.3.14. Use it only if your players install that same version. For the newest version, build the server yourself: how to make a server for a modpack with no server pack.
How much RAM does a Pixelmon server need?
Pixelmon needs more memory than its mod count suggests, so we don't estimate it from the mod count the way we do for other packs. The pack has only a handful of mods, but Pixelmon itself is heavy on memory, so we suggest 8 GB for a small group, the same pick as in our RAM guide. For 20 or more players, go up to Heavy (12 GB). Watch memory in your panel for the first week and move up if it sits above 85% at peak.
Set Java's heap (-Xmx) 10–15% under the RAM you have, about -Xmx7000M on 8 GB. NeoForge or Forge 1.21.1 reads it from user_jvm_args.txt: uncomment the -Xmx line. RAM guide.
Pixelmon server requirements
| Java | Java 21 |
|---|---|
| Loader | NeoForge or Forge for Minecraft 1.21.1 |
| CPU | Fast single-core speed (one main thread). |
| RAM | 8 GB to start |
| Disk | The server files, a growing world and backups |
| Network | TCP port 25565 open to players |
Recommended plan
Our pick for Pixelmon
Premium
8 GB RAM · planned launch price $30/month
The pack has only a handful of mods, but Pixelmon itself is heavy on memory, so we suggest 8 GB for a small group, the same pick as in our RAM guide.
Ordering is closed until we relaunch. We aren't taking orders or payments while we move to new hardware. Join the launch list and we'll email you when Premium servers open.
Running it for 20 or more players online at once? Go up to Heavy (12 GB, $42/month). Not sure? Email hello@dsnservers.com.
Planned launch price in USD, billed monthly once ordering opens, with a 7-day refund window.
How to make a Pixelmon server on your own PC
What's specific to Pixelmon, step by step. The full walkthrough for any pack: how to make a modded Minecraft server.
- Install Java 21.
Check with
java -version. Java version chart. - Get the server files.
For the newest version, build them from the .mrpack, as in server files above.
- Start it and accept the EULA.
Run the start script in the server files, or the
run.sh/run.batthe NeoForge or Forge 1.21.1 installer writes, then seteula=trueineula.txtif you accept Mojang's EULA (EULA step). - Start it on 8 GB of RAM (
-Xmx, as above). - Let friends connect: forward TCP 25565, or use a tunnel or host behind CGNAT (can't connect?).
Or run Pixelmon on DSN
Once we relaunch (join the launch list), on DSN you'd install Pixelmon from the panel's Modrinth modpack installer (version 9.4.1), pick Java 21 on the Startup tab and accept the EULA in the console. No port forwarding.
How to play Pixelmon with friends
Each player installs Pixelmon version 9.4.1 with the Modrinth App or Prism Launcher, the same version as the server, and adds the server's address under Multiplayer.
Different versions of Pixelmon on the server and a client show up as Mismatched mod channel list or mod rejections. Why friends can't join, timeouts included.
Lag and performance on Pixelmon
Can't keep up! Is the server overloaded? means ticks take longer than 50 ms; more RAM won't fix that once Pixelmon has enough (tick lag guide). For Pixelmon:
- Measure first: spark's
/spark tpsand profiler work on 1.21.1 and name the mod or machine using the tick time. - Distances:
view-distance=8and a lowersimulation-distanceinserver.properties. - Pre-generate: Chunky for 1.21.1,
/chunky radius 3000then/chunky start, before people explore.
Common Pixelmon crashes
What a NeoForge and Forge 1.21.1 server running Pixelmon hits most. For any other error, paste the log into the free crash log analyzer.
- Wrong Java version. Pixelmon on Minecraft 1.21.1 needs Java 21. Started on Java 17, it stops with
UnsupportedClassVersionError: ... class file version 65.0, this version of the Java Runtime only recognizes class file versions up to 61.0. Java version fix. - Out of memory. Pixelmon (13 mods on the server) needs 8 GB to start;
java.lang.OutOfMemoryErrormeans it ran out. Out-of-memory fix. - Client-only mod on the server. The Pixelmon pack file marks none of its mods client-only, so this usually means one was copied over from a player's mods folder. Check a mods list with the client-or-server-side checker. Client-only mod fix.
- After adding or updating a mod. Mods you add to Pixelmon by hand usually crash it with a missing dependency or a mixin conflict.
- Ticking entity or block entity. The crash report names it and gives its coordinates. Ticking entity fix.
Updates and support
Before moving Pixelmon past version 9.4.1, back up the world: see updating a modpack server without losing your world.
Bugs in Pixelmon itself go to its authors: issue tracker, wiki and Discord. Server problems on DSN: hello@dsnservers.com or Discord.
Packs like Pixelmon
More: NeoForge server hosting, all modpack guides and how to make a modded server.
Run Pixelmon on DSN when we relaunch.
Our pick, Premium: 8 GB, planned at $30/month.
DSN Servers isn't affiliated with The Pixelmon Modpack or Modrinth. The pack's name, icon, summary and stats come from Modrinth's public API (checked October 4, 2026).