Pixelmon adds Pokémon to Minecraft. You catch, train and battle them in a normal Minecraft world, and a server lets your friends play in that world with you. This guide covers a server for the current Pixelmon on Minecraft 1.21.1: which version to run, how much RAM it needs, the install steps and the config files worth changing before anyone joins.
Version, loader and Java
Pixelmon has run on NeoForge instead of Forge since version 9.3.0 from May 2025. Current versions are built for Minecraft 1.21.1 and need Java 21. On 2 October 2026 the official site, reforged.gg, offered two downloads:
| Download on reforged.gg | Minecraft | NeoForge |
|---|---|---|
| 9.3.16, marked Recommended | 1.21.1 | 21.1.200 |
| 9.4.1, marked Beta | 1.21.1 | 21.1.248 or newer |
9.4.1 is the newest version and has been on Modrinth and CurseForge since mid-September. The official site says beta releases move to the recommended download after a few days of public release, so look at which one it recommends on the day you set up. Whichever you pick, your players need exactly the same version. With a different one they get a "Mod Rejection" error and cannot join.
Cobblemon is the other big Pokémon mod. It also runs on Minecraft 1.21.1, on Fabric and NeoForge, and like Pixelmon it has to be installed on the server and by every player. A world cannot switch from one mod to the other, because Pokémon and items do not carry over. The comparison further down lists the main differences.
How much RAM a Pixelmon server needs
The Pixelmon wiki gives three memory figures for servers: at least 4 GB, 6 GB as the bare minimum for most Pixelmon servers, and 8 GB for an average server with a small player base. It also says not to assign more than 16 GB, because more memory makes Java's garbage collection worse. Those figures are the Java heap. Java needs memory on top of the heap for itself, so we start Pixelmon at 8 GB.
Memory use grows with the number of players online, because Pixelmon spawns Pokémon and NPCs around each player: up to 30 per player with the settings in the official server pack. Pixelmon publishes no player counts per amount of RAM, so we do not give any either.
| Plan | RAM | Standard price | What it fits |
|---|---|---|---|
| MC Diamond | 8 GB | EUR 7.20 per month | A friends server: the 6 GB heap the wiki calls the bare minimum, with 2 GB left for Java |
| MC Special 1 | 12 GB | EUR 10.80 per month | A small community: the wiki's 8 GB heap, plus room for Java and a few sidemods |
| MC Special 3 | 16 GB | EUR 14.40 per month | A bigger community: a heap up to 14 GB, inside the wiki's 16 GB limit |
How to set up a Pixelmon server
These steps follow the server installation page on the Pixelmon wiki.
Step 1: Install NeoForge
Download the NeoForge installer for your Pixelmon version (reforged.gg links the right one next to each download), run it and choose Install Server. Start the server once with run.sh, or run.bat on Windows; it stops by itself after that first start. Read the Minecraft EULA, set eula=true in eula.txt if you agree, and start it again. The memory Java may use goes in user_jvm_args.txt.
On a Space-Node server you skip the installer. Pick NeoForge for Minecraft 1.21.1 in the panel and set Java 21 in the Startup tab. For 9.4.1, NeoForge has to be 21.1.248 or newer.
Step 2: Add the Pixelmon server jar
Each download on reforged.gg has its own Server Jar link, one for 1.21.1-9.3.16 and one for 1.21.1-9.4.1. The wiki says the server file is much smaller than the normal one and only works on servers: in the official 9.3.14 server pack it is about 40 MB, against about 390 MB for the universal jar of the same version. Stop the server, drop the jar into the mods folder without unpacking it, and start again. Pixelmon needs no other mods. On a Space-Node server you upload the jar over SFTP.
Step 3: Start with a fresh world
If the server made a world before Pixelmon was installed, the wiki suggests deleting it before the next start. In a new world players spawn in a village, with Pixelmon features generated near spawn.
Step 4: Let your players in
Players install the same Pixelmon version in their own game, for example through the CurseForge or Modrinth app, and connect with your server address. The official site says most launchers already ship Java 21.
Official server packs stop at 9.3.14
CurseForge has official server packs for The Pixelmon Modpack up to 9.3.14 from January 2026, and none for 9.3.15 to 9.4.1. That pack also brings world generation mods such as Terralith and Tectonic, so your players then need the same modpack version, not only Pixelmon. Its start script sets -Xmx4G -Xms4G in variables.txt; raise that to fit your plan and leave a couple of GB free for Java itself. For 9.3.16 or 9.4.1 you build the server with the steps above.
Config files to change first
Pixelmon writes its settings to config/pixelmon/ on the first start, and most of them have a comment that explains them. The wiki notes that some settings only apply to chunks generated after the change, so set them before players start exploring. The defaults below come from the official 9.3.14 server pack.
| File in config/pixelmon/ | Setting | Default | What it controls |
|---|---|---|---|
| spawning/wild.yml | entities-per-player | 30 | The most Pokémon and NPCs that can spawn per player |
| spawning/wild.yml | spawn-frequency | 60 | Spawn passes per minute |
| spawning/general.yml | player-tracking-spawner-spawn-collection-rate | 2 | How often the spawns around each player refresh |
| spawning/legendary.yml | legendary-spawn-ticks and legendary-spawn-chance | 25000 and 0.3 | How often a legendary spawn is tried, and the chance that it works |
| spawning/poke_loot.yml | spawn-mode | FCFS | What a PokéLoot chest does once it has been looted |
| entity.yml | allow-vanilla-mobs | false | Whether regular Minecraft mobs spawn naturally |
For a server, the comments on the first three settings all point towards fewer spawns. The ones above entities-per-player and spawn-frequency say to lower them for better performance. The one above player-tracking-spawner-spawn-collection-rate says a server wants a higher number than 2, because a low one hurts server performance.
For PokéLoot, the wiki tells server owners to change the spawn mode early to avoid loot drain. The options are FCFS, PL, PU and TIMED. A chest set to TIMED can be looted again every loot-time hours, 24 by default.
You do not need spawn-animals or spawn-monsters in server.properties to keep cows and zombies away. Both settings still exist on Minecraft 1.21.1, but Pixelmon has its own switch, allow-vanilla-mobs, and the server pack ships it switched off. According to the comment in entity.yml, zombie, skeleton and spider spawners then turn into pig spawners, while other spawners, spawn eggs and the Ender Dragon are not affected. If you switch vanilla mobs back on, the same comment warns that they can kill a player in the middle of a battle.
View distance and pre-generation
The wiki's performance guide says to lower view-distance in server.properties from the default 10 to 6, or 4, because every loaded chunk adds work for the server:
view-distance=6
The same guide calls pre-generating the world extremely important for servers and suggests a border 15,000 to 20,000 blocks across for a new public server. Worlds above 30,000 blocks across can grow past 50 GB on disk after 10 months of use, so compare that with your plan's NVMe storage. Chunky has a NeoForge build for 1.21.1, and our Chunky pre-generation guide has the commands.
Sidemods
Sidemods add server features on top of Pixelmon, such as a market where players trade. The wiki points to the sidemods section of the Pixelmon forums and to the Pixelmon Discord for ones that work with your version. Two with NeoForge builds for Minecraft 1.21.1 on their GitHub release pages are EnvyGTS 6.2.1 (September 2026), a Global Trade Station where players list Pokémon and items for sale, and WonderTrade 7.0.2 (February 2026) for random Pokémon trades. Both come from EnvyWare.
Before you add a sidemod, check that its release supports your Pixelmon version and read its requirements; the wiki notes that some need extra libraries or a permissions manager such as LuckPerms. Put the jar in the mods folder and restart the server. ArcLight, a hybrid server that loads Spigot plugins next to mods, is not an option: the wiki says it does not work with Pixelmon 9.2.4 or newer.
Building a Pokémon world
Pixelmon already generates towns with Poké Centers, Poké Marts and Gym Leaders. On a community server you can build your own on top: a spawn town, gyms with NPC trainers, a safari area or an end-game challenge. WorldEdit has NeoForge builds for 1.21.1 and saves a lot of time on large builds.
Pixelmon vs Cobblemon
| Pixelmon | Cobblemon | |
|---|---|---|
| Loader | NeoForge | Fabric and NeoForge |
| Minecraft | 1.21.1 | 1.21.1 |
| Pokémon | Every Pokémon up to Generation 9, according to its Modrinth page | Over 800 to catch, according to its Modrinth page; ones without a model yet show as a substitute doll |
| Source code | Closed, all rights reserved | Open source, MPL 2.0 |
| Needed by every player | Yes | Yes |
Pixelmon is closer to a full Pokémon game inside Minecraft, with its own towns and gyms. Cobblemon aims to fit into modpacks and Minecraft itself, and it is the one to choose if you want Fabric mods on the same server. We have not measured which of the two is lighter on a server, so the table leaves server load out. Our Pixelmon vs Cobblemon comparison goes into more detail.
Hosting Pixelmon with us
Our Pixelmon server hosting page has the three plans from the RAM table above, and its plan selector shows the price for your region.
On the Standard tier these plans run on AMD Ryzen 9 3900X-class CPUs with DDR4 memory in the Netherlands, Germany, Poland, Canada and India. In the Netherlands, Germany, Poland and Canada you can switch to Premium: a Ryzen 9 9950X with DDR5 and 600 to 800% CPU (6 to 8 vCores) under fair use. The USA (California and Virginia) has one hardware option, the Ryzen 9 7950X3D with DDR5, and Singapore and Australia have one as well, the Ryzen 9 5950X. The CPU is shared on every plan, Premium included. NVMe storage and DDoS protection come with every plan. You pick one of nine regions in the plan selector before checkout: Netherlands, Germany, Poland, Canada, USA California, USA Virginia, Singapore, India and Australia.