Can I install Pixelmon with one click?

Yes. Search for Pixelmon in the Modpacks tab, pick a build and press install. The panel sets NeoForge 1.21.1 and Java 21 for you and fetches the pack. Your players install the same build in their launcher before they connect.

Can I pick an older Pixelmon build?

Yes. The Modpacks tab lists the pack's builds, so you can install the one your group already plays. Take a backup before you switch, stay on the same Minecraft version, and move every player to the same build, because Pixelmon refuses a client on a different version.

Can Bedrock players join a Pixelmon server?

No. Pixelmon is a client-side mod for Minecraft Java Edition, and Geyser only bridges Bedrock players to servers that an unmodified Java client could already join. Since Pixelmon rejects any client without the matching mod, a Bedrock player cannot get in through any bridge. Everyone needs Java Edition with the same Pixelmon version the server is running.

How do I change shiny rates and spawns?

In `config/pixelmon/`, which is YAML files rather than the old hocon format. `spawning/general.yml` holds `shiny-rate`, which defaults to 4096.0 and works as a denominator, plus hidden ability rates. `spawning/wild.yml` holds the performance-relevant caps such as `entities-per-player` and `maximum-spawned-pokemon`. Edit the server copies, not your client's, and restart for the changes to apply.

Why does my server lag with lots of players?

Pixelmon spawns per player, so entity counts climb with player count rather than world size. Lower `entities-per-player` from 30 in `spawning/wild.yml`, reduce `maximum-spawned-pokemon`, and raise `player-tracking-spawner-spawn-collection-rate` in `spawning/general.yml`, which the Pixelmon documentation explicitly recommends increasing on servers. Those three do more than any amount of extra RAM.

Will my players lose their Pokemon when I update?

Not for a normal update inside the same Minecraft version, where you install the newer build from the Modpacks tab. The one that caused problems historically was the move from Pixelmon 8 to 9, which relocated player party and PC data. Always back up the world first. Remember every player must be on exactly the server's version, or they get a mod rejection message when connecting.

Minecraft modpack · CurseForge

Pixelmon Server Hosting

by PixelmonMod

NeoForgeMinecraft 1.21.1Java 21

How install works

One-click install from the Modpacks tab once your server is ready

Recommended RAM: 5 GB
Latest build: v9.4.2Oct 2026
Mod loader: NeoForge1.21.1
Downloads: 20.2MCurseForge

The Pixelmon Modpack is a thin wrapper around one very large mod. Fourteen entries in total, and almost all of the content comes from Pixelmon itself, with the rest being a map, a recipe viewer and a handful of world generation mods that make exploring worthwhile.

Pixelmon is the older and the deeper of the two Pokemon projects for Minecraft. Over 900 species, with breeding, trading, raids, gyms, quests, Ultra Space, a trading card game and PokeLoot chests scattered through the world. If a Pokemon system exists in the handheld games, there is a reasonable chance someone has implemented a version of it here. It is closed source and has been maintained for years by the Pixelmon team, now on NeoForge for Minecraft 1.21.1.

For a server, that depth cuts both ways. There is far more to configure than in a lighter pack, and the settings genuinely matter, because spawn behavior is what decides whether your server runs well. It suits groups who want the full Pokemon feature list and are happy to spend an evening tuning it. The install itself is one click.

Hosting Pixelmon

One click from the Modpacks tab

Search for Pixelmon in the panel's Modpacks tab, pick a build and press install. The panel sets NeoForge for 1.21.1 and Java 21 and fetches the pack, so there is nothing to upload by hand.

Give the first boot a few minutes. Pixelmon is a large mod and builds its structures and biomes as the world is created, so let it finish before the group joins.

5 GB, and the settings that protect it

The Pixelmon team ask for at least 4 GB and more if you can. We set 5 GB for a group of around six. Where that budget goes is entities, and Pixelmon gives you unusually direct control in config/pixelmon/spawning/wild.yml:

entities-per-player: 30
maximum-spawned-pokemon: 3000
spawns-per-pass: 2

There is also a setting in spawning/general.yml that the documentation specifically calls out for servers, player-tracking-spawner-spawn-collection-rate. Raising it from 2 means fewer spawns per player and noticeably less work for the server.

The config is YAML, not hocon

Older guides tell you to edit pixelmon.hocon. That was Pixelmon 8 on 1.12.2 and no longer exists. Current settings live in config/pixelmon/ as separate .yml files: spawning/general.yml for shiny and hidden ability rates, storage.yml for PC boxes and async saving, battle.yml for battle rules, spawning/legendary.yml for legendary timing. Change them on the server, not the client, and restart.

One setting worth deciding early is spawn-mode in spawning/pokeloot.yml. The default is first come first served, which on a shared server means the first player to find each PokeLoot chest empties it permanently.

Java and updating

Pixelmon 9.3.0 and above require Java 21, which the panel selects for you. Updating within the same Minecraft version is the newer build from the Modpacks tab. Every player has to run exactly the server's Pixelmon version or they are rejected on connect, so update the group together.

Install

One click

Pick Pixelmon in the Modpacks tab and the panel sets NeoForge 1.21.1 and Java 21 for you.

Players

Same build for everyone

Every player needs exactly the server's Pixelmon version, or the server refuses them on connect.

Spawns

Entity caps are your budget

entities-per-player and maximum-spawned-pokemon in wild.yml decide how the server performs under load.

How to install Pixelmon on your server

1
Order the server
The button on this page preselects the RAM this pack needs. It is online about a minute after checkout.
2
Open the Modpacks tab and search Pixelmon
Search for Pixelmon in the Modpacks tab, pick The Pixelmon Modpack from CurseForge and choose the build your players run. Everyone needs exactly the same Pixelmon version as the server.
3
Press install and wait
The panel downloads the server pack, installs the loader and the right Java version, then restarts.
4
Join with the same build
Everyone installs the same pack build in their launcher, then connects to the address on the Overview tab.

Available builds

Build	Minecraft	Loader	Released	Installable
v9.4.2	1.21.1	NeoForge	Oct 22, 2026	Installable
v9.4.1	1.21.1	NeoForge	Sep 17, 2026	Installable
v9.4.0Beta	1.21.1	NeoForge	Aug 17, 2026	Installable
v9.3.16	1.21.1	NeoForge	May 5, 2026	Installable
v9.3.15Beta	1.21.1	NeoForge	Apr 19, 2026	Installable