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To hatch Palworld eggs faster, lower Time (h) to incubate Massive Egg in your world’s custom settings before loading the save. The current setting accepts 0 to 240 hours; 0 makes eggs incubate instantly. The label may say “Massive Egg” even though current game terminology commonly calls the largest eggs “Huge Eggs.”
On a dedicated server, edit PalEggDefaultHatchingTime in the active PalWorldSettings.ini, then restart the server. Do not edit DefaultPalWorldSettings.ini alone: it is only the template and does not change the running server.
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What controls egg hatching time?
Palworld uses one main world or server setting for incubation duration. It is expressed against the largest egg size: the setting labelled Time (h) to incubate Massive Egg in a local world, or PalEggDefaultHatchingTime in a dedicated-server configuration. A lower number means a shorter timer, and 0 removes the waiting period.
Egg size still matters. Huge (sometimes labelled Massive) eggs take the full configured duration. Smaller eggs hatch in less time because their timers scale down from that maximum. You therefore do not need separate settings for Small, Common, or other smaller egg categories.
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Temperature is a second, independent factor. The incubator’s displayed condition can speed or slow the timer without changing the world setting. An unsuitable temperature makes incubation slower; a campfire, heater, or cooler can bring the incubator into a better range.
Change the setting in a single-player or locally hosted world
Before you load the save
World settings are selected from the world-management screen, not from the incubator interface. Make the change before entering the world so the save loads with the new value.
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- From Palworld’s main menu, open the screen that lists your worlds.
- Select the world you want to change.
- Choose Change World Settings (the exact button wording can vary slightly by platform), then open the custom settings panel.
- Find Time (h) to incubate Massive Egg. If your version uses the newer name, treat “Massive Egg” as the largest or “Huge Egg” category.
- Move the value lower than its current number. The documented range is 0–240 hours.
- Save the world settings and load the save.
Choosing a value
| Value | Result | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | Eggs incubate instantly. | Testing breeding results, creative play, or a world where waiting is not part of the experience. |
| A small positive number | Eggs retain a short timer while hatching much faster than the default. | Players who want to preserve a progression step without long idle waits. |
| A mid-range number | Incubation remains a meaningful time gate. | Cooperative worlds where players want a moderate pace. |
| Up to 240 | Huge/Massive eggs can take as many as 240 configured hours. | Long-form progression or a deliberately slow server. |
The value is a duration in hours for the largest egg, not a percentage slider. For example, changing it from a high value to 2 gives Huge eggs a two-hour base timer; smaller eggs use shorter scaled timers. Setting it to 0 is the direct way to make incubation instantaneous.
What this setting does not change
- It does not change the day/night cycle. Day and night speed controls are separate world settings.
- It does not directly change egg temperature. Temperature must be corrected at each incubator.
- It does not require a different setting for each egg size; the largest-egg value is the anchor for the scaling.
Change egg speed on a dedicated server
Dedicated servers read their settings from the active PalWorldSettings.ini. Pocketpair’s official server guide (version 1.0.4) identifies the active Windows path as steamappscommonPalServerPalSavedConfigWindowsServerPalWorldSettings.ini. Other server platforms use the corresponding platform directory under PalSavedConfig<platform>Server.
Use the active file, not the default template
- Stop the dedicated server or ensure nobody is relying on it while you edit the configuration.
- Open the server installation directory.
- Go to
PalSavedConfig<platform>Server. On a Windows installation, the directory is normallyWindowsServer. - Open
DefaultPalWorldSettings.inionly as the source template if you need to create or restore the active configuration. The official guide instructs administrators to copy the default settings template into the active file. - Open the active
PalWorldSettings.ini. - Search for
PalEggDefaultHatchingTime. Change the number assigned to that parameter while preserving the surrounding configuration syntax. - Save
PalWorldSettings.ini. - Start or restart the server so it reads the updated value. If the server was already running, a file edit by itself does not reload the setting.
How the server parameter is measured
PalEggDefaultHatchingTime is measured in hours for a Huge egg. Smaller eggs hatch in less time through the same size scaling used by the world setting. It is therefore the dedicated-server equivalent of Time (h) to incubate Massive Egg, not a separate multiplier.
Keep a backup of the active file before changing it. If a later edit breaks the configuration syntax, restoring the previous copy is quicker than reconstructing every server option. The important distinction is that the running server reads PalWorldSettings.ini; changing only DefaultPalWorldSettings.ini will not apply the hatch-time change.
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If you want incubation to remain part of progression, use a short positive world value or server value and optimize the incubator’s temperature. Temperature is an in-game modifier layered on top of the configured duration.
Read the incubator’s condition
The incubator reports whether the egg is cold, hot, or comfortable. An unsuitable temperature slows incubation. A condition described as “Seems just a little cold/hot” is documented as a +50% incubation-speed effect, while “Seems very comfortable” provides +100% incubation speed.
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Correct cold or hot conditions
- Use a campfire or heater when the incubator reports that the egg is too cold.
- Use a cooler when the egg is too hot.
- Recheck the incubator after placing the heat or cooling source. The goal is the displayed comfortable condition, not merely having a device somewhere in the base.
Temperature optimization supplements the timer setting; it does not replace it. A perfectly comfortable incubator cannot override a long world or server duration, and setting the duration to 0 is still the direct route to instant hatching.
Which approach should you use?
| Approach | Where you change it | Effect | Trade-off |
|---|---|---|---|
| Local-world timer | Custom world settings before loading the save | Changes the incubation duration for that world; 0 is instant. | Applies to the selected local or locally hosted world rather than every server you join. |
| Dedicated-server timer | Active PalWorldSettings.ini |
Changes the server’s Huge/Massive-egg duration through PalEggDefaultHatchingTime. |
Requires file access and a server restart; editing the template alone has no effect. |
| Temperature optimization | In-game heat or cooling around each incubator | Can add the documented +50% or +100% incubation-speed condition. | Must be maintained per incubator and cannot substitute for an excessively long timer setting. |
Choose the local-world setting when you control a single save and want a quick adjustment. Choose the INI parameter when you administer a dedicated server and need one rule for everyone connected to it. Use temperature improvements when you want faster eggs but still want players to wait for a configured period.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Troubleshooting hatch-speed changes
The timer did not change in a local world
- Return to the world-selection screen and verify that you changed Time (h) to incubate Massive Egg, not a day/night or general gameplay-speed option.
- Confirm that the new value was saved before entering the world.
- Check the incubator’s temperature message. A cold or hot condition can make an otherwise shorter timer appear slow.
The dedicated server still uses the old duration
- Confirm the edit was made in the active
PalWorldSettings.iniunderPalSavedConfig<platform>Server. - Make sure you did not change only
DefaultPalWorldSettings.ini. That file is a template, not the live configuration. - Search the active file for the exact parameter name
PalEggDefaultHatchingTime. Editing another hatch, day/night, or gameplay multiplier will not change egg incubation. - Save the file and fully restart or reload the server. The new value is read when the server loads its configuration.
The egg is still slow after the timer was lowered
Inspect the temperature text on the incubator. The documented comfort effects are separate from the configured base duration, so add the appropriate campfire, heater, or cooler and check the condition again. Also verify that you changed the setting for the correct world or the correct server instance; editing a different installation does not affect the server you joined.
Players disagree about which setting to use
On a shared dedicated server, the server administrator’s PalEggDefaultHatchingTime controls the server’s configured duration. Individual players cannot replace that server value with a local-world setting while connected to the dedicated server. Agree on a positive duration if the group wants progression, or use 0 only when instant hatching is an intentional server rule.
Practical setup examples
Instant hatching for a test world
- Open the selected save’s custom world settings.
- Set Time (h) to incubate Massive Egg to 0.
- Save, load the world, and place the egg in an incubator.
This removes the incubation wait for the world. It is useful for checking breeding outcomes or building an experimental setup where time-gating is not desired.
A short but non-zero progression timer
- Choose a small positive number instead of 0 in the local world settings, or assign the corresponding value to
PalEggDefaultHatchingTimeon the dedicated server. - Keep the incubator at a comfortable temperature with the appropriate heat or cooling source.
- Use the largest egg as your reference when deciding whether the pace feels right; smaller eggs will finish sooner automatically.
This approach preserves a visible incubation step while avoiding the longest waits associated with a high Huge/Massive-egg duration.
A cooperative dedicated server
- Back up the existing active
PalWorldSettings.ini. - Copy the default settings template into the active file if the active configuration needs to be created or restored.
- Set
PalEggDefaultHatchingTimeto the group’s agreed duration. - Restart the server and have a player place a test egg in an incubator.
- Use temperature equipment to remove avoidable slowdowns without changing the shared timer again.
Important terminology and version notes
The setting name may use Massive Egg, while current player-facing terminology often says Huge Egg. In this context, both refer to the largest egg size used as the timing anchor. Do not mistake the wording difference for two separate controls.
The dedicated-server procedure described by Pocketpair’s official guide is version 1.0.4. Interface labels and installation paths can differ by platform or later game updates, but the operational distinction remains: edit the active server configuration, change PalEggDefaultHatchingTime, and restart so the server loads it.
Quick Recap
Quick checklist
- For a local world, change Time (h) to incubate Massive Egg before loading the save.
- Use a value from 0 to 240; 0 is instant hatching.
- For a dedicated server, edit
PalWorldSettings.iniunderPalSavedConfig<platform>Server. - Change
PalEggDefaultHatchingTime, which is measured in hours for a Huge/Massive egg. - Do not rely on edits to
DefaultPalWorldSettings.inialone. - Restart or reload the dedicated server after saving.
- Correct incubator temperature with a campfire, heater, or cooler when the egg is cold or hot.
- Remember that smaller eggs hatch in less time than the largest egg under the same setting.
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