How to Host a Pixelmon Reforged Server
Complete guide to hosting a Pixelmon Reforged server, covering Forge setup, external resource downloads, spawn configuration, and battle server optimization.
What Is Pixelmon Reforged?
Pixelmon Reforged is the community continuation of the original Pixelmon mod, which adds Pokemon to Minecraft. Players can catch, train, battle, and trade Pokemon in a fully 3D Minecraft world. The mod includes hundreds of Pokemon species, a complete battle system with moves, abilities, and type matchups, gym mechanics, and breeding. If you want to host Pixelmon Reforged server instances, you are setting up one of the most content-rich single mods in the Minecraft ecosystem.
Pixelmon Reforged runs on Forge and supports multiple Minecraft versions. The most active versions at time of writing target 1.16.5 and 1.20.1. Each version has different Pokemon rosters, features, and performance characteristics.
Server Requirements
To host Pixelmon Reforged server packs, you need Forge installed for your target Minecraft version. Pixelmon is a single mod, but it is a large one. The mod jar itself is over 500 MB because it bundles 3D models, textures, and data for hundreds of Pokemon.
| Players | Minimum RAM | Recommended RAM |
|---|---|---|
| 1 to 5 | 4 GB | 6 GB |
| 6 to 15 | 6 GB | 8 GB |
| 16 to 30 | 8 GB | 10 GB |
Pixelmon's RAM usage scales primarily with spawned Pokemon entities. Servers with high spawn rates or many active players will push toward the upper end. Use our RAM calculator for a tailored estimate.
Installation
Download the Pixelmon Reforged mod from the official Reforged website (not CurseForge, as Pixelmon distributes through its own site). Install Forge for your Minecraft version and place the Pixelmon jar in the mods/ folder.
On first boot, Pixelmon downloads additional resource files (model data, spawn data, lang files). This requires an active internet connection and can take a few minutes. If your server blocks outbound connections, the download will fail and Pixelmon will not work. Ensure your firewall allows outbound HTTPS.
Accept the EULA, set your JVM flags, and start the server. The first startup is slow due to the resource download and Forge registry setup. Subsequent boots are faster.
Spawn Configuration
Pixelmon's spawn system is highly configurable. To host Pixelmon Reforged server worlds that perform well, you should tune spawn rates based on your player count and hardware. Key config options in config/pixelmon.hocon include:
Pokemon.Pokemon-Spawning.maximumPokemonPerPlayer: Controls the max number of Pokemon spawned around each player. Lowering this reduces entity count and improves TPS.Pokemon.Pokemon-Spawning.pokemonSpawnRate: The tick interval between spawn attempts. Higher values (slower spawns) reduce server load.- Biome-specific spawn files in
config/pixelmon/spawning/: You can customize which Pokemon appear in which biomes, remove rare spawns, or add custom encounters.
Gym and Economy Setup
Many Pixelmon servers run gyms staffed by NPCs or players. Pixelmon includes NPC trainers, gym leaders, and shopkeepers that you can place and configure. Use Pixelmon's in-game NPC editor to create gym challenges with specific Pokemon teams, difficulty levels, and rewards.
For server economy, Pixelmon integrates with sidemod plugins that add shop systems, auction houses, and currency. Popular additions include PixelmonEconomyBridge for Forge economy integration and Reforged-specific sidepacks for breeding helpers and IV/EV displays.
Performance Optimization
Pokemon entities are the main performance concern when you host Pixelmon Reforged server environments. Each spawned Pokemon has AI, rendering data, and stat tracking. On busy servers, entity counts can climb quickly. Monitor with Spark and watch for entity tick times in the profiler output.
Pre-generate your world with Chunky to avoid combining terrain generation with Pokemon spawning. Keep the server view distance at 8 or lower. If TPS drops below 18, reduce the max Pokemon per player and increase spawn intervals.
For a different Pixelmon setup approach, see our RLCraft hosting guide for comparison on Forge server management. If you want to pair Pixelmon with additional mods, our adding mods guide covers the process.
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