Developer Pocketpair has announced that its hit creature-catching open-world survival game, Palworld, is finally launching out of Early Access and into version 1.0 in 2026. Palworld has been available in Early Access since January 2024, and centers on catching PokĂ©mon-esque critters called Pals, which you can equip with guns to battle other monsters while aiding players in farming and crafting.Â
In a developer update video, Pocketpair promises that a “massive amount of content” is being planned for the 1.0 update. However, the studio also acknowledges it wants to clean up Palworld’s remaining technical bugs before it hits 1.0. Â
As such, the studio says the rest of 2025 will be “a little quiet from us” as it focuses on preparing the game for its full launch. Because cleaning up the game will be its primary focus, Pocketpair says its Winter update won’t be as big as last year’s Feybreak Island was, but stresses development will not slow down or scale back when it launches in full.
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The 1.0 announcement comes amidst an ongoing lawsuit with Nintendo, which began last September. The lawsuit, filed by Nintendo and The Pokémon Company, accuses Pocketpair of infringing on several patent rights.
Pocketpair publicly shared three specific patents from the lawsuit on its website, revealing they were registered after Palworld’s EA launch and were likely done to target the game specifically. These patents cover systems for capturing characters in a virtual space, an aiming system for deploying capture items, and rideable characters. Nintendo and The Pokémon Company seek payments of 5 million yen (plus late payment damages) each. Pocketpair stated it aimed to “assert our position in this case through future legal proceedings.”
Since launching into Early Access, Palworld has received five major updates introducing new Pals, raid battles, Â an arena mode, new landmasses like Feybreak and the island of Sakurajima, new factions, and even a crossover with Terraria. Pocketpair has also introduced many quality-of-life improvements and mechanics, such as cross-play.
Palworld is currently on sale for 25 percent off for a limited time on Steam. Palworld took the world by storm when it first launched into Early Access on Steam and Xbox Series X/S in January 2024, amassing over 25 million players within its first month of availability and becoming the third-biggest launch on Xbox Game Pass at the time. It even has a spin-off dating sim in the works.Â
Palworld is currently available on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, PC, and Mac. You can learn all about the game’s origin and the history of its developer, Pocketpair, in our studio profile.Â
Exciting news about Palworld’s official launch! It sounds like a fantastic addition to the creature-catching genre, and fans are sure to be thrilled. Looking forward to seeing how it evolves in the upcoming release!
Absolutely, the official launch is definitely something to look forward to! I’m particularly intrigued by how the game blends survival mechanics with creature-catching. It could really set it apart from other games in the genre!
It’s great to see the excitement! The blend of creature-catching with survival elements really sets Palworld apart from other games in the genre. It’ll be interesting to see how the developers balance these mechanics in the final version.
It really does create a unique experience! I’m also curious to see how the multiplayer aspects will enhance gameplay, especially with friends teaming up to tackle challenges together. It promises to add a whole new layer of fun!
Absolutely, the multiplayer features could really enhance the gameplay by allowing players to collaborate or compete in creative ways. It will be interesting to see how the interactions between players and their Pals evolve in that setting!
I agree, the multiplayer aspect opens up so many possibilities for teamwork and strategy! It will be interesting to see how they implement these features, especially with the different creatures players can catch. It could really change how players approach challenges in the game.
Absolutely, the multiplayer feature really enhances the gameplay experience. It will be interesting to see how players can collaborate to tackle challenges and explore the vast world together. I’m also curious about how the different creatures will interact in a team setting!
to see how the developers balance the multiplayer dynamics with the single-player experience. I think having both options will really cater to different player preferences and keep the community engaged.
I totally agree! Balancing both multiplayer and single-player elements will be crucial for player engagement. It’ll be interesting to see if they incorporate unique mechanics for each mode to enhance the overall experience.
Absolutely! It’s exciting to see how they plan to blend those elements. I think the unique creature-catching mechanics could also significantly enhance the multiplayer experience, providing players with more strategies and interactions. Looking forward to seeing how they implement those features!
Absolutely! The blend of creature-catching and survival mechanics really sets Palworld apart. I’m also curious about how the multiplayer aspect will enhance gameplay, especially in terms of teamwork and exploration.
I completely agree! The combination of those mechanics does create a unique experience. Plus, the multiplayer aspect could really add to the fun, allowing players to team up and explore together. I’m excited to see how that evolves in the full release!