Palworld
Release Date: January 19, 2024 Early Access
Action, TPP, sandbox, RPG elements, survival, online, indie games, co-op, crafting, Game Pass, multiplayer, singleplayer, internet
OpenCritic
Steam
A third-person survival action game with RPG elements. Palworld tasks us with traversing a beautiful world, catching creatures known as Pals and exploiting them in various ways. The game supports singleplayer and multiplayer.
Palworld is an action survival game with RPG elements, inspired by the iconic Pokemon series. It was developed by Pocketpair, an indie studio known for the warmly received Craftopia.
Plot
Palworld is set in a fictional world where humans co-exist with Pals, Pokemon-like creatures. The player must traverse the land and capture Pals to make use of their unique powers and abilities. It's up to us whether we'll treat them nicely or have them slave away before tossing them aside once their usefulness runs its course.
Mechanics
Palworld is a third-person game set in a large, diverse world. It consists of dense forests, beautiful plains, huge canyons and snowy wastelands.
As we explore the world, we catch Pals of different sizes, appearances and skills, using them in different ways. Some are great at constructing, others farming or processing resources, others can be mounted to traverse the world faster or defend ourselves from danger. With the help of our Pals we'll build camps, gradually creating more unusual structures (like pyramids and rockets), farm (with Pals taking care of sowing, watering and harvesting crops), clean up the base, build powerful factories and create automated production chains to produce various goods.
Over time, Pals can be bred and even cross-bred, creating new species. We can also encounter rare, endangered creatures. Though capturing and selling them is prohibited by law, it's a good way to get rich, as long as we don't get caught. As to how we treat our Pals - the more we exploit them, the shorter they'll live. Treated well, they work less efficiently but live longer.
Palworld is full of danger - changing weather, hostile humans and monsters. We can defend ourselves using weapons crafted in our factories. Backed into a corner, we'll need to run and have our Pals stay behind to slow down the pursuers. As befitting a survival game, our character has needs we must fulfill. If we run out of food, one of our Pals might just do the trick...
Game modes
Palworld supports singleplayer and multiplayer, both cooperative and competitive.
Technical aspects
Palworld features high-quality graphics, its artstyle resembling that of a Pixar movie.
Last Update: February 20, 2024
Palworld map and guide
Palworld guide is mainly an interactive map where we marked all pals, alpha pals, Eggs, Treasure Chests, Limfunk Efiigy, fast travel, dungeons, merchants, NPCs, bosses and a bunch of usefull hints.
Videos and Screens
[1:24] Palworld - Crossplay Update Trailer
[2:25] Palworld - Spring Festival Skins Trailer
GamingBolt: 7 / 10 by Ravi Sinha
Palworld is equal parts charming and dark, with a massive world and no restrictions on exploration. Combat needs some fine-tuning and the survival crafting may not be for everyone, but it's early access release is a solid starting point.
VideoGamer: 5 / 10 by Tom Bardwell
Palworld is a game of bare minimums, unscrupulous and soulless, designed by the numbers to hit all the right notes to keep you hooked on its addictive catch-grind-craft loop.
Smash Jump: 8 / 10 by Julian Barber
Palworld, even in its early access state, has far exceeded the expectations I had set for the game. The exploration can feel challenging but fair, and the rewarding feeling you get from leveling up your base or catching a Pal with an extremely low catch rate is amazing. Even with the fairly easy late-game Pal grabbing existing and multiplayer experience not being perfect, I can confidently say that Palworld is definitely shaping up to be something special.
The main pros of the game
- Fun and Engaging Gameplay: Many users describe the game as addictive and enjoyable, with a mix of creature collection, crafting, and survival elements that keep players engaged for long hours.
- Regular Updates: Players appreciate the frequent updates and bug fixes, which improve gameplay and introduce new content, enhancing the overall experience.
- Customization and Flexibility: The ability to adjust game settings, personalize difficulty, and play in various styles (solo or co-op) is highly praised.
- Charming Aesthetics: The colorful graphics and appealing creature designs contribute to the game's charm, making it visually enjoyable.
- Innovative Mechanics: Several reviews highlight the unique blend of features, such as base building, resource management, and the ability to capture both creatures and human enemies, which sets it apart from traditional Pokémon games.
The main cons of the game
- Bugs and Technical Issues: Users frequently mention glitches, crashes, and AI pathfinding problems, particularly related to base building and the behavior of Pals.
- Grindiness: Some players express frustration with resource gathering and the grind associated with late-game progression, indicating that it can become tedious.
- Comparison to Pokémon: While many enjoy the game's take on creature collection, others feel it leans too heavily on Pokémon's formula, leading to mixed feelings about originality.
- Lack of Cross-Play: Players have noted the absence of cross-platform play as a limitation, which restricts multiplayer options.
The features or elements that are missing from the game according to users
- Improved Base Building Mechanics: Users desire better functionality in the base building system, including AI improvements for Pals and more intuitive placement options.
- Healing Mechanisms: Some players wish for a system similar to Pokémon's Poké Centers for healing Pals without needing to store them in a PC.
- More Story and Depth: A few reviews mention the lack of a coherent storyline and narrative depth, suggesting that the game could benefit from more engaging lore and character development.
- Quality of Life Improvements: Players have requested various quality of life updates, such as better resource management systems and bug fixes to enhance the overall gameplay experience.
Summary
- Overall, "Palworld" is viewed positively by users, with many enjoying its unique blend of genres and engaging mechanics, despite some technical issues and areas for improvement.
Summary generated on:
GAMERS Score
Average score from 93 votes. 227 players anticipated the game.
Palworld Summary
Platforms:
PC / Windows January 19, 2024
PlayStation 5 September 25, 2024
Xbox Series X/S January 19, 2024
Xbox One January 19, 2024
Developer: Pocketpair
Publisher: Pocketpair
Age restrictions: 12+
Palworld System Requirements
PC / Windows
Minimum: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4 GHz, 16 GB RAM, graphic card 2 GB GeForce GTX 1050 or better, 40 GB SSD, Windows 10 64-bit
Recommended: Intel Core i9-9900K 3.6 GHz, 32 GB RAM, graphic card 8 GB GeForce RTX 2070 or better, 40 GB SSD, Windows 10/11 64-bit
Major update to Palworld brings crossplay to all platforms
Today marks the 0.5.0 update for Palworld, which introduces crossplay across all platforms. But that's not all, there are several exciting new features as well.
video games
Matt Buckley
March 19, 2025
„This was a very sad day.” Hit survival game devs address Nintendo lawsuit and recall Palworld's insane launch
During a Game Developers Conference panel, the developers of Palworld recalled the game's release and talked about their reaction to the lawsuit from Nintendo.
video games
Adrian Werner
March 19, 2025
Crossplay date confirmed. Palworld’s next big update arrives in March, paving the way for full launch
Palworld’s future just got clearer. Here’s what’s coming next.
video games
Olga Racinowska
March 12, 2025
32 million players played open-world survival game. Palworld accomplished that one year after its phenomenal 2024 launch
Palworld is now more than a year old and 32 million players have gone on an expedition with their Pals.
video games
Jacob Blazewicz
February 20, 2025
Pokemon May Be Gearing Up to Sue Palworld in the US Too
A new patent filed by Nintendo similar to the Japanese patents used to sue Palworld could hint that Pokemon intends to bring the lawsuit to the US.
video games
Matt Buckley
February 13, 2025
Palworld Developer Flooded With Responses To Publishing Announcement
Just 15 hours after Palworld Developer Pocketpair announced their publishing arm, they have received an overwhelming number of responses.
video games
Matt Buckley
January 27, 2025
Today’s Palworld update fixes many bugs. 0.4.13 Patch is here
The new patch to Palworld was released a few hours ago. It fixes a lot of bugs.
How to
Damian Gacek
January 15, 2025
Where to find Nightstar Sand in Palworld. New Faybreak update resource is highly useful
Learn how to find Nightstar Sand in Palworld following the latest Feybreak update. This glowing new material is essential for crafting powerful gear.
How to
Olga Racinowska
December 23, 2024
How to get Predator Core in Palworld to make Meowmere from Terraria
The Terraria and Palworld collab has just dropped! To create the new Meowmere weapon, though, you’ll need some Predator Core.
How to
Olga Racinowska
December 23, 2024
Palworld not lanuching after Feybreak update - how to fix the issue
If after the Feybreak update Palworld doesn't launch for you anymore, we have a fix that will allow you to jump back and explore the world of Pals again.
How to
Aleksander Kartasinski
December 23, 2024