It’s funny how time flies – over two years ago, Palworld was the hottest game on the market, despite launching in early access and having numerous issues. Call it the desire for an expansive 3D creature-collecting title after constant disappointment with Pokemon, but there was something intangible about Pocketpair’s formula of survival crafting and open-world exploration. So much so that it sold two million copies in its first 24 hours, eventually crossed 2.1 million concurrent players on Steam alone, and within a month, hit 25 million players with Xbox included. In that time, it truly felt like a Pal’s world, and we were all just living in it…with the odd human captive or three in tow. In an environment where live-service games not named Helldivers 2 were crashing left and right, and the triple-A industry suddenly going on about quadruple-A, it was a breath of fresh air.
A few days before leaving early access, Pocketpair announced that Palworld had crossed 40 million players. It’s almost easy to forget about its existence, especially since its concurrent numbers hovered around the 50,000 mark on Steam. Claims of “dead game” and “flash in the pan” were thrown, but the fact that it wasn’t trying to be the next big live-service obsession or effectively exhaust its small development team with constant content updates made it that much more endearing. And unbeknownst to most, it became a reason to wait until 1.0.
Fast forward to now. Palworld has been out of early access for four days. Most players, who opted to start over, haven’t even reached the late-game World Tree – the ending scenario meant to encapsulate this years-long adventure. Topping out at almost 500,000 peak concurrent players on Steam at launch, it rose to an even more astounding 855,525 on July 12th. You would think it’d drop heavily as the new week began, but no – Palworld still clocked an impressive 825,513 concurrent players on July 13th. Xbox is similarly impressive, with TrueAchievements reporting a 400 percent player boost on Xbox based on Game Trends data – enough to place it in 12th behind the likes of Minecraft, Fortnite, Forza Horizon 6 and whatnot.
Obligatory “not bad for a dead game” – especially one made on a $6.7 million budget which that made back several times over. But while it’s to be expected for a popular title leaving early access, there’s also the sheer magnitude of 1.0. I initially laughed when publishing manager John Buckley claimed he was losing his mind over the 27 pages of patch notes he had to edit. Then I went through the changelog firsthand and went from impressed to downright concerned at the sheer amount of everything there.
Besides Sunreach, the new region, and the World Tree, the world itself had undergone radical changes. Looking back at the comparisons to Elden Ring and The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, we now have watchtowers that expose more of the map and serve as fast travel points, complete with an Assassin’s Creed-style panning view. Ancient Ruins dot the landscape, awarding schematics; new Settlements abound with NPCs and fresh missions; seven new small islands lay in wait, each with a distinct biome and Pals.
Oh, and speaking of Pals, there are 72 more to collect, from the 47 newcomers to the 25 variants. While mechanics like Awakening remain an end-game goal to strengthen your Pals, Mutation incentivizes breeding all the more for the chance at a Pal with a unique passive and stronger stats. And really, it just goes on from there. New Partner Skills that facilitate even more extensive builds, including one for fishing (which arrived more than a year after early access began); new Passives, including Skills gained exclusively from the World Tree; improvements to riding; sweeping improvements to combat; new equipment and weapons; dozens of new accessories – and we’re only roughly halfway through the list.
It’s absurd, and if you’ve stayed away from the game until now, that doesn’t account for all the content added with Sakurajima, Feybreak, the crossplay update, Tides of Terraria, and Home Sweet Home. Or the story overhaul and narrative thread that finally ties everything together in 1.0.
So right away, you can deduce that the millions who enjoyed Palworld the first time around are having a blast reacquainting themselves with the basics (catch Pals, force Pals into hard labor, profit, etc). But more importantly, 1.0 echoes a feeling that always existed since early access began, and one that’s helped the game retain an insanely positive rating on Steam.
Yes, the contrast between the cartoony Pals and the realistic environments, juxtaposed against some of the heinous stuff that can be done – a strict no-no in Pokémon games – remains as hilarious and darkly compelling as ever. The fact that you can explore this vast open world without any real restrictions, even if it means facing off against higher-level opponents, is still appealing, both due to the lack of creature-collecting titles and just how fun it is to explore.
Even if you’re not stuck in your base, attempting to make it the very best possible while developing different tools and repelling raids, there are dozens upon dozens upon dozens of hours to be lost by simply…well, getting lost. One minute you’re investigating a new region for Hardwood, the next you’re discovering all these different Pals and trying to capture them (potentially failing and running away after angering their buddies).
You could do as many other players have done and simply pursue the story route of trying to conquer each Tower where rival masters await (beware, though, because they’ve been revamped with new skills and tactics). You may try to capture every single Pal in the game, and spend hours retooling and optimizing them to be the very best. They’re like an extension of your very being, whether it’s in combat or base-building, rather than pocket monsters to be thrown away when the next Shiny rolls around. And if you want to play that way, no one is stopping you, but the rewards from investing and developing your Pals are pretty significant. Keep in mind that all of the above is before co-op is factored in, much less harder difficulties that can really ramp up the survival experience to nightmarish levels.
Despite all this, I feel like I haven’t fully encapsulated why Palworld has been so addictive. But one thing is for sure, and it’s been simmering since early access. The sentiment that this is simply more than Pokemon with guns (and crossbows, and heavy ordinance, and so on). Or that it’s Satisfactory with Pals, which is what the original idea seemed to be. Or that it’s mindlessly aping all these other open-world titles without any clear sense of direction or purpose, even if clear influences can be spotted all around. Welcome back, Sky Islands. We’ve missed you.
Back when early access began, Palworld was considered by many to be a “guilty pleasure” – a game that you found yourself spending time with, even if it felt off in many ways. Whether it’s overcome that tag or not in the eyes of the tens of millions of players out there, either now or in the long term when they finally decide to revisit Palpagos Islands, there’s no denying that it’s been an incredible journey thus far. Where the franchise goes from here is anyone’s guess, but for now, 1.0 offers a brand new beginning that’s simply impossible to resist for just about every type of player.
Note: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of, and should not be attributed to, GamingBolt as an organization.
