Palworld will look very familiar to anyone familiar with Pokemon, and that’s on purpose. Developer Pocketpair has taken the monster-collecting genre Pokemon has been famous for and put their own spin on it. Instead of bonding with Pokemon, you can use them as companions and transportation, or as a food source and slave labor. They can use guns and other high-powered weaponry, they can build farms and homesteads, work in factories, and you can breed and adventure with them as well.

In multiplayer, you can trade, battle, or adventure together with up to four players in co-op.

Nintendo has tried everything in their power to stop Palworld from releasing. They’ve sued Pocketpair and even trademarked gameplay mechanics both games have in common. Since Palworld was in Early Access and unfinished, Pocketpair simply removed or altered the mechanics in question and continued development. At that point, Nintendo had little legal footing to stand on.

Palworld has been incredibly popular and one of the most-played games on Steam since its full release, hitting over 850,000 players on its opening weekend. Pocketpair will undoubtedly continue to support the game with updates and expansion in the months ahead, but whether Nintendo allows the game to be released for Switch 2 in the future will be interesting to watch.

Palworld is out now for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC. Check out the launch trailer below:

Q. What kind of game is this?

A. In this game, you can peacefully live alongside mysterious creatures known as Pals or risk your life to drive off a ruthless poaching syndicate.

Pals can be used to fight, or they can be made to work on farms or factories.
You can even sell them or eat them!

Survival
In a harsh environment where food is scarce and vicious poachers roam, danger waits around every corner. To survive, you must tread carefully and make difficult choices…even if that means eating your own Pals when the time comes.

Mounts & Exploration
Pals can be mounted to traverse the land, sea and sky—allowing you to traverse all kinds of environment as you explore the world.

Building Structures
Want to build a pyramid? Put an army of Pals on the job. Don’t worry; there are no labor laws for Pals.

Production
Make use of Pals and their skills to make fire, generate electricity, or mine ore so that you can live a life of comfort.

Farming
Some Pals are good at planting seeds, while others are skilled at watering or harvesting crops. Work together with your Pals to create an idyllic farmstead.

Factories & Automation
Letting Pals do the work is the key to automation. Build a factory, place a Pal in it, and they’ll keep working as long as they’re fed—until they’re dead, that is.

Dungeon Exploration
With Pals on your side you can tackle even the most dangerous areas. When the time comes, you might have to sacrifice one to save your skin. They’ll protect your life—even if it costs their own.

Breeding & Genetics
Breed a Pal and it will inherit the characteristics of its parents. Combine rare pals to create the strongest Pal of them all!

Poaching & Crime
Endangered Pals live in wildlife sanctuaries. Sneak in and capture rare Pals to get rich quick! It’s not a crime if you don’t get caught, after all.

Multiplayer
Multiplayer is supported, so invite a friend and go on an adventure together! And of course you can battle your friends and trade Pals, too.

In online co-op play mode, up to 4 players can play together.
Additionally, a dedicated server can allow up to 32 players to play together.

[Steam]