After two years in Early Access, developer PocketPair has fully released open world creature collector Palworld. Palworld 1.0 is a major update, adding dozens of new Pals, a major rework of the main story, a new set of floating islands, and much more.
There’s so much new stuff that the developer recommends all players start over with a fresh save for Palworld 1.0.
The story rework improves the general flow of exploring Palpagos and fighting tower bosses while working toward the new World Tree. Players can also explore the new floating islands known as Sunreach, home to new Pals, tower bosses, and special ore that produces highly specialized equipment.
To help survive these new areas, the player cap has been raised from 65 to 80.
Plus, new watchtowers, small islands, small settlements, and Ancient Ruins have been sprinkled across the world, alongside enemy bases at sea.
A total of 72 new Pals have been added with 1.0, bringing the total number to 287. Partner Skills have also been reworked and adjusted for over 200 Pals, and players can Awaken their Pals at the World Tree, unlocking hidden powers.
The new version also adds dozens of new weapons, armor, and accessories (which appear to be mostly late-game stuff, like laser swords and grenade launchers!), including a fancy Wing Pack glider.
For a full list of the astonishing amount of updates, improvements, and reworks, check out the full 1.0 changelog.
Just ahead of the 1.0 launch, Pocketpair celebrated 40 million players, which is pretty darn wild. In 2024, Palworld infamously launched in Early Access on Steam and Xbox, racking in over 2 million concurrent players and breaking records on Steam.
The open world game cleverly combines the survival crafting genre with that of a Pokémon-like creature collector. Over the months and years, the game received several major quality updates. After only a few hours at 1.0, Palworld is already enjoying nearly half a million players.
Palworld is available on PC, Mac, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S, and rated T for Teen.
