There was a point where it felt impossible to scroll through social media without seeing Palworld mentioned. Whether it was the now-famous “Pokémon with guns” comparisons, outrageous Pal-powered factories or stories of players disappearing into its world for hundreds of hours, Pocketpair’s survival hit quickly became one of gaming’s biggest success stories.
Now, after a hugely successful spell in Early Access, Palworld has officially reached full release on Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5 and PC, remaining available day one through Game Pass.
If you’ve somehow managed to avoid it until now, there’s never been a better time to discover what all the fuss has been about.
At a Glance
- Game: Palworld
- Developer: Pocketpair
- Publisher: Pocketpair
- Platforms: Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, PC, Xbox Play Anywhere
- Game Pass: Yes – Ultimate, Premium and PC tiers
- Price: £24.99 (or included with Game Pass)
- Genre: Open-world Survival, Crafting, Creature Collection
More Than “Pokémon With Guns”
The nickname might have helped Palworld explode into the spotlight, but it never really told the full story.
Yes, you’ll collect dozens of creatures known as Pals, but before long you’re building sprawling settlements, exploring huge landscapes, crafting increasingly powerful equipment and creating automated production lines powered almost entirely by your workforce of loyal (or perhaps unwilling) companions.
It’s this combination of survival, base building, exploration and creature collecting that helped Palworld carve out its own identity during its Early Access period.
Back when we first jumped into the Game Preview version, we came away impressed by just how much there already was to do. As we said at the time: “There is so much to do in Palworld that the ‘Pokemon with guns’ epithet doesn’t do it any favours… Give it a try if you want something a bit different – just be ready for Palworld to really sink its claws into you.“
With the full release now here, that feeling only rings truer.
Build, Explore and Let Your Pals Do the Heavy Lifting
Survival remains at the heart of the experience, but it’s how your Pals fit into every system that makes Palworld stand apart.
They’ll fight alongside you against dangerous enemies, help explore land, sea and sky as mounts, work on your farms, harvest resources, generate electricity, mine valuable materials and keep your production lines running while you’re off adventuring elsewhere.
You’ll also breed stronger Pals, uncover increasingly rare species, tackle dangerous dungeons and slowly transform a humble camp into an industrial powerhouse.
Whether you prefer playing solo or alongside friends, there’s plenty of flexibility too, with four-player online co-op supported alongside dedicated servers capable of hosting up to 32 players.
Years of Updates Lead to Version 1.0
Launching into Early Access gave Pocketpair the opportunity to continually expand Palworld based on community feedback, adding new Pals, regions, mechanics, quality-of-life improvements and fresh content over the past couple of years. The move to a full release represents the biggest milestone yet, delivering the complete version of one of the most talked-about survival games of recent years.
If you’re starting fresh, it’s also worth checking out our 6 Things I Wish I’d Known When I Started Playing Palworld guide, packed with useful advice that’ll save newcomers from making some very avoidable mistakes during those crucial opening hours.
A Perfect Time to Jump In
The fact that Palworld remains available through Game Pass Ultimate, Premium and PC makes this an easy recommendation for subscribers. If you’ve been waiting for the game to leave Early Access before diving in, that wait is finally over. And that means our full review of how this one plays will be on the way soon.
For everyone else, the £24.99 asking price (from the Xbox Store) still represents a substantial amount of content, especially if you enjoy survival games that reward creativity, exploration and experimentation.
With years of development behind it and a passionate community already established, Palworld finally feels ready to move beyond being gaming’s biggest Early Access success story and become one of the genre’s defining releases.
