Palworld, an open-world survival and crafting game dubbed “Pokémon with Guns” by fans following its announcement in 2021, has finally received an Early Access release date of January 19, 2024. Palworld is developed by Pocketpair, a Japanese game company best known for the open-world crafting game Craftopia.
When Palworld’s first trailer was released in 2021, the game was initially presented as a Pokémon-esque pet collecting game where players can catch and raise their “pals.” However, players were quickly met with a surprising twist: modern firearms, forcing Pals into factories and poaching are all key features of Palworld. According to the official Steam page for the game,
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!
Palworld will be coming to Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, and PC on January 19, 2024 for Early Access at 12:00, as well as being available on Xbox Game Pass at the same time. Many players were surprised to hear that the game would be available on Xbox Game Pass on release day, but the early addition of Palworld may encourage more players to try the monster-collecting game.
The official Release Date Announcement Trailer, released on January 9th, features several updated and new mechanics and features, including newly introduced human characters, adorable-looking Pal designs, and, of course, firearm combat.Although the main draw of Palworld may be its edgy take on Pokémon, crafting and resource management will be key features as well. According to Pocketpair, Palworld will support online multiplayer for up to four players alongside special 32-player servers available at launch. Pocketpair also stated that they expect Palworld to remain in Early Access for at least a year, with plans to add more content including new pals, buildings and gameplay features.