Since it launched in Early Access at the beginning of 2024, Palworld has maintained a presence as one of the biggest games of the past few years. After hitting record-breaking Steam player numbers and controversial tension with The Pokemon Company, the full release Palworld has been highly anticipated by its fan base.
Thankfully, it looks like the wait for Palworld 1.0 is drawing to a close, as developer Pocketpair Inc. recently confirmed that the game is set to finally leave Early Access in 2026. While there isn’t an official release date set in stone yet, it’s a welcome update for a lot of players who have been patiently waiting for the full product. Leaving Early Access is a huge step, and while it will mark the end of one era, it’s likely to be the exciting beginning of another.
Palworld 1.0 is Unlikely to Mark the End of the Game's Growth
Early Access Has Set Certain Expectations
Consistent updates are part of the Early Access model, as it introduces fresh content in order to craft the final product. However, it has now also become part of the overall Palworld experience. Of course, it’s possible that Pocketpair Inc. steers clear from offering big updates after the full launch, but that would be incredibly surprising at this point, especially when the developer has made its updates a go-to method of continuing the hype. Palworld 1.0 is going to be a huge moment for the game, and while this launch is bound to bring its own offering of extra content, it may simply be the start of a long post-launch life.
Pocketpair’s communications director and publishing manager, John “Bucky” Buckley, confirmed that 1.0 would be huge, stating, “a truly massive amount of content” would be coming to Palworld. For this to be such an important milestone, that makes sense, but beyond that, Pocketpair has set itself up to continue drawing in players with not only new updates, but crossovers, as well.
After hitting record-breaking Steam player numbers and controversial tension with The Pokemon Company, the full release Palworld has been highly anticipated by its fan base.
Pocketpair Inc. also just announced Palworld: Palfarm, a life sim set in the franchise’s universe. Like a blend between Animal Crossing and Stardew Valley, players will tend to a farm while interacting with various NPCs in the community.
Palworld's First Crossover Sets the Stage for More
- Palworld‘s collaboration with Terraria, Tides of Terraria, was released on June 25 earlier this year.
- The crossover introduced creatures, enemies, and weapons from Terraria to Palworld.
Terraria is one of the biggest indie games of the 21st century, and its crossover with Palworld proved to be a significant moment for the monster-taming survival game. Despite its indie status, Terraria is no longer a small name in the industry, so teaming up with Palworld demonstrated just how ambitious Pocketpair is willing to be with future content.
Like Palworld 1.0, Palworld: Palfarm also does not have a set release date.
Now that the stage has been set for other crossovers to happen down the road, it would be surprising if Palworld didn’t bring more collaborations to the game after it enters Full Access. Leading up to version 1.0, Palworld‘s upcoming updates may be smaller in scope until then, but the survival title has plenty of other indie franchises it could collaborate with after its full launch.
Only time will tell what those other crossovers happen to be, though. There’s even the possibility that Palworld could team up with a AAA series eventually, but that remains to be seen. Until then, Palworld has exciting plans in store, and its post-Early Access life has a lot of potential that is hopefully seen through.