Palworld dev celebrates "staggering" Steam response to 1.0, proving lightning can strike twice

It's safe to say that Palworld has still got the magic. Two and a half years ago, the charming open-world creature collector with sinister undertones skyrocketed its way into the history books, reaching the second-highest player count peak on Steam of all time (a feat only topped since by Black Myth Wukong). Now, Palworld 1.0 has finally arrived, and the full release proves the survival game is no mere one-hit wonder, leaving developer Pocketpair celebrating once more as its concurrent users threaten to reach seven digits for a second time around.

"I promise I'll try not to just be posting Steam numbers every day, but… really, thank you so much, gamers," Community Manager John 'Bucky' Buckley writes via social media. At the time of writing, Palworld 1.0 has a peak concurrent player count of 855,525. It's not quite the 2.1 million of its early access release, but it's a figure that only 13 other games have ever reached on Valve's platform, and a welcome affirmation for the developer that players have come to appreciate the substance beyond the initial novelty of whether its Pal designs bore too much similarity to Pokémon.

Nintendo's lawsuit against Pocketpair is quietly rolling on behind the scenes, with the presentation of evidence currently expected to take place in October. In the wake of the legal action, Palworld adjusted some of its features such as Pal Spheres and the ability to ride your companions through the sky. As part of the 1.0 update, several Pals also saw slight visual redesigns, although newcomers such as Hoodle suggest the developer isn't too wary of adopting some broadly familiar themes.

Despite the background legislation, Pocketpair is very much looking ahead to the future, and it's clearly working. "Obviously, we had high expectations for 1.0 internally, but this is staggering," Bucky remarks. "We really hope you are enjoying your time in Palworld again. Thank you."

Speaking of new additions, Palworld 1.0 introduces a total of 72 extra Pals (bringing the total to 287), along with rebalancing across the entire roster. The player's level cap has gone up from 65 to 80, and there are all-new systems, such as 'Awakening' to bring out your Pals' true power, and 'Mutations' that cause newborn Pals to hatch with higher stats and unique passive abilities. Partner skills and passives have been overhauled, and a fresh suite of animations helps bring out your companions' personalities.

The list just keeps going and going. There's the floating lands of Sunreach, an overhaul to Wildlife Sanctuaries, and an enhanced and expanded story that leads to the secrets of the World Tree. A wide range of new weapons and equipment is up for grabs, along with plenty more building parts, and there are improvements to the crafting interface and the behavior of Pals who are helping you with labor tasks. In-game voice chat. Fresh visual polish. Reworked raids. Pocketpair hasn't missed an inch, and the results are clear.

All of that, and Pocketpair didn't even increase the price. There was no question in my mind that Palworld's 1.0 launch would bring plenty of players back to the game. I would have been much more tentative about predicting it doing so in quite such spectacular fashion, however, although I'm glad to see it. If you've been considering joining in on the action, there's a discount available right now to make it yet more tempting.

Palworld is 30% through Thursday July 23, meaning you'll pay just $20.99 / £17.49 for your copy. Will this weekend's huge player surge be the highest it reaches, or could we see Palworld climb even further in the weeks to come? I certainly wouldn't rule it out.