Palworld Sells 1 Million Copies in First 8 Hours

Palworld is flying up the Steam charts, setting records along the way.

By Ricky Frech

Fans have been looking forward to Palworld's release date for years now, and it's finally here. Of course, this is the early access version of the game, meaning developer Pocketpair is actively working on new features for the "Pokémon with guns" survival game. And while there's still quite a ways for Palworld to go in terms of content, features, and stability, players are flocking to it in droves on launch day. Despite the game also being available on Xbox Game Pass, Palworld's official account confirmed today that the game sold over 1 million copies in just eight hours. 

Palworld Breaks Sales Records

The hype around Palworld has been at a fever pitch since the early access release date was announced, so it's not a huge surprise to see it performing well. That said, hitting the 1 million dollar mark in eight hours is incredibly impressive, especially considering it's available for no extra charge on Game Pass. Currently, Palworld sits atop the Steam Top-Sellers chart, instantly cementing its status as a break-out sales hit.

It's not only sales numbers where Palworld is impressing. It's not a revelation to say that if a game sells well, people are going to be playing it, but it's worth noting that Palworld is currently hovering around 370,000 concurrent players on Steam, putting it in third place behind Counter-Strike 2 and Dota 2 on that list. That number could grow as people hop in after work and school today, but even if it doesn't, it's an impressive milestone.

Remember, the last major Game Pass release was Starfield. There have been some other big releases since then, but Starfield had even more hype than Palworld. Today, Pocketpair's monster catcher blew Bethesda's space adventure out of the water in peak concurrents. Starfield maxed out at 330,000, and that was the Sunday after the game launched. Palworld is already well past that and still has the weekend in play.

It's clear that Palworld is a runaway sales hit for the team at Pocketpair. Of course, some think the game's Pal designs stray a little too close to the series that inspired it, but unless Game Freak brings a case, it doesn't seem like that's going to slow things down. And the developers are seemingly only getting started.

What's Next for Palworld?

As mentioned, Palworld is still in its early access period. The developers have told players that they are actively working on new features like PvP combat and the ability to trade Pals with other players. In a new Steam post, the team also noted that it is working on a "major building systems update," but didn't give any firm details about what to expect. Pocketpair also plans to add raid bosses that players will need to take on in groups.

Palworld is out now on Xbox and PC platforms.

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