Pokémon-Like Palworld Gets Release Date and Final Trailer

Palworld immediately turned heads when it was revealed because the game bears a striking resemblance to Pokémon. However, it’s not a simple pocket monster clone, as Palworld plans to go deep into the survival genre to make a grittier version of Nintendo’s cash cow. Plus, you can give the monsters in Palworld guns, which is not something you should ever expect to see in a future Pokémon title. Since the initial announcement, the developers at Pocketpair have dropped several trailers but have yet to announce a release date. That all changed on January 9 when the team revealed that Palworld is officially launching later this month.

Palworld Release Date Trailer

In the new release date trailer, it’s revealed that Palworld is due out on January 19. That’s just a few short days away, and the best news is that the game will be launching on Xbox Game Pass. That means both Xbox Series X/S and PC players will be able to pick up the game next Friday and hop into the Pal-filled world alongside their friends.

It is worth noting that Palworld won’t launch as a completely finished product. This is the early access launch, so players should expect things to change relatively often throughout continued development. That said, Palworld will launch with over 100 Pals to collect, meaning there won’t be a lack of things to do. Instead, players should assume that the game will only get larger and more refined over the next several months while Pocketpair finishes up development.

What is Palworld?

As mentioned, Palworld is similar to Pokémon in that you’re catching monsters and can use them in battle. That’s essentially where the comparisons end. Unlike Pokémon, Palworld emphasizes survival gameplay. You’re not just using your Pals to fight each other in battle, you can also use them to help you build farms and factories to improve your odds of survival. Of course, you’ll want to find Pals whose skills fit each building if you want to get the most out of them. 

For example, if you’re building a factory that uses steam, you’ll want to make sure it’s being run by fire-based Pals. And, water Pals would make an excellent addition to a farm because they can keep your crops watered without much effort. Basically, the goal is to use your Pals to automate each building and keep your little slice of the world safe and sound.

There are still dungeons to explore with your Pals that hide key rewards. Importantly, you’ll be able to explore the open world with up to 32 other players. At launch, PvP won’t be available, but it is coming in a future update. Speaking of the future, we also know that Palworld has plans to increase the number of players per server, though the team hasn’t given a specific number.

Palworld launches on Xbox Series X/S and PC on January 19.