Palworld is getting ready to leave early access.
Pocket Pair have revealed that Palworld will officially launch as Version 1.0 in 2026, marking the end of its time in early access. The news was shared on 16 September through the studio’s official X post and a video message on YouTube, where Pocket Pair communications director and publishing manager, ‘Bucky,’ confirmed:
“Our goal is to ultimately release Palworld next year in 2026,” Bucky said. “It’s no secret that Palworld has a lot of quirks and jank, and we want to take the time to properly address those before releasing the game. We think taking the time now to fix those problems will ultimately lead to a better game.”
A look back at Palworld’s growth
Since its explosive debut, Palworld has rolled out five major updates, each expanding the game’s scope:
- Version 0.2 introduced raids, giving players challenging encounters and co-op opportunities.
- Version 0.3 added the Sakurajima island, new Pals, and much-needed quality-of-life upgrades.
- Version 0.4 shook things up with Faber, a vast new landmass, plus a new faction and mechanics.
- Version 0.5 delivered the long-requested crossplay, allowing friends across platforms to finally play together.
- Version 0.6, Tides of Terraria, brought the highly anticipated Terraria collaboration, alongside even more features.
Each update cemented Palworld as more than just a meme-driven survival game, proving Pocket Pair’s willingness to expand and experiment with its world.
The road to 1.0
Pocket Pair admitted that things will be “a little quiet” for the rest of 2025, as the team shifts its focus to polishing the game. The winter update is still coming, though players shouldn’t expect anything as large-scale as Faber. Instead, the developers teased “a few surprises” while much of their energy goes into bug fixes, refinement, and preparing the foundation for the milestone launch.
Crucially, the studio stressed that development is not slowing down. In fact, the promise is that Palworld 1.0 will include a “massive amount of content” and long-awaited improvements. Sneak peeks of the update are expected in the near future.
Beyond Palworld: Pocket Pair Publishing
Pocket Pair also used the announcement to highlight its growing ambitions beyond Palworld. Earlier this year, the company launched Pocket Pair Publishing, a new initiative to fund and support other developers. Rather than creating games themselves, the publishing arm will help studios with resources such as funding, marketing, and distribution.
Thanks to Palworld’s commercial success, the company is now in a position to take risks and back experimental projects. Several teams around the world are already working with them, though details remain under wraps.
Meanwhile, Pocket Pair confirmed that smaller teams within the studio are also tinkering with new game ideas, keeping true to their roots as creators of quirky, inventive titles.
While players may need to wait until 2026 for the full release, Pocket Pair stressed that the journey is far from over. With bug fixes, new content, and a stronger foundation, the studio is preparing Palworld 1.0 to be a major step forward.
Alongside the announcement, the developers also confirmed that Palworld is 25% off on Steam for a limited time, giving new players a chance to dive in before the next stage of updates arrives.
