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Palworldis a survival crafting game with monster catching, exploration, automation, and more. You play as a Pal Tamer in a world filled with Pals to recruit, resources to gather, and enemies to defeat. Palworld draws clear inspiration from games like Pokemon, Ark: Survival, Breath of the Wild, and a few others.
Palworld is currently in early access on Steam, Xbox, and Game Pass, but it is already making waves in the gaming world. Chances are, you’ve already heard enough about Palworld to know if you want to play it or not. However, if you’re still on the fence, we’re here to help. Below, we’ll answer the question: is Palworld worth it?
Review
Palworld is still in early access, so we don’t have a concrete review of the game yet. That said, we have a variety of opinions on offer from our esteemed Features Editors.
Most notably, Palworld draws heavy inspiration from a few massive games in their respective genres, likePokemonandArk: Survival. Features EditorBen Sledge spoke on Palworld’s similarities to these games, while remaining a fun and engaging game.
Nothing in Palworld is revolutionary. I’d go as far as to say most of it is blatantly copied from better games. It doesn’t execute any of its mechanics with any semblance of excellence or panache. It’s a survival game for people who don’t really like survival games. It’s a Pokemon game for people who are getting bored of Pokemon. And that, in some Frankensteianian way, makes for an incredibly engaging concoction that has captured the fingers of millions, myself included.
Despite its similarities and heavy inspiration taken from other, more popular games, Palworld has earned itself a sizable audience, and has becomeone of Steam’s most played games ever.
Time Expenditure
Palworld is a fairly large game. There are 137 Pals to tame and train, and a massive open world map to explore, with five Tower bosses to face along the way. As a survival crafting game, you’re able to put dozens, if not hundreds, of hours into Palworld, especially when playing with friends or others in dedicated servers.
As an early access title, Palworld is far from complete. New content will be added to the game over time, further increasing the amount of time you can get out of it.
Cost
Palworld is available on Steam, Xbox, and Game Pass. Purchasing the game outright on Steam or the Xbox store will cost $29.99. Alternatively, you canplay the game through Game Pass, which costs $9.99 a month.
What Players Are Saying
Somehow Extremely Good - Jacob Whaling
Palworld is nothing you haven’t already seen done better in plenty of other games before. Pokemon with guns may be a misnomer, but Ark with Pokemon rings true. The survival crafting elements are fairly straightforward without a lot of depth, catching and raising Pals is fun but not overly complicated, and the base automation is an interesting idea but overly simplistic. Palworld is janky, filled with bugs, and lacking content in certain areas, like base building.
So, why can’t I stop playing it? Despite all of its shortcomings, Palworld isfun. It may not bring anything new to the table, but somehow there’s really not anything else out there quite like it. If anything you’ve seen of Palworld is even remotely interesting, you should definitely give it a try, especially as it’s easily accessible on Game Pass.
An Absolute Gem - Zoë J. Osik
While at first Palworld seems like an amalgamation of different aspects that couldn’t possibly fit together, everything blends well to create a survival adventure filled with new lands, creatures, and goals. At no point did I think I’d be enjoying a survival game, but here we are. It’s addicting, especially when you start building bases and catching your favorite Pals (and people) in Pal Spheres. Boss fights are difficult, but there’s so much else to see and do that you’ll naturally get stronger and defeat them. And if you don’t, that’s fine—focus on building a castle in the forest. Don’t forget to give the Pals firearms. It’s an absolute game-changer.
Worth The Fun & Familiar Experience - Jacqueline Zalace
Prior to playing Palworld, my only thought was “Pokemon ripoff”, but I was pleasantly surprised. Palworld is more of a survival game that has monster-catching mechanics, so it doesn’t feel like a ripoff in any way. Sure, there are some bugs and quirks, but at its core, Palworld is a fun game.
The Game Pass version isn’t quite up-to-snuff, especially if you are playing with others. Usernames or nicknames don’t exist here; instead, you are just a random number. This, of course, isn’t permanent, but Palworld updates on Game Pass a bit slower than Steam, which is something to consider when deciding where to play. Oh yeah, and the Game Pass version doesn’t have an exit button, you need to force quit with Alt-F4.
