Palworld is an upcoming action-adventure, survival, and monster-taming game created and published by Japanese developer Pocket Pair. The game is set in an open world populated with animal-like creatures called "Pals", which players can battle and capture to use for base building, traversal, and combat. Palworld can be played either solo or online with up to 32 players on one server. It was announced in 2021 and launched through early access for Windows, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S in January 2024.
The game's comedic premise, which involves using firearms and equipping Pals with them, has earned it the nickname "Pokémon with guns". Other elements, such as using creatures for food or placing them to work in mines and factories, have also garnered attention. It was generally well received, with praise for its gameplay, content, and satirical premise, but criticism for its reliance on shock humor and use of unoriginal designs and mechanics.Palworld sold eight million units in its first six days of early access and reached over two million concurrent players on Steam, making it the second-highest played game of all time on the platform.