Pocketpair Launches Palworld 1.0 and Exits Early Access

Developer Pocketpair released Palworld 1.0 on July 10, 2026, officially ending the game's early access period. The update launched across PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, and Mac. This release follows a milestone announcement that the game had surpassed 40 million players during its early access phase.

The 1.0 update is the largest in the game's history, featuring a 27-page set of patch notes. Major additions include the World Tree endgame zone, Sky Islands, a Genetic Recombination breeding system, and new creatures such as the Sky Dragon and Giant Whale. New utility items like the Wing Pack now allow aerial traversal without occupying a combat Pal slot, and the update introduces offshore base-building and a structured PvP mode.

Ahead of the launch, Pocketpair issued a critical warning for players to manually uninstall all mods to avoid crashes or corrupted save data, noting that simply disabling mods was insufficient. While the studio confirmed that existing save files remain compatible to respect player effort, they recommended starting new characters to fully experience the overhauled mechanics.

The launch occurs amidst ongoing patent litigation from Nintendo and The Pokémon Company. Despite the legal pressure, some assessments suggest the impact may be limited, with potential damages estimated at $62,000 because Pocketpair patched out disputed mechanics in earlier versions.