The Japanese game developer Pocketpair has announced a major achievement for its survival game Palworld, revealing that the game has garnered over 32 million players across various platforms. The milestone, announced on Wednesday, comes amidst ongoing legal challenges from Nintendo and The Pokémon Company, which have filed a patent infringement lawsuit against the studio.
Palworld Reaches 32 Million Users
Just over a year following its launch, Palworld has surpassed 32 million players, spread across PC (Steam), Xbox, and PS5. While specific figures per platform were not disclosed, it is likely that a significant portion of the player base includes subscribers to Xbox Game Pass.
🎉Over 32 million Pal Tamers!🎉
It’s been a year since Palworld was released, and thanks to you our fans, Palworld has surpassed over 32 million players across all platforms! (Steam, Xbox, PS5)
Thank you so much!
Your support means the world to us! pic.twitter.com/pSJXmLGoh8— Palworld (@Palworld_EN) February 19, 2025
In February 2024, Pocketpair reported that Palworld had achieved 25 million players on PC and Xbox, with figures indicating 15 million sales on Steam and 10 million players on Xbox, including those on Game Pass. At that time, Microsoft noted that Palworld was its largest third-party Game Pass launch and the most frequently played title on its platform. The game later made its debut on PS5 in September 2024.
Palworld made headlines during its release in January 2024, quickly becoming a sensation by selling six million copies within just a few days. Its player count has soared, placing it among the most played titles in Steam’s history. Currently, Palworld ranks as the third most played game on the platform, boasting a peak concurrent player count of over two million, behind only PUBG: Battlegrounds and Black Myth: Wukong, according to SteamDB statistics.
Despite its growing popularity, Pocketpair is facing significant legal issues, as Nintendo and The Pokémon Company contend that Palworld bears multiple similarities to its well-known Pokémon franchise. The lawsuit seeks both an injunction to halt Palworld’s operations and financial compensation for alleged damages exceeding JPY 5 million (approximately Rs. 27.7 lakh).
“It is truly unfortunate that we will be forced to allocate significant time to matters unrelated to game development due to this lawsuit,” Pocketpair stated at the onset of the legal proceedings. The developer reaffirmed its commitment to vigorously defending its position in this case as it moves forward with the legal process.
