Palworld is the latest mega-hit survival game, selling two million copies in its first 24 hours - with "Very Positive" reviews on Steam

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Pokemon-with-guns premise is irresistible, it seems

How to catch pals in Palworld
(Image credit: Pocket Pair Inc.)

Update (January 20): Palworld has now sold over two million copies in its first day in early access, developer Pocketpair has announced.

Original story: Palworld has already sold over one million units across PC and Xbox Series X|S, a mere eight hours after its early access release. 

Developer Pocketpair announced the news on social media, with a picture of the game's tamable critters pretending to look overjoyed. The Pokémon-with-guns premise, mixed with a generally positive reception from fans, has rocketed the survival game to a hugely popular launch. 

A few hours after launch, the twisted monster-tamer reached a whopping 200,000 concurrent players on Steam alone. That number has swiftly shot up, and Palworld's peak concurrent record currently sits at an estimated 370,000 players according to Steam Database. With Game Pass also in the mix, it's unclear from sales alone how many people have played the game, but it's clearly riding a Valheim-grade debut. 

To put Palworld's monstrous debut into perspective, fellow craft-and-survive indie Valheim previously sailed to a peak of over 350,000 players - and that was a whole two weeks after launch. The next milestone to reach would be Sons of the Forest's impressive 414,000 target, which the sequel reached in its debut weekend. 

What's arguably more impressive is how warmly Palworld has been received thus far, which certainly bodes well for the game's longevity through this weekend and beyond. Palworld currently enjoys a "Very Positive" rating on Steam based on over 2,400 user reviews, with many praising the game's moreish loop that sees you fight, craft, and survive with (or against) various Pals - outsized Poké-like critters – but with guns this time.

Players are both disturbed and somewhat delighted that the game isn't just 'Pokémon-with-guns.' You can also capture human beings and even set up a supply chain to sell their parts in an in-game black market, so don't be fooled by the cutesy sheeps and horsies you see in the marketing. 

See our Palworld type chart for a complete walkthrough on the game’s combat.

Kaan Serin
Freelance contributor

Kaan freelances for various websites including Rock Paper Shotgun, Eurogamer, and this one, Gamesradar. He particularly enjoys writing about spooky indies, throwback RPGs, and anything that's vaguely silly. Also has an English Literature and Film Studies degree that he'll soon forget.