Pokémon With Guns Game Palworld Announces Early Access Release Date

Palworld, which is basically Pokémon with guns, has announced when its release date for early access.

You can watch the early access release date announcement trailer, which was put on YouTube by developer Pocketpair, below. In addition to showing off another look at what the game will look like, it reveals early access for the title will begin on Jan. 19, 2024. The company also noted on X that the title will be available on Game Pass on Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, and PC on the same date, which is great for those looking to try it out.

Palworld, which clearly draws inspiration from titles like Pokémon, is billed as a multiplayer open-world survival and crafting game. The game’s description on Steam, where it’s available to watchlist, is billed as a title in which you have the choice whether to play in a more peaceful or ruthless way, using your Pals — which are, again, like Pokémon — to do such things as farm, fight, or work. You can, the page somewhat disconcertingly notes, “even sell them or eat them!” Okay.

The game is one of many survival and crafting multiplayer titles to enter early access on Steam, alongside such other titles as Rust and Valheim. At this point, it feels pretty standard for games of this type to have an early access period in which they tweak things and add features. At this time, it’s not totally clear if Palworld will take off and be the next big thing, but its premise is definitely the kind that gets people talking, so it’s very possible it’ll meet with some good success.

You can watch the gameplay trailer for Palworld here. Palworld does not have a full release date at this time, and considering how early access works, it could be a very long time before a full version is available.