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Pocketpair

Pocketpair is a game developer and publisher. It released Palworld version 1.0 on July 10, 2026, ending a two-and-a-half-year early access period, and is expanding the Palworld IP into mobile with Garena's Palworld Online, an MMORPG planned for 2026. Its publishing label, Pocketpair Publishing, is also bringing the city-building incremental game Clicky Islands to Steam in 2026.

Synthesized from 6 Yomimono stories · updated Aug 20

Pocketpair's main focus in 2026 has been the full release of Palworld. The game exited early access on July 10, 2026, after launching in January 2024. The 1.0 update added two new regions, the floating Tenyo-kyo and the story-critical World Tree, plus 72 new Pal species, bringing the total to 287. It overhauled systems including Pal parameters, base building, multiplayer, and graphics, and introduced new breeding mechanics called Awakening and Mutation. The patch notes ran 27 pages, and Pocketpair warned players to delete old mods before the update to avoid crashes and save issues.

The scale of the update was substantial. The player level cap expanded from 50 to 80, and tower bosses rose from five to eight. Player counts grew from over 32 million as of February 2025 to over 40 million by July 8, 2026. On launch day, concurrent Steam players surpassed 470,000, ranking 4th on the platform. The game holds a 'Very Positive' rating on Steam with 94% positive reviews out of 355,349 at the time of the June announcement.

Pocketpair is also expanding the Palworld IP beyond the original game. Garena announced on August 3 that it is developing Palworld Online, a mobile MMORPG for iOS and Android, under an official license from Pocketpair, with a release planned within 2026. The game will rebuild the survival crafting experience for smartphones with a new story setting and original side stories. Separately, Pocketpair Publishing, the label launched by the developer, will publish Clicky Islands, a city-building and incremental game hybrid by Polish studio Karrot Games, on Steam in 2026.

Key facts

Palworld 1.0 release date
July 10, 2026
Palworld early access start
January 2024
New Pals in 1.0
72 new Pal species, bringing the total to 287
New regions in 1.0
Tenyo-kyo and the World Tree
Total players before 1.0
Over 40 million as of July 8, 2026
Steam concurrent players on launch day
Over 470,000, ranking 4th on Steam
Palworld Online developer and platforms
Garena, for iOS and Android, release planned within 2026
Clicky Islands publisher and developer
Published by Pocketpair Publishing, developed by Karrot Games, on Steam in 2026

Timeline

Synthesized by Yomimono from the cited Yomimono stories below, each itself sourced, then editorially reviewed. Every fact links the story it came from.

Facts

Noted
Pocketpair continues to face an ongoing patent infringement lawsuit · 2026-08-03
Noted
The booth includes photo spots, an assault event, a cosplay stage with 23 cosplayers, and playable demos of Windrose and Never Grave. · 2026-08-20
Noted
Pocketpair publishing head John Buckley had repeatedly expressed interest · 2026-08-19
Announced
exhibit at Tokyo Game Show 2026 with its largest booth in company history (Tokyo Game Show 2026) · 2026-08-20
Announced
warning to delete old mods before 1.0 update · 2026-07-09

Connections

Produces
palworld

Structured graph also available as JSON at /public/entities/pocketpair. CC BY 4.0.

Claim activity

When a claim about Pocketpair was confirmed, debunked, or disputed against open-web sources. The record stays even after a claim drops off the facts list.

  • Confirmed Pocketpair produces Palworld Jul 9 · source

All coverage

Aug 20

Pocketpair Brings Its Largest Ever Booth to Tokyo Game Show 2026

Pocketpair will exhibit at Tokyo Game Show 2026 with its largest booth in company history, featuring life-size statues of Pals like Sekhmet and Nyansie, a moving Jetdran statue, and dark humor exhibits including cages and a Mokoron holding a machine gun. The booth includes photo spots, an assault event, a cosplay stage with 23 cosplayers, and playable demos of Windrose and Never Grave.

Aug 19

Palworld and No Man's Sky Collaboration Hopes Rise After Hello Games CEO Responds

Hello Games CEO Sean Murray responded warmly to a post about a potential Palworld collaboration, after Pocketpair publishing head John Buckley had repeatedly expressed interest. Murray's heart reaction marks the first positive response in an exchange that had seemed one-sided, raising hopes for a collaboration between the two games.

Aug 3

Garena to Launch Palworld Online Mobile MMORPG This Year

Garena announced on August 3 that it is developing Palworld Online, a mobile MMORPG based on Pocketpair's Palworld IP, with a release planned within 2026 for iOS and Android. The game is being made under an official license from Pocketpair and will rebuild the original survival crafting experience for smartphones, introducing a new story setting and original side stories alongside the core elements of capturing and raising Pals, exploration, and base management. As an MMORPG, Palworld Online features a seamless open world where players can form groups, build joint bases, engage in PvE and PvP content, challenge bosses in the open world, visit other players' bases, and search for rare Pals together. The mobile version optimizes the UI and controls for touch operations, supporting one-touch play across a range of device specifications. Garena's president, Terry Zhao, said the company aims to maintain the depth, immersion, and freedom of Palworld while delivering a mobile-optimized experience. Pocketpair's CEO, Takuro Mizobe, noted Garena's experience in global expansion, localization, and live service operations for mobile games. Palworld Online is scheduled for release on mobile in 2026, with further details on the service start date to be announced later.

Jul 26

Clicky Islands Brings City-Building and Incremental Gameplay to Steam in 2026

Pocketpair Publishing announced on July 24, 2026, that it will publish Clicky Islands, a city-building simulation and incremental game hybrid developed by Polish indie studio Karrot Games. The game is set to launch on Steam sometime in 2026, and a demo is available now. Players take the role of a governor appointed by a king, traveling to procedurally generated islands to gather resources by clicking, then hiring residents to automate collection and development. Growth elements include a skill tree unlocked through repeated play, artifacts with special effects that can be found by exploring ancient ruins and crushing fossils at a researcher's workbench, and a perk system where fame earned on one island carries over to the next. The game has no time limits or sudden operations, allowing players to progress at their own pace. It will also be exhibited at ChinaJoy 2026 in Shanghai from July 31 to August 3, and now supports Simplified and Traditional Chinese.

Jul 10

Palworld Version 1.0 Launches With Massive Overhaul, New Areas and 72 New Pals

Pocketpair released the full version 1.0 of Palworld on July 10, 2026, ending an early access period that began in January 2024. The open-world survival crafting game, which has exceeded 40 million total players, introduces two new regions: the floating Tenyo-kyo and the story-critical World Tree. The update adds 72 new Pal species, bringing the total to 287, and overhauls nearly every system including Pal parameters, base building, multiplayer, and graphics. New breeding mechanics called Awakening and Mutation are included. The number of tower bosses rises from five to eight, and the player level cap expands from 50 to 80. To mark the release, 4Gamer.net will host a Twitch stream starting around 1:00 p.m. JST, touring the new areas and hunting for new Pals. The streamer has played the development version but warns that the game has changed so significantly that even veteran players may feel like newcomers.

Jul 9

Palworld Devs Warn: Delete Old Mods Before 1.0 Full Release Or Risk Crashes

Pocketpair issued a warning on July 9, 2026, asking Palworld players to delete any old mods from the game folder before the 1.0 full release on July 10. The company said that because the 1.0 update changes game specifications, leftover mod files can cause crashes during startup or play, save data loading failures, and quest progression issues. Pocketpair stated that it 'sincerely supports mod culture' but recommended disabling mods, backing up saves, and verifying game file integrity on Steam. The full release added 47 new base Pals and 25 new subspecies, new areas including Tenyo Village and the World Tree, a revamped main story, and a level cap increase from 65 to 80. The 1.0 update also introduced an Awakening system using Gleamstones. The total player count for Palworld had exceeded 40 million as of July 8. On launch day, concurrent players on Steam surged past 470,000, ranking 4th on the platform behind Counter-Strike 2, PUBG: Battlegrounds, and Dota 2. A 30% off sale on Steam priced the game at 2,380 yen until July 10.

Jun 27

Palworld 1.0 Patch Notes Run 27 Pages, Pocketpair Says

Pocketpair has revealed that the patch notes for Palworld's official 1.0 release on July 10, 2026, total 27 pages in PDF format. Publishing director John Buckley said the process of compiling them was "driving him crazy." The game has been in early access since January 2024, and the 1.0 launch was announced during Summer Game Fest 2026 alongside a cinematic trailer. New Pals are being revealed ahead of the release.

Jun 6

Palworld Official Version 1.0 Launches July 10 With Biggest Update Yet

Pocketpair announced on June 6 that Palworld will exit early access and release its official version 1.0 on July 10. The monster-taming open-world survival crafting game launched in early access in January 2024 on PC via Steam, and later on PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and Xbox One. The developer said the 1.0 update will be the largest in the game's history, adding new Pals and unseen areas. A cinematic trailer shown at Summer Game Fest 2026 teased a giant Pal commanding thunderclouds, a Pal previously seen in concept art with the caption "Draw sword. If you don't return soon, you'll die," and a massive presence rumbling behind the World Tree. The game has accumulated over 32 million total players as of February 2025 and holds a "Very Positive" rating on Steam with 94% positive reviews out of 355,349 at time of writing. A 25% off sale on Steam runs until June 10.