What is Palworld, and can you play the hit-game in India?

A game many people never heard of until last week now holds the Steam record for the most concurrent players in a paid game – right behind behemoth PUBG: Battlegrounds. Meet Palworld, the world’s new favourite online game.

Selling over four million copies in just three days, Palworld has already left behind popular titles like Hogwarts Legacy, Cyberpunk 2077 and Elden Ring. But what exactly is this game? Why is it so popular right now? Let’s find out!

What is Palworld?

Palworld is an action-adventure survival title by Japanese studio Pocket Pair. The game puts players in an open-world full of mystical Pokémon-like creatures called Pals. Players can battle these creatures and capture them, to use them for everything from traversal to combat, very similarly to another mainstream hit – Pokémon Go.

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However, there is one key difference, as Neo from The Matrix would put it – guns, lots of guns! Pals not only lets players use firearms in the game, but also lets them equip their own Pals with the same.

This is precisely why the internet has labelled the game ‘Pokémon with guns’. The added weaponry easily separates the title from any Pokémon title in history, and also adds to its comedic satire elements, which also include other elements like using Pals to get work done in factories.

Palworld also has many other elements, including an in-game wanted-level system, spawning human NPCs that will attack you, and antagonistic parties including a crime syndicate.

Players can enjoy Palworld solo, or tag along with friends for a fun, multiplayer experience. The game supports up to 32 players on one server at a time on PC. However, it must be noted that Pocket Pair is still working on making the Xbox co-op gameplay better, which is currently capped at two to four players.

Can you play Palworld in India?

Yes, anyone with a supported console or Windows PC can buy, install and play Palworld right away. It is currently available on the Xbox Series X/S and Xbox One consoles, but sadly, the Sony PlayStation 5 is not supported just yet. Currently, Palworld costs Rs 1,170 on Steam.

Palworld PC requirements

If you’re on PC, you will require Windows 10 or Windows 11 desktop or gaming laptop to run the game, along with at least an Intel Core i5 3570 (or equivalent Ryzen) CPU, an Nvidia GTX 770 (or equivalent Radeon) GPU, along with 12GB RAM and 15GB free disk space.

While the game does have the potential to become the next PUBG or Pokémon Go, its success also hinges on several factors like an enjoyable and more inclusive multiplayer gameplay.

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For now, those who want to give Palworld a shot (albeit, in its early-access avatar) can head over to Steam to get the game.