Palworld, the monster-catching sensation that took Steam and Xbox by storm earlier this year, appears to be on the brink of a PlayStation 5 debut.
The info comes from the Computer Entertainment Supplier’s Association’s list of games scheduled for the upcoming Tokyo Game Show. Gematsu first revealed this list on X, which includes Palworld as a title playable on PS5, alongside existing platforms Steam and Xbox Series X.
While Pocketpair has yet to confirm anything, Sony is expected to make a big deal out of this year’s Tokyo Game Show, particularly because it’s part of PlayStation’s 30th anniversary, where Ken Kutaragi, the father of PlayStation, will share a few moments.
Since its early access launch, Palworld achieved remarkable success, becoming one of the biggest titles in Steam history and shifting tens of millions of copies across PC and Xbox platforms. The game’s unique premise of combining elements of monster collecting with survival mechanics and a dash of controversy, particularly a brush with Nintendo’s lawyers, who amazingly gave up, has maintained a healthy and active user base months after its initial release.
With Palworld’s first anniversary approaching in early 2025, a PS5 launch could serve as a perfect celebration of the game’s success and a way to further expand its reach. The Tokyo Game Show, scheduled to begin on September 26, provides the perfect stage for Pocketpair to make such a momentous announcement, potentially with new features or content to mark the game’s expansion to a new platform.
However, a PlayStation release isn’t as simple as it sounds. Unlike platforms such as Xbox and Steam, which have established early access programs with more relaxed certification criteria, PlayStation’s approach to early access titles is more stringent. The platform imposes stricter requirements on games in development, which begs the question, will Palworld finally be ready for a full release next year by the time it’s released on the PS5 or will it enter a modified early access model to meet PlayStation’s standards?
For PlayStation owners, Palworld’s arrival is particularly exciting. The platform hasn’t had a standout title in the monster-collecting category for a while, and Palworld’s blend of cute creatures with survival elements and crafting could fill this gap. The game’s multiplayer features, which have been a hit on other platforms, could also be integrated seamlessly into PlayStation’s online ecosystem, potentially offering cross-platform play and expanding the game’s community even further. Furthermore, the game could leverage certain PlayStation-exclusive features, like the DualSense controller’s haptic feedback, among others.
If nothing else, it certainly wouldn’t hurt to add Palworld to its list of PlayStation 5 Pro Enhanced games.
Unfortunately, for Nintendo Switch owners, a Switch version is off the table, likely due to the technical limitations of the platform. The good news is that the Nintendo Switch 2 is on the horizonThis decision underscores the developers’ commitment to maintaining the game’s quality and performance across its supported platforms.
Pocketpair, Palworld’s developers, recently denied talks that the game is going free-to-play. The Early Access title has received significant updates since its initial launch earlier this year, but it remains unclear what the developers plan to do to sustain the game’s development ahead of its official launch, particularly after it becomes available to the general public.
