Palworld DESTROYS Pokemon!

Palworld Passes Impressive Steam Concurrent Player Milestone, Beats Cyberpunk and Elden Ring. Days after its early access debut, Pocket Pair's Palworld has achieved a significant milestone by surpassing the concurrent player count of Steam's Elden Ring and Cyberpunk 2077. While not initially anticipated as a standout title for 2024, Palworld has become a global sensation, swiftly claiming the top spot in charts.

Available on both Xbox Game Pass and Steam, Palworld has garnered immense popularity, boasting over 4 million copies sold within just three days, as reported by Pocket Pair on Twitter. Fondly dubbed "Pokemon with guns" by gamers, the title seamlessly blends monster-catching and survival genres, allowing players to capture various helpful Pals while gathering materials to enhance their base.

This engaging gameplay loop has propelled Palworld to one of the highest concurrent player counts, surpassing Elden Ring and Cyberpunk 2077, according to Steam DB. Over the weekend, Palworld reached a total of 1,291,967 players, surpassing Cyberpunk 2077’s 1,054,388 and Elden Ring’s 953,426. In just one day, the game also surpassed Baldur’s Gate 3 and Hogwarts Legacy, becoming a formidable force in the gaming world.

While Pocket Pair declared on Twitter that Palworld has the "highest concurrent player count of any paid game in the history of Steam," it's crucial to note that the all-time peak belongs to PUBG, with 3,257,248 players in 2018 when it was a paid game—almost three times more than Palworld's current player count.

Despite this, achieving such a milestone within three days of release and during early access is a remarkable feat for Pocket Pair. Palworld's immense popularity led to server issues on launch day due to the overwhelming demand from players.

However, not everyone embraces the game. Criticism from Pokemon fans has arisen, pointing out designs seemingly borrowed from the Nintendo franchise. The resemblance between Pals and Pokemon was evident even before the game's release, with designs like Lamball and Wooloo, as well as Cattiva and Zorua. Nonetheless, some argue that this might encourage Nintendo and Game Freak to elevate the Pokemon franchise to new heights, given Palworld's impressive early success.