Smash-Hit Palworld Sets Records, Skyrockets To 1 Million Concurrent Users On Steam
The multiplayer open world Palworld video game brings players into a fantastical universe where Pals can be used to fight, work on farms or factories, sold to others, and if a player gets the munchies, they can even be eaten. The game has become so popular that it has caused disruptions of Steam servers, and required an emergency meeting with Epic to add an update to the Epic Online Services.
In a tweet, Palworld shared that it had reached the “highest concurrent player count of any paid game in the history of Steam.” The feat surpassed other games on the list, such as Cyberpunk 2077, Elden Ring, and Baldur’s Gate 3.
Palworld has also sold over 4 million copies in a time span of only about 3 days. The company added in a tweet that at one point the game was selling at a rate of 86,000 units per hour. With a “Very Positive” reception on Steam, those numbers are sure to continue rising.
The game is not without its share of early bugs, however. One of those is causing players who use the “Memory Reset Drug” to see a permanent reduction in their capture power. The dev team says they are investigating the issue, but they ask players to “please refrain from using it until the investigation/correction is complete.”
Some Pokemon fans have taken issue with the game as well, remarking on social media that Palworld is simply too similar to their beloved Pokemon. According to Eurogamer, a few of the disgruntled fans even cited a tweet from Pocketpair, the maker of Palworld, CEO Takuro Mizobe, describing how copyrighted images can be “passed” through AI to alter them and “resolve” copyright disputes.
Bugs and disgruntled Pokemon fans aside, Palworld has taken the PC gaming world by storm. With such mind-boggling numbers in such a short period of time, it will be fun to see just how far this wondrous game can go. Palworld is available on Steam currently at 10% off for $26.99, and can be downloaded for free via Xbox Game Pass.
