The open-world monster-taming game Palworld, developed by Pocketpair, has officially surpassed 32 million players across PC, PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and Xbox One. This milestone comes just over a year after its highly anticipated launch and while the game remains in early access.

Palworld's initial release in 2024 was met with immense success, selling over seven million copies in its first five days on PC and Xbox consoles. The game's popularity continued to grow with its subsequent release on PS5 and macOS.  The recent announcement of 32 million players further solidifies Palworld's position as a breakout hit.

One of Palworld's key features that significantly enhanced the player experience is a quality-of-life improvement introduced with the Feybreak update. This update, along with numerous others and consistent new content, has undoubtedly contributed to the game's burgeoning player base.

Reaching 32 million players is a remarkable achievement, announced by Palworld on Twitter. The Feybreak update has been particularly well-received by the community.

However, Palworld's success hasn't been without controversy. Allegations of plagiarizing Pokemon have followed the game since its launch, leading to a legal battle with Nintendo, co-owner of the Pokemon franchise, which began in September 2024. This legal dispute reportedly caused a nine-day delay in Palworld's PS5 release in Japan.  The legal conflict extended to the US in December 2024, with Nintendo filing new patents as recently as February 2025.

Despite the ongoing legal issues with Nintendo, Pocketpair continues to release games on Nintendo platforms. In January 2025, Pocketpair launched its card-based game, OverDungeon, on the Nintendo Switch, following its initial PC release in 2019.