Palworld’s hotly anticipated 1.0 update launches this week, on July 10, and now developer Pocketpair has narrowed the release timing down, while issuing existing players an official recommendation on whether they should wipe their data for it.
First up, Palworld 1.0. Pocketpair said it can’t give an exact release time, but it’s planning to launch the updated version of the game around midday on July 10, Japan time. Or, more specifically, 12.30pm Japan time.
“Estimate time, this is NOT 100% the exact launch time,” John “Bucky” Buckley, communications director and publishing manager at Pocketpair, clarified in a Discord post.
Assuming around 12.30pm Japan time, then, that’s 8.30pm PT on July 9, 11.30pm ET on July 9, and 4.30am UK time July 10.
Palworld 1.0 global release times (approximate):
- Los Angeles: 8.30pm PT on July 9
- New York: 11.30pm ET on July 9
- London: 4.30am UK time on July 10
- Tokyo: 12.30pm Japan time on July 10
- Sydney: 1.30pm AEST on July 10
Elsewhere, Bucky told existing Palworld players do not need to wipe their data for 1.0, “but you should.”
“Players can continue their existing saves if they wish, as we want to respect the time and effort you have put in,” Bucky continued in another Discord post. “However, due to the large number of changes to the game, including overhauls to mechanics and new content, we believe that starting a new character will give you the best experience of Palworld!
“We will leave that choice up to you, Pal Tamers!”
It’s been a rollercoaster Early Access ride for Palworld since it arrived on Steam priced $30 and launched straight into Game Pass on Xbox and PC in early 2024, breaking sales and concurrent player number records in the process. Pocketpair boss Takuro Mizobe has said Palworld’s launch was so big that the developer couldn’t handle the massive profits the game generated. Still, Pocketpair acted swiftly to capitalize on Palworld’s breakout success, signing a deal with Sony to form a new business called Palworld Entertainment that’s tasked with expanding the IP. It later launched the game on PS5.
After Palworld’s huge launch, comparisons were made between Palworld’s Pals and Pokémon, with some accusing Pocketpair of “ripping off” Pokémon designs. But rather than file a copyright infringement lawsuit, Nintendo and The Pokémon Company went down the patent route. In the initial lawsuit, the two companies called for 5 million yen (approx $30,000) each plus late payment damages, as well as an injunction against Palworld that would block its release. A judgement is expected later this year.
As for Palworld 1.0, Bucky has teased 27 pages of changes and additions for the patch notes. This is going to be a big one.
Wesley is Director, News at IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.
