Pocketpair's hit game Palworld is officially releasing today on PS5. The game has sold over 15 million copies since its release earlier this year on PC and Xbox, though the PlayStation 5 release still comes as a surprise launch, despite the months of rumors and speculation.

The monster-collecting, gun-toting adventure game Palworld is out now on the PS5, as revealed at the Sony State of Play and on the PlayStation Blog. The announcement was accompanied by an exciting PS5 launch trailer, spotlighting some of the combat PlayStation players will finally get to experience. As one of the biggest releases of 2024, hitting a peak Steam playercount of over 2 million players earlier this year (via SteamDB), plenty of curious PS fans have been waiting for this release.

What Does A PS5 Release Mean For Palworld's Future?

It May Indicate The Company Isn't Worried

Palworld has received comparisons to Pokémon since the moment it released on PC and Xbox consoles, and the PS5 release comes hot on the heels of Pocketpair getting sued by Nintendo and Pokémon. Palworld requires players to collect monsters, known as "Pals" and use them to battle against each other. There are over 100 Pals to meet and capture, each with unique skills and features.

But Palworld brings much more to the table. It introduces survival and crafting mechanics, as well as a take down formidable boss Pals, or even turn on each other to try and steal Pals and items.

Palworld was an overnight hit when it first released, and over the past few months it's built up a community of dedicated players. Beyond the initial knee-jerk reaction that the game looks and feels like a Pokémon game, its reception has been overwhelmingly positive. According to many reviews and players, the game does what Pokémon could do if it dared to take more risks and try innovative new features.

Palworld Is In Potential Trouble With Nintendo

This Hasn't Stopped The PS5 Launch

Just last week, the Pokémon Company and Nintendo filed a suit against Palworld for allegedly infringing on their designs. The response from Palworld devs Pocketpair was immediate: the company indicated that it was willing to fight the legal battle. With the news of the lawsuit so close, the PS5 announcement comes as a surprise. Deciding to push forward with bringing the game to a new console could potentially indicate that the team behind Palworld is confident that it can win against Pokémon in the legal battle that's about to begin. Of course, it's also very possible that it was simply too late - or too costly - to back out.

Palworld is out on PS5 right now for $29.99 USD, and has already amassed a nearly perfect score of 4.94 stars across over 250 ratings on the PlayStation Store. It's clear that no matter what happens, a whole new platform of players are ready to experience one of the most talked-about games of 2024.

Source: PlayStation Blog, PlayStation Store, SteamDB