Palworld’s first major expansion adds Pals and a whole new island

Pocketpair, the developer behind surprise survival hit Palworld, announced the first expansion at Summer Games Fest 2024. The new update will include a new island, Sakurajima, which includes a Japanese-style shrine, a mushroom-laden swamp, and a scary graveyard. There’ll also be new Pals, new Pal subspecies, a new faction and leader, and more.

The update will have a major building overhaul, which is good news for those of us who liked building strongholds and palaces for our Pals. Several building restrictions have been removed; players have a higher maximum number of bases; and new structures like pillars, glass structures, and work stations will be available.

Once players have found their feet and conquered the new content, they’ll want to look to the new Stronghold, a massive oil rig that is defended by a poacher group. Players can engage in large-scale battles, fighting for rewards like the new resource Crude Oil. The update also includes a PvP Arena mode, where players can pit their Pals against each other. Palworld’s update will include Xbox-dedicated servers to help console players tackle the game’s island with friends.

Palworld’s Sakurajima update is set to release on June 27, 2024; the game first came out in January. When the game was first released, it had a startling hot streak of sales. However, player enthusiasm waned as the weeks went on. It’s good to see the game get an update, and I’m sure my friends and I will to explore these new regions and capture the elusive Pals within.