After nearly two years in early access, Pocketpair's survival-creature hit hits Version 1.0 on PS5 — with 72 new Pals, two big new regions, and the same £24.49 / $29.99 price.
One of the biggest breakout games of the last couple of years has finally reached its finished form. Palworld — Pocketpair's survival-crafting game built around catching, building with and battling alongside creatures called Pals — left early access and launched as Version 1.0 on July 10, 2026, on PS5, alongside Xbox and PC. It arrives with a genuinely colossal update: dozens of new Pals, two sizeable new regions, several new systems, and — notably — no increase to the price. Here is what has actually shipped and what it means if you own a PS5.
The headline facts are settled. Palworld has been playable on PS5 in early access since September 2024; as of 10 July 2026 it is a full 1.0 release across PS5, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One and PC (Steam and the Microsoft Store). Crucially, Pocketpair has confirmed the price is not going up for the milestone: it remains £24.49 / $29.99, with the studio framing the unchanged price as a thank-you to the community that stuck with the game through early access. As always, verify the exact figure and any edition bundles on your local PlayStation Store before buying.
This is a purchase, not a subscription title, so to be clear up front: reaching 1.0 does not put Palworld into your monthly PS Plus line-up. If you are weighing when to buy versus waiting for a sale, our guide on PS Plus versus buying games on sale is a useful companion, and the game slots neatly into our wider upcoming PS5 games tracking.
The 1.0 patch is large enough that Pocketpair broke it out across several categories. The most eye-catching additions are confirmed in the official notes:
| Addition | What It Is | Status |
|---|---|---|
| 72 new Pals | 47 brand-new Pals plus 25 variants, taking the total roster to 287 | Confirmed |
| Sunreach | A new region described as an archipelago of floating islands above Palpagos, with new Pals, bosses and rare ores | Confirmed |
| World Tree | A late-game region positioned as the climax of the reworked story | Confirmed |
| Awakening | A system to strengthen Pals further using Radiant Gems found in the World Tree | Confirmed |
| Mutation | Breeding now has a low chance of producing a stronger Pal with unique passive skills | Confirmed |
On top of that, Pocketpair confirms a raft of world and quality-of-life changes: seven new small islands spread across volcano, desert and ruin biomes; ancient ruins, watchtowers and settlements added across the existing map; a reworked main story; refined Partner Skills; improved riding controls; new weapons and equipment; expanded base-building; revamped Raids; and broad balance adjustments. There is also a Wing Pack — a glider that lets you explore from the air without relying on a flying Pal.
For context, none of this changes the core loop that made Palworld a phenomenon: catch Pals, put them to work at your base, craft and build, and take them into combat. If anything the 1.0 update leans harder into the endgame that early-access players had started to outgrow, with the World Tree and the Awakening system giving high-level Pals somewhere to go.
Pocketpair's patch notes do call out PlayStation directly on the technical side: the 1.0 update fixes crashes and memory leaks that occurred on PS5 (alongside Xbox and dedicated-server fixes) — a meaningful line for anyone who bounced off the early-access build's stability. Beyond that specific note, Pocketpair has not published a formal per-mode resolution-and-frame-rate table for the PS5 version, so treat any exact performance numbers you see in early coverage as reported rather than officially confirmed until the studio details them.
Palworld supports online multiplayer co-op, and the 1.0 notes list improved multiplayer among the changes. If you are planning to build a base with friends, it is worth a look for our best PS5 co-op games of 2026 round-up, where survival-and-build games like this one tend to shine. One practical tip before you download: the full game plus the 1.0 content is a sizeable install, so it is worth a quick pass through our guide on freeing up PS5 storage first.
For PS5 players, this is a straightforward proposition with a clear audience. If you have never tried Palworld, 1.0 is the natural moment to jump in: the game is now feature-complete, more stable on PS5, and still priced at the same modest figure it launched at. If you played it in early access and drifted away, the pitch is the new endgame — the World Tree region, the Awakening and Mutation systems, and 72 additional Pals to chase — plus a reworked story and a long list of refinements.
It also caps a strong stretch for PS5 releases. Between restored classics and cross-platform arrivals, the summer schedule has been busy, and a polished, finished Palworld fits comfortably alongside the year's other standouts — our best PS5 games of 2026 so far is a good place to see where it lands in context. As with any big launch, the sensible move is to check the current Store price and clear a little space before you commit.
Palworld's Version 1.0 is a confirmed, out-now PS5 release that treats leaving early access as a genuine event rather than a rubber stamp. The additions are real and substantial — 72 new Pals for a total of 287, the new Sunreach and World Tree regions, the Awakening and Mutation systems, seven new islands and a reworked story — and the price has held at £24.49 / $29.99. The one clear PS5-side win beyond the content is stability, with Pocketpair confirming fixes for the crashes and memory leaks that dogged the early-access build.
If you are tempted, the checklist is short: confirm the price and any editions on your local PlayStation Store, free up some storage, and — if co-op is the draw — round up a friend. For first-party PlayStation news and any official promotion tied to the launch, the PlayStation Blog remains the first place to look.
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