Palworld Early Access: Launch Date, Release Times, and PC Specs

Picture a creature collector that also hands you a shotgun. That is Palworld in one sentence. Built by the studio behind Craftopia, this open world survival sandbox throws you into a wilderness packed with creatures called Pals. You can befriend them, ride them, put them on a factory shift, or, if you prefer chaos, hunt them down. Below is the breakdown of the official release schedule, what early access includes, and the hardware needed to run it.

What Palworld Actually Is

Calling Palworld a monster taming RPG sells it short. It mixes survival, base building, and shooter mechanics into one open world where every creature can be a pet, a teammate, or a target. You can saddle Pals to cross oceans, soar between biomes, or simply have them mine ore while you sleep. The world is unforgiving, the rules are loose, and your moral compass is up to you.

Release Date and Launch Times

Palworld enters early access on Steam and Xbox Game Pass on Friday, January 19, 2024. Here is when the gates open across major time zones:

• 12:00 AM PST, January 19
• 3:00 AM EST, January 19
• 8:00 AM GMT, January 19

PC and Xbox are the only platforms confirmed at launch. The developers have not committed to PlayStation, Switch, or any other console port. You can watch the official announcement trailer on YouTube.

Early Access: What Ships on Day One

Early access is not a finished product, so plan your expectations accordingly. Here is the feature set you can count on at launch:

• Regular content patches expected, with additional Pals on the roadmap
• No PVP at launch, though developers have hinted it may arrive later
• No crossplay between Steam and Xbox versions for the time being
• Offline single player and online multiplayer both supported
• Online co op hosts up to four players per world
• Full controller support on PC

One notable absence: mod support is not available on day one. The team has confirmed it is on the roadmap, but no firm date has been shared yet.

System Requirements

This is not a casual indie that runs on a toaster. Palworld asks for real specs, especially if you want stable framerates on a populated server. The numbers below come straight from the Steam store page.

Minimum

• OS: Windows 10 or later (64-bit)
• CPU: Intel i5-3570K, 3.4 GHz, 4 cores
• RAM: 16 GB
• GPU: GeForce GTX 1050 (2 GB)
• DirectX: Version 11
• Storage: 40 GB on an SSD
• Network: Broadband connection for multiplayer

Recommended

• OS: Windows 10 or later (64-bit)
• CPU: Intel i9-9900K, 3.6 GHz, 8 cores
• RAM: 32 GB
• GPU: GeForce RTX 2070
• DirectX: Version 11
• Storage: 40 GB on an SSD
• Network: Broadband connection for multiplayer

Note the SSD requirement on both tiers. A spinning HDD will likely give you texture pop in and miserable load times.

Hosting a Palworld Server

Once a four player world feels cramped and you would rather not leave your own PC running 24/7, a dedicated server is the clean way out. HolyHosting offers Palworld ready hosting on hardware that can handle the game without the host machine begging for mercy. Persistent worlds, low ping, and no laptop fan screaming at 3 AM.