By Sagar V. Mankar 
On the weekend ending December 29, Palworld experienced a massive spike in its player count, rising by nearly 800% from its recent lows. The surge brought the game back into Steam’s top 10, with over 212,817 concurrent players at its peak, marking its highest numbers since its launch window in early 2024.
The reason behind this sudden revival is the highly anticipated Feybreak update. First revealed during The Game Awards, this update rolled out just before Christmas.
Feybreak is Palworld’s largest update to date, introducing a new island six times larger than the previous one. Alongside this expansive new region, players can enjoy fresh gameplay elements, including 23 new Pals to discover and collect. Predator Pals now roam the wild, adding an element of danger and unpredictability to exploration. Additionally, the update brings new buildings, gear, and abilities, as well as challenging boss fights to test players’ skills. For those seeking an even greater challenge, the newly introduced hardcore mode with permadeath offers a high-stakes experience.
However, Palworld’s journey hasn’t been without hurdles. The game recently faced a lawsuit from Nintendo, accusing it of infringing on patents related to capturing creatures using thrown balls. In response, Palworld made adjustments, replacing traditional Pal Spheres with modular systems designed to sidestep the legal concerns. Whether this move fully resolves the dispute remains to be seen.
While Pocketpair, the developers of Palworld, have repeatedly emphasized that their game isn’t a live-service title, its consistent stream of major updates suggests otherwise to some players. Feybreak marks the second significant expansion since launch, and its scale signals a clear intent to keep the game evolving over time.
The impressive resurgence in player numbers, combined with continued console support, demonstrates that Palworld still holds a strong place in the gaming landscape. At its peak this weekend, it even surpassed titles like Apex Legends and Call of Duty Black Ops 6 in concurrent players, proving its staying power.
If Palworld continues to deliver meaningful updates and expansive content like Feybreak, it may carve out a unique space in gaming. Rather than mimicking Nintendo’s episodic Pokémon releases, it might align more closely with the model seen in games like Genshin Impact—a game sustained by periodic, large-scale updates instead of constant microtransactions.
Currently, Palworld ranks as the second most-played game on Steam for 2024, reaching 2.1 million concurrent users earlier this year.
Source: Original content based on details from The Game Awards, Pocketpair updates, and Steamdb