Palworld radically redesigned to look less like Pokémon for official release

Designs for monsters that looked like Cinderace and Decidueye now look a little different

Two years after releasing in early access, monster-collecting survival hit Palworld has officially hit 1.0.

The full version of the game overhauls features such as base building and Mutations, adds entirely new areas, such as islands and settlements, and introduces a new cadre of creatures to tame. Some of the most significant improvements are to Palworld's user interface and graphics. Curiously, the massive patch notes don't detail a specific aesthetic change — but the visual adjustments will be immediately obvious to returning players.

Here's what changed in Palworld 1.0

In the past, Palworld has been referred to as 'Pokémon with guns.' While the comparison is reductive, the game does share some of Pokémon's DNA. Nintendo and The Pokémon Company seems to agree, as evidenced by the filing of a 2024 lawsuit against Pocketpair, the developers of Palworld, that accused them of infringing on its patents. After the lawsuit was initially filed, it was later revealed that it targeted gameplay elements like riding and catching monsters. By late 2024, Pocketpair updated Palworld to make the game less like throwing Pokémon into battle using Poke Balls. The game was also adjusted so that players could no longer perform specific actions like gliding with Pals.

While Pocketpair has addressed the specific issues surfaced by the lawsuit, the company is still apparently keen on distancing itself from Pokémon. Palworld players logging into the 1.0 update have discovered that some monster designs have been revamped. Graphical improvements like these are to be expected for significant patches. Palworld's adjustments stand out within that context because they largely target aspects that could be compared to Game Freak's Pokémon designs.

Palworld monsters like Verdash and Robinquill now look less like specific Pokémon starters, for example.

At the same time, Palworld has also introduced new Pals in 1.0 that are arguably reminiscent of existing Pokémon, such as its Mimikyu-like Hoodle. There are also a number of remaining Pals in the game that seem to take inspiration from Pokémon like Garchomp, Eevee, and Ditto, among others.

If there are parallels to be drawn here, it doesn't seem to bother fans. Palworld's 1.0 update has amassed over 460,000 concurrent players as of this writing and has been catapulted to the top of Steam's bestsellers list.

Pocketpair called the litigation and its effects disappointing in May 2025, but the legal proceedings are still underway. An official verdict won't be reached until around the end of 2026. If The Pokémon Company is successful, it can be awarded up to $30,000. Thanks to Pocketpair's proactive changes to Palworld, that figure is half of what TPC was originally seeking.