Cozy 400-Hour Free RPG Drops Huge New DLC On PS5, PC, Xbox And Switch

Fair to say, the cosy gaming space is a touch overcrowded these days, with gamers positively spoilt of choice

Stardew Valley, Pokémon Pokopia, and Animal Crossing: New Horizons are among some of the genre’s most beloved titles - and you can sink hundreds of hours into each and every one of those.

As such, you might not exactly be looking for a new cosy obsession but if you are, Palia could just be it.

This free cosy RPG from Singularity 6 Corporation has been delighting players for two years on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch, and PC, having welcomed many content updates.

In fact, the game’s latest free expansion, The Royal Highlands, dropped just yesterday making this the perfect time for players new and old to dive into Palia to see what it currently has to offer.

Singularity 6 Corporation

Palia is built around a similar premise to many other cosy games; you’ll establish a new life in a charming fantasy realm, engaging in crafting, cooking, decorating, farming, fishing, and more.

There’s a charming story running throughout the game as you befriend the world’s various NPCs - and that includes the opportunity for romance.

According to How Long To Beat, a playthrough of Palia could take you anywhere from 75 to 400 hours.

It really is quite an open-ended experience with the new The Royal Highlands expansion only adding to the breadth of content.

The Royal Highlands Is Palia’s “Grandest Adventure Yet”

The expansion introduces Palia’s largest adventure zone to date, with the titular Royal Highlands taking players to “sunkissed rolling fields” with “a touch of old-world elegance”.

Mounts have arrived, allowing you to explore the region by horseback - plus you can now rear and raise horses on your own ranch with the update teasing plenty of “new traits and stunning variations”.

There are new main story, guide, and discovery quests to complete, with new NPCs to encounter and new accomplishments to unlock.

The Royal Highlands DLC further adds new 'discoverables' including campsites, vaults, treasure chests, and royal amber, as well as various new gatherable minerals, trees, and more.

There are new creatures to hunt, catch, and fish, plus players can try out 10 new cooking recipes.

We’re not done yet.

The Royal Highlands update also introduces more decor items, the Jadium storage tier, a new third-story home upgrade, new tints and dyes, plus new premium store additions.

Finally, there’s a new community event by the name of The Long Ride which encourages players to explore the world on horseback together.

You can read the full patch notes via Palia’s website but based purely on what I’ve highlighted above, you can see that The Royal Highlands is a very comprehensive offering.

To reiterate both Palia and The Royal Highlands expansion are free. Whether you’re looking for a hefty time sink or a light-hearted offering you can dip in and out of, this could well be it.

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