Palworld has lost almost all of its players on Steam

Has Palworld finally run out of steam (no pun intended)? According to player stats, it would seem this once viral game has faded into the background like so many other titles.

On Twitter, Insider Gaming shared statistics that revealed that Palworld has lost “97 percent of its players” since launch. It sounds like dire news for the once controversial Pokémon rival, yet not everybody is as alarmed by these stats as the OP.

“Is this surprising in any way?” one fan asked. “It's an unfinished game in early access. People play it until they're done with current content. As development continues, players new and old will check it. This is how early access games have worked for the past decade.”

This is true: games still in early access regularly enjoy bursts of intense action before interest drops off – we saw as much when Disney Dreamlight Valley first launched. Furthermore, 2024 has been a stellar year thus far in terms of gaming; there’s just so much to play already.

If we compare the latest stats to when the game first released, then yes, Palworld’s rapid decline seems extreme – it’s gone from 25 million players to but a fraction of that. However, put into the context of its stage of development, the current gaming scene, etc, its decline could be argued as being quite normal. “It’s nearly four months later… isn't this normal?” asked one of many fans.

Remember when Palworld first made an appearance?

Even with a reduced player count, interest still remains, albeit less intensely. Recently, a teaser for the last console we’d ever expect Palworld on did the rounds on the internet, and as expected, gamers we’re invested.

When the game finally leaves early access, we anticipate a fresh wave of interested players. Even more so as updates drop, and interest is renewed once more.