Palworld’s 1.0 release has reportedly become Steam’s highest-reviewed game of 2026, according to Steam250. Pocketpair celebrated the achievement, saying the response had exceeded expectations and highlighting the continuing success of the Pokémon-inspired survival game.

The game has maintained strong popularity since its 2024 launch and is currently ranked 23rd globally by concurrent players, with more than 65,000 players online. Despite early scepticism, comparisons with The Day Before and legal pressure from Nintendo, Palworld has continued to perform strongly; Pocketpair’s John “Bucky” Buckley also joked that it might nevertheless be overlooked during awards season.