Palworld Dating Sim Announced, Not a Prank

Developer Pocketpair has unveiled Palworld! More Than Just Pals, a dating simulation game set within its widely popular monster-collecting universe — and no, this isn't an April Fools' prank (at least not this time).

The studio behind 2024's Pokémon-inspired survival game shared plans to introduce a romantic twist to its lineup today, March 31. Under normal circumstances, such news would be welcomed without skepticism. However, as April Fools’ Day approaches — a time when developers often flood the web with fake announcements and humorous gags — many fans are understandably treating the Palworld! More Than Just Pals reveal with caution.

Pocketpair wants to make one thing clear for the skeptics: Palworld! More Than Just Pals is a legitimate upcoming video game. The concept appears to have originated from the team's 2024 April Fools' joke, where they first teased More Than Just Pals as a fictional title just for fun. Now, it's becoming a reality and will launch on PC via Steam at a yet-to-be-determined date.

Palworld! More Than Just Pals promises to bring a quirky new dimension to Pocketpair's beloved universe. According to its description, players will get to befriend and romance a group of student Pals attending the prestigious Palagos Private Academy. The official Steam page introduces characters like the "cute and mysterious" Katress and the "timid" Chillet, borrowing names directly from the creature roster of the original Palworld.

“You play as a transfer student entering the esteemed Palagos Private Academy,” an official description from Pocketpair explains. “There, you'll meet an array of unique friends (Pals) and experience school life through bonds of friendship — and possibly romance. The choice is yours: remain friends, pursue love, or… well, let's just say the path less taken is also an option.”

This doesn't concern April Fools :)

— Bucky | Palworld (@Bucky_cm) March 31, 2025

Pocketpair celebrated Palworld’s first anniversary this past January, with ongoing development and new updates still in the pipeline. These regular content drops should help ease the wait for the Palworld dating sim. The most recent update introduced crossplay support, Blueprint upgrades, a photo mode, and other enhancements. Meanwhile, hopes for a Nintendo Switch 2 version of Palworld remain alive — and even if a Switch port doesn't materialize, there's always a chance Palworld! More Than Just Pals could make its way to the console eventually.