You simply cannot escape Palworld at the moment. The game is truly inevitable, and it’s enjoying unprecedented success already, despite only being in early access. So, while Baldur’s Gate 3 may have won the battle when it comes to overall playtime data in January, the creator of that RPG has admitted Palworld is almost definitely going to win the war in February.
Palworld may never beat the Pokémon imitation allegations, but it’s certainly doing something right. Gamers are dropping into the Palworld map in their millions, literally, with a peak of over two million players, and over 19 million users giving the game a go within its first two weeks of early access.
Those numbers are quite simply mind-blowing, and Palworld shows no signs of slowing down, especially considering we haven’t even gotten the full game yet. However, it is Baldur’s Gate 3 that has come out on top as per Steam Deck’s monthly statistics for playtime over the course of January, with Palworld having to settle for the runner up spot.
In response to the accolade, Baldur’s Gate 3’s head of development and the CEO of Larian Studios, Swen Vincke, took a moment to enjoy the success before graciously accepting that his game will be dominated by the Palworld phenomenon next time round. Vincke tweeted: “It was a nice run – pretty sure Palworld is going to kick our butt next month.”
Honestly, yeah, he’s absolutely right. While Baldur’s Gate 3 remains one of the most popular games around, the hype is beginning to fade a little, with the title slipping down the Steam charts slowly but surely, while Palworld is only growing in stature.
You can dive into the early access of Palworld right now over on Steam, or buy Baldur’s Gate 3 for $59.99 right here, but be careful which one you pick—Swen Vincke’s pride is at stake here.
For more from Palworld check out our guides to the Palworld bosses or the best Palworld settings to get the most out of the action-adventure game. Or, if you’re team Vincke, here are guides to the best Baldur’s Gate 3 builds, and the most impressive Baldur’s Gate 3 mods.
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