Palworld Side By Side Is Just Update 1.1, Dev Clarifies

Did you see that mysterious Palworld key art and think a sequel was on the way? You're not alone. Pocketpair's head of publishing and communications, John "Bucky" Buckley, has stepped in to set the record straight: Palworld Side By Side is simply update 1.1, not a new game or a massive expansion.

The confusion started earlier this week when Palworld announced "Side by Side" with some cryptic key art. The name sounded like a subtitle for a sequel or spinoff, and plenty of fans ran with that idea. Some even joked about "Palworld 2 with terrain modification and underwater biomes." But Bucky took to Twitter to clarify: "Palworld Side By Side is v1.1 by the way. I thought that was pretty clear, but it seems quite a few people thought it was a new game announcement." So there you have it—it's an update for Palworld, version 1.1, and it's set to arrive in Winter 2026.

Now, what exactly does Side By Side involve? We don't know yet. Bucky recently told MP1st that "we're not quite ready to start teasing it just yet." However, he did drop one hint: "1.1 isn't a massive update," but "we do think players will be pretty happy with it." So don't expect a huge content drop, but there should be something worthwhile.

If you were hoping for a flood of new Pals, you might want to temper those expectations. Bucky explained in the same interview that Pocketpair developers "try to add Pals in a meaningful way." The massive 1.0 patch added 72 new Pals a few months back, so it's unlikely we'll see many—if any—new additions this time around.

This clarification comes after Pocketpair made waves by saying they prefer spin-offs over a Fortnite-style metaverse because "maximizing revenue as quickly as possible isn't what drives our creative decisions." That philosophy seems to align with their approach to Side By Side: a focused update rather than a bloated expansion.

So, if you were expecting Palworld 2, you can put those dreams on hold. Side By Side is just the next step for the game you already know and love. What do you think about this clarification? Are you still excited for update 1.1? Let us know in the comments!