Despite its early access moniker, Palworld is already gaming’s biggest success story of 2024, with millions of players diving into the creature-collecting survival adventure. Palworld’s explosive success also means players on mobile platforms are keen to join the Pal-taming action.
In less than a week, Palworld sold more than eight million copies on Steam alone, becoming the second game ever to reach two million concurrent players on the platform. It has averaged over one million active players since its Jan. 19 launch, comfortably sitting among Steam’s top games. Its success brings a few questions into play, like just how much money Pocketpair made from Palworld and which platforms you can play it on.
Can you play Palworld on iPhone or Android mobile devices?
Unfortunately for mobile gamers, Palworld is not available on any mobile device natively, meaning you can’t find the game on the Apple App Store or the Google Play Store. Pocketpair released a statement about Palworld not being on mobile storefronts, warning players to avoid downloading any app that uses the game’s name, since there is no official mobile release, and those apps could be dangerous to your personal security.
Pocketpair hasn’t shared much information regarding when Palworld will launch on platforms outside the currently-available Steam and Xbox Series X|S versions. Fans are hoping that a PlayStation 5 and Nintendo Switch version might be released at some point, though those platforms—and a potential mobile version—are likely further down the road. Having said that, there is technically one way you can get Palworld running on mobile.
How to play Palworld on mobile using Xbox Cloud Streaming
If you are a Game Pass Ultimate subscriber on PC or Xbox consoles, you automatically have access to the Xbox Cloud Streaming beta that lets you stream hundreds of games via the cloud directly to your phone or browser. This includes Palworld, even though it’s still in early access, and it’s currently the only way to play Palworld on mobile.
To access Palworld via Xbox Cloud Streaming, you need to take one of two approaches depending on your mobile device of choice.
For Xbox Cloud Streaming on Android devices:
- Download the Xbox Game Pass app from either Google Play or the Samsung Store.
- Log into your Microsoft account and make sure you are subscribed to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate.
- Click the “Cloud” tab and select Palworld from the list of available games.
- Connect a controller via Bluetooth and get gaming.
The process is a lot more difficult for iOS devices, because Apple does not allow game streaming services to be listed on the App Store. There is a workaround, though, using the same process as playing on a web browser, and this App Store ruling is set to change shortly.
- Launch a supported web browser app like Safari on your Apple device.
- Head over to xbox.com/play and log into your Microsoft account.
- Make sure you are subscribed to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate.
- Search for Palworld and begin playing via the cloud.
Additional updates to Palworld’s future roadmap, including additional platforms and content, should be shared in the coming months. At the time of writing, the developer is more focused on improving the current version and implementing features like crossplay and cross-save.
