Palworld: What PC Specs Do You Need to Run the Hit Game?

As Palworld breaks record after record for PC game sales, it's key for potential players to prepare their PCs to fully embrace this new open-world survival and crafting game. We'll break down the game's system requirements to ensure you're ready for the adventure that's been dubbed "Pokemon with guns," but is really so much more than that. 

Minimum Specifications: A Base for Playability

• Processor: The Intel Core i5-3570K, a quad-core processor, is the baseline. This CPU, though dated, still works for basic gaming needs.
• Memory: At 16 GB of RAM, Palworld is on-par with other mainstream games featuring a rich, detailed world.
• Graphics: The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 is the entry point, signaling moderate entry level graphical demands. However, expect only basic detail settings with this older GPU. 

Recommended Specifications: For the Optimal Experience

• Processor: The jump to an Intel Core i9-9900K, an 8-core powerhouse, hints at a game designed to utilize more cores and threads for complex game world tasks. 
• Memory: 32 GB of RAM is a significant requirement, possibly because Palworld features extensive environments that need more memory.
• Graphics: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 recommendation isn't that onerous, but I'll say that playing on a newer 4000-series GPU let me crank the resolution and detail settings up to max. 

What to Expect

I took some time this past weekend to jump into Palworld after hearing so much about it, and found myself glued to the screen for hours, much to my surprise. 

The significant gap between the minimum and recommended specs implies Palworld is highly scalable in performance. Those with minimum specs should expect to run the game with compromises in texture details, shadows, and reduced frame rates.

For gamers aiming for smooth gameplay with richer textures and more detailed environments, meeting or exceeding the recommended specs gets you a much better overall experience. I fired the game up on a variety of systems, including a Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2, with an NVIDIA 4060 GPU, and found it ran at high detail settings at an average of 60-70fps. 

If you're interested in checking the game out, it's available to purchase on Steam, but also included in your Xbox Game Pass subscription, including the PC version of Game Pass.