Palworld adds a new island, Pals, and more in just a few weeks

Pocketpair’s Palworld took the world by storm when it was initially released in early access last year. Now, the game is getting its first expansion in the form of the Sakurajima Update. This update will finally add a new location for players to explore, as well as a host of other highly-anticipated new features.

The Sakurajima Update will hit Palworld on June 27, 2024. In addition to the new island, presumably called Sakurajima, the update brings new Pals into the fray, a new raid, a higher level cap and new structures for Pals, and even an oil rig Stronghold for players to test their combat skills in. It takes everything that was already great in the game and improves upon it, giving us just a little bit more of what we need to see us through the next 100 hours of playtime.

Palworld’s Sakurajima Update finally adds dedicated Xbox servers and so much more

One of the biggest issues I’ve had with Palworld since its release is that Xbox servers just aren’t as stable as those for PC players. Well, the Sakurajima Update finally adds dedicated Xbox servers for players like me, so it doesn’t matter how many players are hammering the PC ones. I’ll still probably be able to enjoy the game and get my Pals crafting everything I need whenever I want them to.

It’s impossible to say what the new Pals are called or what their abilities might be. I’ve got a soft spot for the mimic-like chest puppy, the disappearing ghoul, and the mushroom-headed Pals myself. None of them look massively threatening, which is great, but possibly bad news for me if I want to tackle the colossal new raid boss or the additional faction boss who will also be added with the update.

With this update, Palworld manages to retain its identity and actually dig a little deeper into it. The juxtaposition of such a beautiful island and new Pals is reminiscent of Pokemon Gold and Silver, but the darkness of this world is still very much present through those hiding away in the oil rig and the factions who definitely don’t want what’s best for our Pals.

When it releases in a few weeks, the Sakurajima Update will almost certainly cause its fair share of error and server outages. So it’s probably worth diving into the game now unless you’re playing Shadow of the Erdtree, so you can sort your base out, remember how the game works, and be ready for the update on the day it launches.