Palworld Dating Sim Revealed as Real Video Game as Dev Insists It’s Not an April Fools’ Day Joke

Developer Pocketpair has announced Palworld! More Than Just Pals, a dating sim set in its massively popular monster-catching universe — and no, it’s not an April Fools’ Day joke (this time).

The team behind 2024’s Pokémon-like survival experience revealed its plans to inject a bit of romance into its catalog today, March 31. It’s an announcement that, on any other day of the year, fans would accept without question. However, April Fools’ Day gags, fake games, and more strange announcements from game developers will surely flood the internet as soon as the new month rolls in tomorrow, so most fans are already taking Palworld! More Than Just Pals with a grain of salt.

Pocketpair wants to be clear for the non-believers: Palworld! More Than Just Pals is indeed a real video game. The idea was seemingly born out of its 2024 April Fools’ Day stunt, which saw the team announcing More Than Just Pals as a fake game for little more than a quick laugh. Well, now it’s real, and it’s coming to PC via Steam at an unspecified point in the future.

Palworld! More Than Just Pals sounds like an especially out-there addition to Pocketpair’s popular universe. Its description teases an experience that allows players to befriend and fall in love with a cast of student Pals who attend Palagos Private Academy. The project’s official Steam page highlights characters like the “cute” and “mysterious” Katress and the “timid” Chillet, with many names pulled directly from Palworld’s library of creatures.

“You, the protagonist, enroll as a transfer student in the prestigious Palagos Private Academy,” an official description from Pocketpair said. “You will meet unique friends (pals) and enjoy school life through friendship and romance. It’s up to you whether you stay friends with the pals, develop romantic relationships with them, or even dismember and eat them.”

This doesn’t concern April Fools 🙂

— Bucky | Palworld (@Bucky_cm) March 31, 2025

Pocketpair’s Palworld celebrated its one-year anniversary this past January as it continues development with more updates. Its string of content will surely help with the wait for the Palworld dating sim, as players most recently got their hands on an update that added crossplay support, Blueprint upgrades, photo mode, and more. Meanwhile, those hoping for a Nintendo Switch 2 version of Palworld have a bit of hope to cling on to, but even if a Switch port doesn’t work out, we can at least hope Palworld! More Than Just Pals will arrive on the console someday.

Michael Cripe is a freelance contributor with IGN. He’s best known for his work at sites like The Pitch, The Escapist, and OnlySP. Be sure to give him a follow on Bluesky (@mikecripe.bsky.social) and Twitter (@MikeCripe).