Is Palworld connected to the Pokémon universe?

Palworld has quickly caught the attention of the gaming world, after garnering quick notoriety while also being compared to one of the most-popular games in history, Pokémon. As a result, players are discovering whether or not both titles come from the same universe.

Both Palworld and Pokémon share multiple similarities across both gameplay and creature designs, with players hunting around the world for new critters to add to their collection as they explore the vast outdoors. The creatures in Palworld are called Pals, and are registered to a Paldeck once captured in a Pal Sphere, which can be easily compared to Pokémon‘s mechanics.

In Pokémon, trainers across many regions like Sinnoh, Kanto, Johto, and Hoenn set off on their own adventures as they capture creatures in Poké Balls and add them to their Pokédex after collecting them for their own team. Together, they battle and explore the wide world as they discover new lands and fight to become the best that no one ever was.

Are the Palworld and Pokémon universes connected?

Unfortunately, the Palworld and Pokémon universes are not connected at all. There are plenty of similarities in gameplay and design, but each game takes place in a different world. In Palworld, pals are able to wield weapons, such as miniguns and other wild options, while Pokémon are only able to use the powers and abilities that they learn.

Pals are also used for many other jobs, such as farming, building, and creating weapons, can even be killed in combat, and sold to other people in the game. Pokémon, on the other hand, can only faint after falling in combat, cannot usually be used to power other mechanics in the game, and cannot be sold to other players.

The two games share multiple aspects in world-building and creature design, but they also have stark differences that players will notice before even playing. Additionally, Palworld and Pokémon have different publishers and developers, with Pocket Pair, Inc. creating the former and Nintendo and Game Freak leading the latter.

If you are, however, interested in trying out Palworld with your friends, you’ll have to wait until Jan. 19 when the early access period for the title begins.