GamesSurvivalPalworldTwo of Steam’s most-wishlisted survival games launch this month just 5 days apart: Pokemon-like open-world Palworld, and Valheim-like RPG EnshroudedWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
GamesSurvivalPalworldTwo of Steam’s most-wishlisted survival games launch this month just 5 days apart: Pokemon-like open-world Palworld, and Valheim-like RPG EnshroudedWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
(Image credit: Pocketpair)
After the customary New Year cooling off period where Steam’s release lineup consists almost entirely of experimental indies enjoying the uncommon quiet, one of the biggest genres on PC is about to kick it into high gear. The survival game space is due for a double whammy later this month withPalworldand Enshrouded, both among the most wishlisted survival games on Steamaccording to SteamDB, now confirmed to be launching less than a week apart.
ThePalworld release datearrived just today, confirming that the Pokemon-like open-world game will enter Early Access on January 19, and hit Xbox Game Preview (and Game Pass) at the same time. Five days later, Enshrouded will start its Steam Early Access journey on January 24. Servers will surely crash and bugs will surely be plentiful, but if we’re lucky, these Early Access launches could be a great start to 2024’s survival games.
Palworld was announced a while back, and its core pitch of ‘Pokemon, but with guns’ immediately turned heads, if only through raw weirdness. It’s a creature-collecting survival game that’s also a creature-shooter, creature-besieger, and all-around creature-destroyer. No legally distinct Pokemon (called a “Pal”) is too cute to be pumped full of lead or labor crimes, especially when you can pack 32 gun-toting players into one instance.
Palworld will enter Early Access with over 100 Pals, 350 items, and 70 types of buildings, according to developer Rocketpair. ItsSteam pagealso spells out surprisingly grim automation systems where Pals will “keep working as long as they’re fed – until they’re dead, that is.” Aw. There’s also much cuter farming gameplay where little water Pals tend to your crops. Awww. It’s an eclectic mix of cute and cruel, and it might be the best case study yet for whether the idea of an M-rated Pokemon game actually holds water.
Enshrouded looks and plays very differently than Palworld. It was praised during the latestSteam Next Festas ‘Valheim meets Dark Souls’ – an alluring hook for a promising demo thatbecame the most-played game of the entire November fest.
Enshrouded opens with a more familiar sequence of punching trees and hunting deer, but quickly evolves into a surprisingly robust action RPG with parrying and spells and archery and melee attacks that are actually fun, not just a means to kill boars or whatever. From combat to build crafting, Enshrouded leans much more on RPG elements to flesh out its 16-player survival crafting experience. It’s one of the better-feeling entries to the genre in some time, and after its explosive Steam Next Fest showing, its full launch – well, full Early Access launch – is going to be one to watch.
Palworld feels like a weird underdog with loads of potential that could very well end up being an overscoped jank fest, while Enshrouded – which we’ve crucially already been able to try hands-on – is positioned as a refined spin on countless games before it. Somewhat paradoxically, survival crafting games often feel same-y yet are constantly experimenting with wild tweaks to the genre’s tried-and-true formula, and January 2024 is shaping up to be a heck of an acid test.
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LatestPlanescape: Torment was a revolutionary RPG, but many of its devs had no experience with the D&D campaign it was based on: “What the f*ck is that?“See more latest►
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Planescape: Torment was a revolutionary RPG, but many of its devs had no experience with the D&D campaign it was based on: “What the f*ck is that?”
Planescape: Torment was a revolutionary RPG, but many of its devs had no experience with the D&D campaign it was based on: “What the f*ck is that?”
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GAME REVIEWSMOVIE REVIEWSTV REVIEWS
1Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension”
1Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension”
1
Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension”
2Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package”
2Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package”
2
Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package”
3Path of Exile 2 review: “A stellar start to a thrilling and brutal dark adventure”
3Path of Exile 2 review: “A stellar start to a thrilling and brutal dark adventure”
3
Path of Exile 2 review: “A stellar start to a thrilling and brutal dark adventure”
4Indiana Jones and the Great Circle review: “The best adventure Indy has embarked on in over 30 years”
4Indiana Jones and the Great Circle review: “The best adventure Indy has embarked on in over 30 years”
4
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle review: “The best adventure Indy has embarked on in over 30 years”
5Marvel Rivals review: “So preoccupied with trying to be like Overwatch that it forgets to play to its own strengths”
5Marvel Rivals review: “So preoccupied with trying to be like Overwatch that it forgets to play to its own strengths”
5
Marvel Rivals review: “So preoccupied with trying to be like Overwatch that it forgets to play to its own strengths”
1Sonic the Hedgehog 3 review: “Keanu Reeves as Shadow is wasted whilst Jim Carrey steals the show”
1Sonic the Hedgehog 3 review: “Keanu Reeves as Shadow is wasted whilst Jim Carrey steals the show”
1
Sonic the Hedgehog 3 review: “Keanu Reeves as Shadow is wasted whilst Jim Carrey steals the show”
2Mufasa: The Lion King review – “It’s no Hakuna Matata but this Disney origin story is a class above the 2019 movie”
2Mufasa: The Lion King review – “It’s no Hakuna Matata but this Disney origin story is a class above the 2019 movie”
2
Mufasa: The Lion King review – “It’s no Hakuna Matata but this Disney origin story is a class above the 2019 movie”
3Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action”
3Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action”
3
Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action”
4The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien”
4The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien”
4
The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien”
5Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite”
5Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite”
5
Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite”
1Doctor Who 2024 Christmas special review: “Ncuti Gatwa is as magnetic as ever in this delightful festive treat”
1Doctor Who 2024 Christmas special review: “Ncuti Gatwa is as magnetic as ever in this delightful festive treat”
1
Doctor Who 2024 Christmas special review: “Ncuti Gatwa is as magnetic as ever in this delightful festive treat”
2Secret Level review: “An uneven experience with serious highlights that ultimately make up for the misses”
2Secret Level review: “An uneven experience with serious highlights that ultimately make up for the misses”
2
Secret Level review: “An uneven experience with serious highlights that ultimately make up for the misses”
3Skeleton Crew review: “Perfectly captures the vibes of classic Star Wars with a swashbuckling twist”
3Skeleton Crew review: “Perfectly captures the vibes of classic Star Wars with a swashbuckling twist”
3
Skeleton Crew review: “Perfectly captures the vibes of classic Star Wars with a swashbuckling twist”
4Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands”
4Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands”
4
Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands”
5Cobra Kai season 6, part 2 review: “Returns to the sort of hard-hitting form that made it such a fan favorite in the first place”
5Cobra Kai season 6, part 2 review: “Returns to the sort of hard-hitting form that made it such a fan favorite in the first place”
5
Cobra Kai season 6, part 2 review: “Returns to the sort of hard-hitting form that made it such a fan favorite in the first place”