Palworld 1.0 (July 10, 2026): Everything New + Server Guide
The full release, what is actually in it, and how to get your server ready for 1.0.
The map roughly doubles - and the World Tree finally opens
Since the 2024 launch, the World Tree has loomed on the northwest horizon behind an impassable red barrier. In 1.0 that barrier drops and the region becomes fully explorable, joined by a second major island. Together they roughly double the playable landmass of the original Palpagos map.
It is less a patch and more a second half of the game - new land, more Pals than ever, and reworked systems for breeding and dedicated servers.
What's new in Palworld 1.0
1.0 is free for existing owners (the game stays $29.99) and launched with Palworld having passed 40 million players. Launch night held: 472,769 concurrent players on Steam by the evening of July 10 - fourth on all of Steam that day and roughly a 10x jump on the pre-launch count - with recent Steam reviews sitting at 96% positive. The first paid DLC, “Dawn of the Palpagos,” follows on July 30, 2026. Here is what the update itself brings:
The World Tree region + a second island
The barriered northwest World Tree area opens up, and a second major island is added. Combined, they roughly double the map versus the 2024 release - the single biggest content addition in Palworld's history. New Watchtowers dot the expanded map: accessing one reveals the surrounding area and doubles as a fast-travel point.
More Pals than ever - including a Pal that becomes a sword
Pocketpair says 1.0 ships with more Pals than ever, the biggest single drop of new creatures. One revealed Pal can transform into a sword in combat, adding an active, direct-attack role for Pals alongside the existing ride/work/battle uses.
Mutation and Awakening - new ways to strengthen Pals
1.0 adds two new ways to strengthen Pals. Mutation gives breeding a low chance of producing a Pal stronger than the normal result, with better odds of inheriting multiple passive skills from the parents - so chasing perfect passives and work-suitability gets deeper. Awakening lets you power Pals up further using Radiant Gems gathered in the newly opened World Tree. Use the Palworld 1.0 breeding guide for Mutation, Awakening, passive chains and IV strategy, then use the breeding calculator for pair lookup, reverse search and shortest chains.
Level cap 80 and ancient technologies
The player level cap rises from 65 to 80, backed by a band of new ancient-civilization technologies to unlock on the way up. A new late-game ore, Soralite, gates some of the strongest 1.0 gear - the changelog's new Mechanical Bow, for example, is crafted from Soralite Ingots.
PvP mode
1.0 adds a dedicated PvP mode, so groups can fight each other instead of only co-oping against the world - a first for Palworld, and something to decide on when you set your server's rules.
Sunreach and the Wing Pack
Sunreach, a new island floating in the sky, sits above the map and is reached with the new Wing Pack glider - free flight powered by Wing Cells, no Pal required. Vertical exploration stacked on top of the doubled landmass.
Base building overhaul
1.0 ships a large-scale base-building overhaul alongside the multiplayer and graphics reworks, with new structures and building adjustments across the board. (Note: the pre-launch talk of dedicated “build on water” foundations is not called out in the official 1.0 changelog, so treat sea-base claims with caution until you see them in-game.)
Dedicated servers: what actually shipped (clustering isn't usable yet)
Despite months of preview coverage, Server Clustering isn't a usable 1.0 feature yet. It's absent from the official changelog and from PalWorldSettings, and Pocketpair hasn't published how to configure it - but our own inspection of the 1.0 server binary found it does carry cluster fields (ClusterNode, ClusterGroupIndex, connection settings), so the groundwork is there with no supported config path today. What dedicated servers did get: in-game voice chat (server-side and off by default - enable the toggle and tune the audible-distance settings in your server's world settings; not on WinGDK), improved guild roles with per-role permissions, adjusted default settings for the new PvP mode, and optimized server performance that holds up better with many players online. With the map doubling, 1.0 is still a strong reason for a group to run its own dedicated hardware rather than a host-and-play co-op session - just for the space and stability, not clustering.
And your existing config needs zero migration. We diffed the 1.0 settings template against the previous build: all 88 pre-1.0 PalWorldSettings options survived 1.0 unchanged, so existing server configs run without any migration. 1.0 adds 31 new option keys (119 total) - voice chat, PvP kill drops, building limits and more, all covered in our server settings reference. To build a fresh 1.0 config with the new keys pre-filled, use the free Palworld server settings generator.
Hosting a Palworld 1.0 server
This is where the launch demand is heading - searches for renting and hosting Palworld servers are climbing fast into the 1.0 window. Two things to know before launch day:
- Server Clustering isn't usable yet. It's absent from the changelog and from PalWorldSettings, and Pocketpair hasn't published how to configure it - though the 1.0 server binary does carry cluster fields (ClusterNode, ClusterGroupIndex, connection settings), so the groundwork exists with no supported config path today. If you run more than one world for a community, plan on separate servers for now.
- The local-to-dedicated save gotcha. When you move a co-op/local world onto a dedicated server, the host player's own character data (inventory, level, base ownership, caught Pals) does not transfer - only the world state and other players' character files. Everyone except the original host keeps their character; the host effectively starts a new character on the dedicated world. Plan for this so launch night is not a surprise - or skip the pain entirely: the free Save Converter rebinds the host's character, pals, guild, structures and door locks in your browser before you upload. Check the folder structure first with the Save Migration Doctor (both client-side, nothing uploaded).
Want a Palworld 1.0 server ready for July 10? Rent a Palworld dedicated server with Supercraft - instant setup, automatic backups, and easy config so your group can drop straight into the new map. Check the Palworld dedicated server requirements to size the box for the bigger 1.0 map.
Does my save carry over?
Yes - the official 1.0 changelog confirms saves carry over - with one exception: save data from v0.7.3 and earlier is no longer carried over. If your world has been dormant since one of those old builds, plan on a fresh start. For everyone else, Pocketpair's community manager put the guidance plainly: “You do not need to wipe your data for Palworld 1.0, but you should” - a fresh world shows the reworked progression, the doubled map, and the new Pals as designed. For a long-running community server, the safe play is the same as any major update:
- Back up your world before patch day. Copy your save folder so you can roll back. The download/backup save guide shows where the files live.
- Delete old mods entirely - do not just disable them. Pocketpair's official pre-1.0 guidance is that disabling is not enough; stale Early Access mod files are the top confirmed cause of launch-week crashes and corrupted saves.
- Check your old config against 1.0. Paste your pre-1.0
PalWorldSettings.iniinto the free Palworld 1.0 Config Migration Doctor - it flags anything 1.0 handles differently and fills in the 31 new option keys. - Decide: carry over or fresh start. Carrying over keeps your bases and Pals; a fresh world shows off the reworked 1.0 progression and new regions cleanly. Our 1.0 wipe-or-keep server guide walks through the call for a community world.
- Test on a throwaway server first if you run a community, so you learn the new systems (Mutation, Awakening, guild roles) before flipping the live world.
Watch: the 1.0 cinematic trailer
Frequently asked
When does Palworld 1.0 release?
July 10, 2026 - out now, having left Early Access. It launched the same day on PC (Steam and Microsoft Store), PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One.
Is Palworld 1.0 a free update?
It is the full release of the game you already own - 1.0 is the version Early Access has been building toward, not a separate paid product. Existing owners move to 1.0.
What's actually new in 1.0?
The World Tree region opens, a new floating island named Sunreach joins it and the map roughly doubles, the level cap rises from 65 to 80, 72 new Pals bring the total to 287 (including one that transforms into a sword), and the new Awakening and Mutation systems let you strengthen Pals further. For dedicated servers, 1.0 adds in-game voice chat (a server-side toggle with tunable audible distance) and improved guild roles. (Server Clustering isn't usable yet: it's absent from the changelog and from PalWorldSettings and Pocketpair hasn't published a config path, though the server binary does carry cluster fields as groundwork.)
Do my saves carry over to 1.0?
Yes - officially confirmed in the changelog, with one exception: save data from v0.7.3 and earlier is no longer carried over. The community manager's guidance: “You do not need to wipe your data for Palworld 1.0, but you should” - a fresh start shows the reworked progression as designed.
Do I need a new server for Palworld 1.0?
No - your existing dedicated server updates to 1.0. If you migrate a local/co-op world onto a dedicated server, remember the host's own character data does not transfer (only the world and other players' characters do). (Note: Server Clustering isn't usable yet - it's absent from the changelog and from PalWorldSettings with no published config path, though the server binary carries cluster groundwork - so there is no supported way to link multiple worlds today.)
Related
- Palworld breeding calculator - plan Mutation breeding lines and passive chains.
- Palworld breeding guide (2026) - how combos work, passive chains, fastest routes.
- Palworld 1.0: wipe or keep your server? - the carry-over vs fresh-start decision.
- Palworld dedicated server requirements - sizing your box for the 1.0 map.
- Palworld Wiki home
- Source: the official Pocketpair 1.0 announcement.