Palworld Underwater Update Is Never Coming, Dev Confirms

Pocketpair has officially shut down one of the most requested features for Palworld: an underwater update is completely off the table, according to the game’s lead. The message was clear—”literally is never happening”—and followed by a straightforward note to fans: “Make your peace with that now.”

Players have long pushed for underwater content, pointing out that the game’s ocean areas feel underused. Pocketpair’s response shows they’ve considered the idea multiple times and consistently reached the same conclusion.

Creating functional underwater gameplay is a tough engineering challenge. Studios like Bethesda have shied away from it for years. Todd Howard once mentioned that underwater content is one of the hardest systems to make enjoyable. For a team like Pocketpair, which released Palworld in Early Access on January 19, 2024, with a small staff, the technical and design challenges probably outweigh any possible benefits.

Palworld’s launch was one of the most explosive in Steam history, hitting over 2 million concurrent players within days. The game has since settled into a stable player base, currently with 21,403 concurrent players and 95% positive ratings from 172,103 Steam reviews. Pocketpair has kept updating the game throughout Early Access, but it’s clear that aquatic expansion isn’t on their priority list.

This firm denial also highlights how Pocketpair is handling community expectations. Instead of a vague “we’ll look into it,” the lead used language that aims to close the door on the topic. This kind of direct communication isn’t common in live-service development, where studios often avoid shutting down future possibilities.

By The Numbers

Release Date	January 19, 2024
Steam Reviews	95% positive (172,103 reviews)
Current Steam Price	$22.49
Current Concurrent Players	21,403
Peak Concurrent Players (Launch)	2,000,000+

Community reactions to the underwater denial have varied, though some players seem to have moved on. One Steam reviewer simply stated, “Boring game, not recommended.” This reflects a segment of the audience that feels the game’s content has stagnated. With underwater content now off the table for good, the focus shifts to what Pocketpair plans next to re-engage those players.

What To Watch

• What Pocketpair will prioritize instead—this could be crucial as the studio’s upcoming updates or roadmap entries now carry extra importance given this narrowed focus.
• Whether player counts stabilize or continue to drop as Early Access progresses without the large-scale content additions some fans were hoping for.
• Pocketpair’s broader plans for the IP, including earlier hints about spin-off projects, which may reveal where the studio’s development efforts are actually headed.