The new Palworld game isn't what I expected, but a TCG actually makes a lot of sense

Some things feel inevitable. Multiple GTA 6 delays. Half-Life 3 (let me dream). Palworld upsetting Nintendo. In its latest endeavor, Pocketpair has confirmed that it’s making a Palworld TCG inspired by its hit survival game; y’know, the one that Nintendo has sued over? There’s having balls, then there’s having balls (pun intended).

Announced on Monday January 12, Palworld TCG spinoff is set to compete with the likes of MTG, Star Wars Unlimited, and, of course, Nintendo’s Pokemon TCG. You can purchase and trade cards featuring all of your favorite Pals, including, umm, the one that looks a bit like Lucario, as well as the one that looks like Bellossom.

The announcement itself is pretty sparse, but we do know that the game is two-player and built to be competitive. “Players fight alongside their Pal companions, gathering resources and building bases as they aim for victory,” says the announcement post. “These adorable and dependable Pals will utilize their own unique traits to lead you to victory.”

Per the trailer, the card layout isn’t immediately similar to the Pokemon TCG: there’s the usual image and larger description box, but there are five diamond-shaped boxes between them, perhaps representing some form of evolutionary chain? There’s a larger two-tone diamond at the bottom too, as well as a duo-colored rectangle, that feels like a great place to put hit points.

We’ve also seen base mechanics pop up in TCGs before, with League of Legends TCG Riftbound reinventing the concept in a big way. While I haven’t really dabbled in the Pokemon TCG, I expect that Pal battles will function in a similar way to Pokemon’s, with resources potentially being dropped as a reward for winning. An exploration component would certainly be interesting (I’m fondly reminiscing over the Pokemon Master Trainer board game), but I’m not quite sure how that would work in practice without a whole map.

We won’t have to wait long to find out, however. The official Palworld TCG launches on Thursday July 30, 2026, distributed by Bushiroad (Shadowverse: Evolve, Cardfight!! Vanguard). Yes, really: we’re getting a Palworld TCG before Grand Theft Auto 6. Let that sink in.

All jokes aside, I did actually enjoy my time with Palworld. It, in its own way, did reinvent the creature-catching genre, for better or for worse. As a TCG enthusiast who doesn’t need a new game to play but always wants one, I’m genuinely excited to see what this looks like.