With Palworld taking the world by storm (again), it turns out there's yet another major surprise tied to the creature-collecting survival game coming sooner than you'd expect. Palworld Online - an MMORPG - is coming to mobile later this year.

Announced by Garena, this officially licensed spinoff is a reimagination of the original Palworld experience, where multiple players can collect and train their pals in a "seamless open world". The game introduces a new narrative setting, so those invested in Palworld's story should have more to dig into here.

This game has been made specifically for mobile, and no word of a PC or console version has been mentioned in Garena's announcement blog post. It does mention "cooperative progression" will be present, as will challenging PvE fights, PvP battles, and roaming world bosses. It's also worth noting that the "timeline for its launch" is also mentioned as something coming soon, so while the game may be available this year, it could be some manner of beta rather than a full release. Details are scarce at the moment.

"Palworld is a widely recognised IP, and we see an opportunity to bring the essence of their PC title to mobile in a way that encourages players to connect and venture together," Garena president Terry Zhao wrote in the announcement blog. "Working closely with Pocketpair, we are focused on preserving the depth, immersion, and freedom that define Palworld, while thoughtfully optimising the experience for mobile play."

"Garena has extensive experience in global publishing, localisation, and live operations for mobile games," added Pocketpair CEO Takuro Mizobe. "We are pleased to work with Garena on the licensed development of Palworld Online and look forward to seeing a new Palworld experience brought to players worldwide."

Garena has created and published a catalogue of interesting mobile titles that western audiences may not be familiar with, including Free Fire, Free City, and Speed Drifters. However, it also handled some massive mobile releases like Call of Duty Mobile and Delta Force, so as Mizobe said, there's substantial mobile experience there.

A 2026 release window does make Palworld Online a sudden addition to an already packed year. How it'll actually turn out is a big mystery however - one we'll have to wait a few months to discern properly.