Palworld Update 0.5 Released: Cross-Play, Photo Mode, and Expanded Storage

Pocketpair, developer of the massively successful open-world survival game Palworld, has officially launched update 0.5, introducing several highly requested features, including full cross-platform play, an enhanced photo mode, and significantly expanded storage solutions.

Highlights of Palworld Update 0.5:

• Crossplay Across All Platforms:
  Players can now seamlessly connect and play together, regardless of their chosen platform.

• Global Palbox:
  This new system allows players to store Pal data and transfer their companions across different game worlds, greatly enhancing the flexibility of team management.

• Dimensional Pal Storage:
  A newly implemented storage system offers ten times the capacity of standard Palboxes. Accessible by guild members, it also provides private storage settings for personal use.

• Cosmetic Armour System:
  Players can now customize their character’s appearance independently from their equipped armour stats using the Antique Dresser.

• Photo Mode:
  Activated from the Pal Command Wheel, this mode allows players to hide the UI and freely manipulate the camera to capture in-game moments and landscapes.

• Drafting Table:
  A practical addition enabling players to combine low-rarity blueprints to craft higher-quality blueprints, streamlining item progression.

Additional Improvements:

Update 0.5 also introduces dedicated server support for the Mac version, numerous UI enhancements, balance adjustments, and various bug fixes. However, Pocketpair has clarified that dedicated server functionality for the PlayStation 5 version remains under development and will be added in future updates.

A Massive Hit Faces Unexpected Legal Challenges:

Despite Palworld achieving extraordinary success, boasting over 32 million players since its release last year, Pocketpair’s progress has faced substantial hurdles. Notably, Nintendo's recent lawsuit alleging patent infringement significantly disrupted the developer's roadmap.

Speaking at GDC 2025, Pocketpair’s communications director, John Buckley, shared insights into the unexpected lawsuit (via GamesRadar), revealing the profound impact on the team:

"This obviously came as a shock to us. I think it came as a shock to a lot of people because it's alleged patent infringement, which is something that no one even considered, and it's something that we're still hashing out basically. It didn't feel good, obviously. We were pretty vocal before Palworld released that we did legal checks before the game released, and they were all cleared—in Japan. So obviously, when the lawsuit was announced, we were all like, 'What?'"

Buckley explained further:

"Pretty much everyone at Pocketpair is a huge fan, so it was a pretty depressing day, a lot of people kind of head-down walking home in the rain. It changed a lot of things for us. We were just about to release the PlayStation version. We were just about to go to Tokyo Game Show. Obviously, we had to scale back a little bit and hire security guards and stuff like that. But yeah, the short answer is it did not feel good."

This lawsuit remains ongoing, casting a shadow over future updates and expansions, even as the developer continues to bring significant updates to their player base.

What's your take on Palworld’s latest update and Nintendo's lawsuit? Do you think Pocketpair will manage to overcome this legal challenge? Share your thoughts below!