Palworld Official Trading Card Game Announced

Pocketpair has officially announced the Palworld Official Trading Card Game, scheduled for release on July 30, 2026. The company has partnered with Bushiroad, a Japanese TCG specialist, to publish the game.

The game is a 2-player competitive card game featuring strategic battles using unique Pals. Players gather resources and build bases while fighting alongside their Pal companions. This announcement follows the recent reveal of Palworld: Palfarm and occurs while Pocketpair is engaged in a patent lawsuit with Nintendo and The Pokémon Company.

Pocketpair made a surprise announcement regarding the official Palworld Trading Card Game, which is set to launch this summer. The company has formed a partnership with Bushiroad, a specialist in Japanese trading card games, to handle the publication of the Palworld Official Trading Card Game.

The release date has been confirmed for July 30, 2026. According to the official description, the game is designed as a 2-player competitive card game. It allows players to enjoy strategic and tactical battles through the deployment of various unique Pals.

Gameplay involves fighting alongside Pal companions while gathering resources and constructing bases. The objective is to utilize the unique traits of these Pals to lead players to victory. The official description encourages players to team up with their trusty Pals to overcome formidable enemies.

The Palworld Official Trading Card Game focuses on strategic depth and tactical decision-making. Players will engage in battles that mirror the creature-collection aspect of the main video game, but within a card-based format.

Key elements of the gameplay include:

• Deploying various unique Pals for combat
• Resource gathering mechanics
• Base building strategies
• 2-player competitive format

The game emphasizes the bond between players and their Pals, described as both adorable and dependable. These companions utilize their unique traits to assist players in achieving victory over opponents.

The announcement has inevitably sparked further comparisons between Palworld and Pokémon, particularly given the massive popularity of the Pokémon Trading Card Game. Fans have taken to social media and comment sections to voice their opinions on the new development.

One fan noted, "They really are going the Pokémon route and merchandising everything." Another fan questioned the timeline of the franchise's expansion, asking, "Palworld anime when?"

Reactions on YouTube have been varied, with one commenter stating, "Nintendo: heavy breathing," while another laughed, "NOW THEY JUST TROLLING!!!!"

This TCG announcement follows closely on the heels of Pocketpair's September announcement of Palworld: Palfarm, a farming and crafting spinoff. That reveal occurred just one week after Nintendo unveiled its cozy farming sim, Pokémon Pokopia. The timing led to questions from Pokémon fans, prompting Pocketpair to issue a response regarding the scheduling of the Palfarm announcement.

Pocketpair has been moving quickly to capitalize on Palworld's explosive success. In March 2024, Pocketpair boss Takuro Mizobe admitted that the company couldn't handle the massive profits the game had generated.

Currently, the Japanese studio is managing multiple projects simultaneously. While working on the 1.0 release of Palworld, they are also developing:

• Palworld: Palfarm
• The new Palworld TCG
• Updates for their other game, Craftopia
• Running their own publishing studio

Amidst this expansion, Pocketpair is embroiled in a high-profile patent battle with Nintendo and The Pokémon Company. The lawsuit, announced in September 2024 and ongoing in Japan, involves three specific patents. Two of these patents relate to monster capture and release mechanics, while the third involves riding characters.

Nintendo has been actively obtaining patents to strengthen its case, some of which intellectual property lawyers have argued should never have been granted. Pocketpair has publicly vowed to defend itself in court against these claims.