The Palworld card game, developed by Bushiroad, launches on July 30, 2026. Designed for two players, the game focuses on using Pals, gear, events, and structures to deplete an opponent's 10 Life Points.

Quick Start Guide: Steps to Play

  1. Prepare Your Decks: You need a 50-card main deck and a 10-card soul deck.
  2. Setup: Shuffle both decks and place them on the table.
  3. Managing Souls: Rest soul cards to play your main cards. You draw two soul cards at the start of each round.
  4. Main Phase: Play cards from your hand based on the soul cards you have available. You can play as many cards as your soul pool supports.
  5. Attacking: Use Pals to attack your opponent’s Life Points. If you attack the player, they flip cards from their deck equal to your Pal's strike value. If they reveal a 'Lucky' icon, the attack is nullified.
  6. Defending: If you are attacked, you can choose to have one of your standing Pals block the hit in your place.

Understanding Card Types

Your strategy relies on balancing four distinct card types:

  • Pals: Your primary units for attacking and blocking. They feature power values for attacking and strike damage for direct hits.
  • Gear: Used to buff your Pals or deal damage to the opponent's board.
  • Events: Powerful, one-time use cards that can change the flow of a match.
  • Structures: Cards that allow you to assign Pals to activate unique, ongoing abilities.

Getting Started with Trial Decks

Bushiroad is releasing two Trial Decks on July 30: the Red/Blue variant and the Green/Purple variant. Each 60-card box includes everything a new player needs, including a play guide, a paper playmat, a life counter, and a bonus Booster Pack to begin customizing your strategy.

Expanding Your Strategy

While the rules are straightforward, competitive play involves building decks around synergy. Certain Gear cards pair specifically with specific Pals, and some Pals can manipulate the board state, such as changing it from day to night to trigger additional abilities. If you want to diversify your play, the Dawn of Palpagos Booster Pack is available at launch, with Legends Awaken following on October 30.

Events and Community

Players can participate in live tutorial events at local shops throughout July and August. The official Grand Release Tournament is scheduled for August, followed by ongoing Shop Tournaments from August through October. Attending these events can earn you exclusive rewards like promo packs and deck cases.