Palworld: Side by Side Targets Winter 2026 With a Three-Silhouette Teaser

Palworld: Side by Side is scheduled for winter 2026, Pocketpair announced on October 20. The developer has revealed the update’s name and a teaser image, but has not yet explained its gameplay additions or supplied an exact release day.

The company announcement, published through PR TIMES, places the reveal alongside the results of Palworld’s 2026 global popularity poll. Those results explain the teaser’s character references without confirming what players will be able to do in the update.

What does the Side by Side teaser show?

The official artwork shows three dark silhouettes, the Side by Side title and Winter 2026. Pocketpair describes the shapes as reminiscent of Zoe, Auri and Saya, the characters who took the poll’s top three places.

That wording matters: it is a hint connecting the illustration to the ranking, rather than confirmation that the three are playable characters, new quest companions or additions to a particular mode. No such feature list accompanies the announcement.

When is the update coming?

The announced window is winter 2026. Pocketpair has not narrowed it to a month or day, and the press release’s Japanese publication time is not a game-unlock schedule.

The notice lists the base game’s existing platforms separately. That list does not establish simultaneous Side by Side delivery on every system, so the update’s platform rollout remains a detail to confirm.

The popularity-poll results

The poll ran in September and covered more than 280 Pals and in-game characters. Gematsu’s English account of the announcement gives the leading names as follows:

These are poll rankings, not a confirmed list of new update content. Pocketpair links the official 2026 results portal for the wider results.

What remains unannounced?

There is no published mechanics breakdown, confirmed update price or exact platform-by-platform date in the checked announcement. The name and illustration alone do not establish a paid expansion, romance system or new play mode.

Pocketpair’s release also lists July 10, 2026 as Palworld’s full-version launch date. Side by Side is a later named update; it is not being announced as the game’s original launch or as version 2.0. Further gaming coverage will follow the developer’s concrete feature and rollout details.