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Palworld is not beating the Pokémon clone allegations as they announce a Palworld Card Game out this summer

Nintendo's lawyers already have Palworld in their sights, so why not release their own card game?

Promotional image for Palworld — Image credit: Pocketpair

News by Trent Cannon, Senior Contributing writer

Published on Tue Jan 13 2026

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Palworld continues to toe the line of “similar to but legally distinctive from” Pokémon with the newest addition to its multimedia franchise. Aside from the hit game and the dating sim, the developers at Pocketpair are introducing a Palworld Card Game. Because they are going to follow the playbook written by Nintendo and Game Freak as closely as possible without getting sued (again).

The official site for the Palworld Card Game states that it is being developed in partnership with Bushiroad, which has made multiple other card and video games over the past several years. The two-player competitive card game looks like it will emulate the gameplay of the Palworld video game, with Pal companions being summoned to fight. The official description says, “Team up with your trusty Pals and experience the thrill of overcoming formidable enemies through this exciting trading card game.

There is no information about pricing or specific gameplay mechanics for the Palworld Card Game. A short teaser was also released that didn’t illuminate these matters further. We do know that Palworld Official Card Game is scheduled to be released on July 30, 2026.

It is a bold move for Pocketpair, which remains locked in a legal battle with Nintendo over a potential patent infringement. The similarities between Palworld and Pokémon are pretty obvious, but that hasn’t stopped Palworld from becoming one of the most popular games of the past few years. Now with a card game in the works, it is clear that they know what worked for Pokémon and are going to emulate it as closely as they legally can.

Palworld Official Card Game is out on July 30, 2026.

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