This week, Steam made a pretty significant change to its review system, and it has already had a major impact on games like Palworld. Now, instead of showing a single, all-time rating for a game based on every language’s reviews, the platform will show a score based on the reviews in your specific language. This seemingly small tweak has been a game-changer for Palworld, which is now rated “Overwhelmingly Positive” for all English reviews.
The game has been at the center of a lot of drama since it first came out, with Nintendo (whose console Silksong is going to) going after it for being a monster collecting game. Nintendo has not looked like the good guy in any case, but it seems Palworld is getting even more help from Steam. Despite all the legal trouble, Palworld has been incredibly popular, with huge numbers of players in its first month of release.
Palworld Gets a Rating Boost Thanks to Steam
Before this update, Palworld’s all-time review rating on Steam was “Very Positive.” However, the new system gave it a nice little boost in the English-speaking world, pushing it into that sought-after “Overwhelmingly Positive” category. This milestone was celebrated by Pocketpair’s communications director and publishing manager, John “Bucky” Buckley, who posted about it on X. Bucky clarified in the comments that the game wasn’t rated poorly in any language; it just “happens to be higher in English.”
I honestly can’t believe how much of a difference this change makes. The game’s reviews were already pretty good, but getting that “Overwhelmingly Positive” label is a huge deal. It’s the kind of thing that makes people feel more comfortable buying a game, especially one that has been as controversial as Palworld. It’s a great piece of news for a game that has had a lot of ups and downs. Looking at the Palworld reviews by language, it’s clear that English reviews make up the biggest chunk and are what is pushing the game into that higher tier.
The second-largest language is Simplified Chinese, which has a “Very Positive” rating. These Chinese reviews were likely the ones holding back the overall score before the change, even though “Very Positive” is still, well, very positive. When you look at all the other languages, they also show a “Very Positive” or “Overwhelmingly Positive” score, so the game is clearly beloved by a lot of people around the world, regardless of what language they speak.
The new review system seems like a much better way to handle global games. Instead of letting one region’s reviews drag down the average for everyone, it gives a more accurate picture of how a game is perceived by its local audience. For a game like Palworld, which has a massive English-speaking player base, it makes sense that their collective opinion would have the most weight.
Palworld Is Winning Thanks to Reviews
On the other hand, Palworld is well into its second year of early access and still receiving major updates. The last big update they pushed out was a crossover with Terraria, which was a pretty cool and unexpected collaboration. Pocketpair has also been working on changing some major systems in the game in response to the ongoing lawsuit with Nintendo, which shows they are taking the legal action seriously while still working on the game. It’s a delicate balancing act, but it seems to be working for them.
This change to the Steam review system is a win for Palworld and for players. It gives us a better idea of what to expect from a game based on what people in our language community think. It’s a welcome change, and it’s great to see Palworld get the recognition it deserves in the English-speaking world.
Source: John Buckley/X
