🏆 2026
v0.180+
Royal Highlands — New Biome Launch
April 2026
Major Update
The largest content update since launch. The Royal Highlands biome opened as a brand-new explorable region beyond Bahari Bay, with its own NPCs, questlines, fish species, resources, and housing tiles.
- New biome: Royal Highlands — multiple sub-areas to explore
- Royal Food Tester questline added (new gold title reward)
- 12 new fish species exclusive to Royal Highlands waters
- New ore: Highland Stone and rare Aureate Ore nodes
- 20+ new housing furniture pieces in Highland style
- 2 new NPCs with full friendship and questline tracks
- New crafting station: Royal Kitchen Hearth
v0.172
Horse Riding System
March 2026
Major Update
Mounts arrived in Palia. Players can tame wild horses found throughout Kilima Valley, raise them at a stable on their homestead, and ride across both Kilima Valley and Bahari Bay.
- Horse taming mechanic — approach and befriend wild horses
- Stable building blueprint added to Kenyatta's questline
- 3 base horse coat colours at launch; more via Palia Pass
- Saddle and accessory cosmetic system
- Mount speed boost reduces cross-map travel time by ~40%
- Horse feeding and grooming daily care mechanics
v0.168
Spring Bloom Festival + UI Improvements
February / March 2026
Event
- Spring Bloom seasonal event with limited furniture and clothing
- Revised inventory UI — new filter and sort options
- Crafting queue improvements — batch crafting now supports up to 50 items
- Performance optimisations for Bahari Bay fishing spots
- 10+ bug fixes including NPC pathfinding issues
📅 2025
v0.160
Maji Market Winter + PS5 / Xbox Launch
December 2025
Platform Launch
Palia launched on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S, massively expanding the player base. The Maji Market Winter event ran simultaneously.
- PS5 version released — up to 4K/60fps, DualSense haptics
- Xbox Series X|S version released — Game Pass integration
- Cross-platform play enabled across all 4 platforms
- Maji Market Winter seasonal event with exclusive Chapaa Kin Hotpot recipe
- Server infrastructure expanded to handle platform launch traffic
v0.152
Underground & The Muujin Update
September 2025
Major Update
- Underground area opened below Bahari Bay — new mining routes
- Muujin creature type added — new hunting and crafting content
- Muujin Bahami and Sfoufs recipes added (via Zeki's Underground market)
- New ore type: Palium Ore deposits significantly expanded
- Bahari Caves fishing area rework — 9 cave-exclusive species
- New rare bug types in underground areas
v0.141
Housing Expansion + Subira Questline
May 2025
Content Update
- Housing plots expanded — interior room count increased
- Subira full friendship & romance questline added
- Century Egg recipe unlocked via Subira's story quest
- New wall, flooring, and roof tile options for all housing styles
- Community board task variety expanded
v0.130
Nintendo Switch Launch
February 2025
Platform Launch
- Nintendo Switch version launched on eShop — free to play
- Dynamic resolution scaling (720p handheld / 1080p docked)
- Cross-platform play with PC enabled at launch
- Touch screen UI elements added for handheld mode
- Control rebinding and accessibility options expanded
📅 2024
v0.115
Bahari Bay Full Release
October 2024
Major Update
- Bahari Bay biome fully opened — coast, rivers, and cave areas
- Hodari, Tamala, and Najuma introduced as Bahari Bay residents
- Fishing system overhauled — rarity, bait, and time-of-day mechanics added
- 18 new Bahari Coast fish + 18 Bahari Rivers fish added
- Bahari Bay housing land plots opened for purchase
- Vampire Crab rare fishing node introduced
v0.100
Cooking Overhaul + Focus System
May 2024
System Rework
- Cooking system fully reworked — recipes now grant Focus points
- Focus doubles all skill XP while active — core meta mechanic established
- Reth expanded to full recipe vendor with level-gated unlocks (Lv.1–9)
- Celebration Cake added as endgame cooking target (700 Focus)
- Star-quality system added — higher quality = bonus Focus and sell price
v0.085
Romance System & 11 Romanceable NPCs
January 2024
Major Update
- Romance system launched — 11 NPCs now romanceable
- Friendship Heart system expanded to 5 hearts + romance track
- Personal questlines added for all 11 romance-eligible NPCs
- Weekly Wants mechanic introduced — Sunday 8PM UTC reset
- Gift notification system — NPCs now react visibly to gift quality
🚀 2023 — Open Beta Launch
v0.001
Palia Open Beta — PC Launch
August 2023
Initial Release
Palia entered Open Beta on PC via the Epic Games Store, with no download key required. The game launched with Kilima Valley as the only playable area, 14 villagers, basic farming and fishing, and a core housing system.
- Kilima Valley — full map playable at launch
- 14 original villagers with friendship systems
- Farming, fishing, mining, bug-catching, foraging, hunting, cooking skills
- Housing system — 1 plot with 9×9 grid, basic furniture crafting
- Community Board — shared server tasks
- Palia Premium Pass for cosmetics (free-to-play base confirmed)
v0.030
Steam Launch + Kilima Rivers Expansion
December 2023
Platform Launch
- Steam version launched — free to play, cross-play with Epic
- Kilima Rivers fishing areas opened with 19 exclusive species
- Glow Worm bait introduced for Rare and Epic fish targeting
- Additional villager questlines for Einar, Jina, and Tamala (preview)
- Seasonal weather system added — rain and fog variants