Red Desert's producer logged 189 hours in Palworld—here's what that says about the game

When a game developer willingly sinks nearly 200 hours into a competitor's title, that's endorsement money can't buy. Bucky, publishing and PR lead at Palworld studio Pocketpair, recently posted his Red Desert playthrough stats on social media—189 hours to full completion with all achievements unlocked. Pearl Abyss themselves couldn't resist responding with praise.

Here's the kicker: even after clearing every achievement, Bucky still has over 20 hours of side content left untouched. His tweet didn't hold back: "The sense of wonder this game delivers is unmatched—the only thing that comes close is The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind." Coming from someone who's seen countless releases from the inside, that carries weight.

Bucky's experience isn't an outlier—Red Desert has held its ground on Steam's top charts since launch. While Metacritic's annual high-score list is led by titles like Resident Evil 9, this open-world RPG has clearly found its audience. Pearl Abyss noted in their response that completing all achievements in under 200 hours is genuinely impressive, both acknowledging player dedication and hinting at the game's content density.

For RPG fans, Red Desert might be worth clearing your weekend calendar. Just be ready to lose a hundred-plus hours to it. When even game developers can't put it down, the pull is real.