Does waving at a Pal raise its friendship?

Yes, repeated interaction with a Pal, along with feeding and fighting alongside it, gradually increases its friendship rank over time.

Can you wave at any Pal, including wild ones?

The interact prompt generally appears for Pals you own — either following you or placed in a base — not for wild Pals you have not caught.

Is waving the same as the emote wheel?

No. The emote wheel controls your character's own animations, while waving/petting is a direct interaction with a specific Pal standing near you.

Mechanics

How do you wave at Pals in Palworld?

Answer

Walk up to a Pal that is following you or standing in your base until an interact prompt appears, then press the interact key to pet or wave at it. This is a friendship interaction separate from the player emote wheel and slowly raises the Pal's affection over time.

Players often look for a "wave" button expecting it to work like the emote wheel, but Palworld handles Pal interaction differently.

Quick answer

Get close to an owned Pal — one following you or working in your base — until the interact prompt appears above it, then press the interact key. This plays a pat/greet animation rather than a wave from your own character.

Step-by-step

Bring a Pal along in your active party, or approach one stationed at your base.
Walk close enough that an interact icon (usually a small button prompt) appears over the Pal.
Press the interact key/button.
Watch for a short animation and a small affection effect — this confirms the interaction registered.
Repeat occasionally; interactions have no cooldown that blocks progress but only add small friendship gains each time.

What raises Pal friendship

Action	Effect on friendship
Petting/interacting	Small steady increase
Feeding favorite food	Noticeable increase
Fighting together	Passive increase during combat
Leaving a Pal idle in a box	No change

Why friendship matters

Higher friendship contributes to a Pal's overall stats over time and is one of several soft progression systems layered on top of leveling. It is not required to use a Pal effectively, but players optimizing a specific combat or work Pal often make a habit of interacting with it between activities.

Wave vs. emote wheel

Your own character's wave belongs to the emote wheel, a purely cosmetic system for your player character. Petting a Pal is a distinct interaction tied to that individual Pal's data, and only works on Pals you actually own.

Frequently asked questions

Does waving at a Pal raise its friendship?: Yes, repeated interaction with a Pal, along with feeding and fighting alongside it, gradually increases its friendship rank over time.
Can you wave at any Pal, including wild ones?: The interact prompt generally appears for Pals you own — either following you or placed in a base — not for wild Pals you have not caught.
Is waving the same as the emote wheel?: No. The emote wheel controls your character's own animations, while waving/petting is a direct interaction with a specific Pal standing near you.