Pokémon Pokopia

Mighty · 53 top critics · 47 articles · Mar 5, 2026

Nintendo

What critics said

Pokémon Pokopia is an enjoyable, personality-packed building simulator set in a surprisingly deep world that is stuffed with fun things for its delightful Ditto protagonist to do and create.

Eurogamer80

Pokopia succeeds in capturing the spirit of Pokémon's past without sacrificing its uniqueness, as one of the best spin-offs the franchise has ever seen.

TheGamer60

As ever with Pokemon, there is enough charm to see it through, and the mechanics aren't shallow, even if they're used in aid of the same few tasks over and over again. It's Pokemon's take on a bunch of other villager games it's not quite as good at, but if you persevere there is a game waiting for you here. You just have to get the actual game over with first.

Show 17 more reviews ↓

Pokémon Pokopia news

Pokémon World Championships Teases Special Pokémon Pokopia Announcement

Update: Cloud island is now available, here's the code. : The Pokémon World Championships is taking place later this month, and as usual, there'll be some game-related announcements.

Nintendo Life

Announcement

Pokémon Pokopia's Expansion Pass Is Getting A Packaged Download Release

Launching in Korea this September. Following the recent launch of the Pokémon Pokopia Expansion Pass on Switch 2, Nintendo's Korean branch has this week announced a packaged "download" version. It will be arriving on 10th September 2026, with pre-orders now available on the local Nintendo Store. According to the translation of the official announcement, this is a physical Switch 2 game case for the Expansion Pass including a download code.

Nintendo Life

Release date

Nintendo announces Pokémon Pokopia has sold over 5m copies, meaning that roughly one in four Switch 2 users now owns the game

It looks like we've got another massive Pokémon-flavoured hit on our hands. Nintendo and The Pokémon Company have confirmed that Pokémon Pokopia has sold more than five million units globally - a pretty impressive number given the game has been out for "just over four months". These sales include both physical and digital editions of the game.

Eurogamer / Dom Peppiatt

Business

Round Up: The Reviews For Pokémon Pokopia: Bubbly Basin Are In

Including first impressions of the new DLC. Part one of the Pokémon Pokopia Expansion Pass launched this week, and the reviews and first impressions of 'Bubbly Basin' are now officially live. If you haven't already seen our own review here on Nintendo Life, we gave this new underwater-themed DLC 8/10 stars, calling it a great start to the paid content:

Nintendo Life

Review

Game Freak Reveals Early Prototype Video For Pokémon Pokopia

First evolution. Game Freak has released a new video interview with Shigeru Ohmori, in which he describes the development of Pokémon Pokopia while showcasing some early prototype footage. According to Ohmori, development on Pokopia began soon after Scarlet and Violet wrapped, with just three people working on it: Ohmori himself along with two programmers. This soon grew to five people, and the idea of planting grass to spawn various types of Pokémon was already implemented at the early prototypi

Nintendo Life

Interview

Review: Pokémon Pokopia Expansion Pass - Part 1: Bubbly Basin (Switch 2) - A Great First Dive From The DLC

Lovely jubbly Bubbly. It's safe to say that since its release, Pokopia has taken over my life to a certain degree. I've explored the skies, made pals with my favourite Pokémon, and even made a certain coastal town a little less bleak. I've even caused chaos and instated town politics with my friend on our own Cloud Island with very little building involved. Even after completing the story and 100+ hours of playtime, I still have plenty to do. Which is why when the Expansion, including Bubbly Bas

Nintendo Life

Review

Pokémon Pokopia's free 2.0 update is here, and it's making a splash with new underwater features and improvements

Pokémon Pokopia's 2.0 major update is here, allowing players to venture deep below the waves to meet new Poké-pals and mess around with a variety of new features.

Eurogamer / Connor Makar

Update

Pokémon Pokopia 'Bubbly Basin' DLC Preview Reveals New Details

Surfacing on Switch 2 soon. This week sees the arrival of Pokémon Pokopia 'Bubbly Basin' on the Switch 2, and ahead of its launch, Japanese outlet Famitsu has previewed the new Expansion Pass DLC. Not only is there new footage, but the publication has also shared some new information about what to expect.

Nintendo Life

Preview

Pokémon Pokopia's Next Limited-Time In-Game Event Will Make A Splash Next Month

Something fishy is going on here. Had enough Pokopia news for one day? Of course you haven't! On top of all the DLC chatter, The Pokémon Company has also revealed some info about its next limited-time in-game event, and it's right around the corner. The 'Fetching Scales for Feebas' event starts next month on 13th August at 5am local time, and will run until 28th August at 4:59am.

Nintendo Life

Update

Pokémon Pokopia Expansion and Free Update Arrive Next Week, Unlocking Underwater Gameplay

Pokémon Pokopia will unlock underwater gameplay next week as part of a free update, alongside the launch of the game's first expansion.

IGN / Tom Phillips

Release date

Pokopia Expansion Pass Trailer Reveals New Pokémon & A First Look At 'Part 2'

Bubbling with excitement. After revealing the release date for Pokémon Pokopia's first wave of DLC earlier today, The Pokémon Company has now shared a full overview trailer for the upcoming Expansion Pass Part 1 and given us a first look at Part 2. The trailer itself is pretty jam-packed, so let's work through it in order. We start off with a brief look at the game's next free software update (arriving alongside the DLC on 5th August), which adds Ditto's new Dive ability into the mix for some un

Nintendo Life

Trailer

Pokemon Pokopia DLC ‘Expansion Pass Part 1: Bubbly Basin’ launches August 5 alongside version 2.0.0 update

Cozy life simulation game Pokemon Pokopia paid downloadable content “Expansion Pass Part 1: Bubbly Basin” …

Gematsu / Sal Romano

Release date

Pokémon Pokopia's Bubbly Basin DLC and underwater-themed free update is coming as soon as next week

Update 2:19pm: Nintendo has just released a seven-minute trailer confirming the 5th August release date and giving players an overview of the content and new mechanics included in Bubbly Basin. A second DLC with accessories is coming in late 2026, with another new town following in 2027. They're all included in the previously announced expansion pass.

Eurogamer / Fran Ruiz

Release date

Pokémon Pokopia 'Bubbly Basin' Expansion Pass DLC Locks In Switch 2 Release Date

Dive into Part 1 next month. Last month, The Pokémon Company announced it would be releasing a paid expansion pass for Pokémon Pokopia in August.

Nintendo Life

Release date

Pokémon Pokopia 'Hide And Sneak With Zorua' Event Starts Next Week

Ready or not. Pokémon Pokopia is back with another event, this time starring the dark-type Pokémon Zorua. Kicking off on 19th July at 5am and ending on 27th July at 4:59am local time, you're invited to play hide and seek with Zorua to win in-game prizes, including a new trophy. There doesn't, however, appear to be any new Pokémon being added this time around.

Nintendo Life

Update

The next Pokémon Pokopia event has been announced, starring Zorua

The event will run for one week and offer a new in-game trophy

VGC / Jordan Middler

Update

Koei Tecmo Wanted Pokémon Pokopia To Be The Very Best (Selling) Pokémon Spin-Off

It's already sold over four million copies. The relaxing life-sim Pokémon Pokopia has been a surprise hit for the Switch 2, but it apparently wasn't forecast by Koei Tecmo to be as successful as it's been in terms of sales. Company president and CEO Hisashi Koinuma recently spoke to Famitsu about the game, claiming "there weren't any real expectations" attached to the title "before launch". However, the team at Omega Force supposedly had the intention and "aim" of making it the best-selling spin

Nintendo Life

Business

Pokémon Pokopia Adds Mythical Pokémon Event, as Fans Believe Shiny and Costume Creatures May Follow

Pokémon Pokopia has announced a new in-game event where players can encounter the Mythical creature Jirachi, with much more seemingly on the horizon.

IGN / Tom Phillips

Update

Jirachi is coming to Pokémon Pokopia next week for a limited time

This is the first event that wasn't included in the game at launch

VGC / Jordan Middler

Update

Pokémon Pokopia "Wish Upon A Jirachi" Event Starts Next Week

Befriend the Wish Pokémon. Following yesterday's announcement the Pokémon Pokopia Switch 2 bundle would be coming to Europe this July, The Pokémon Company has now revealed its new event for the relaxing life simulation.

Nintendo Life

Update

Pokémon Pokopia is diving beneath the waves in a free update and the first of three paid DLC releases out later this year

Well, that's me back in. Just when I thought my time with Pokémon Pokopia might be coming to an end, Nintendo has unveiled a whole bunch of new stuff launching this August.

Eurogamer / Matt Wales

Announcement

Pokémon Pokopia Free Update and 3-Part Expansion Pass DLC Revealed

Pokémon Pokopia is getting loads of new content, both in the form of a free update and a paid, three-part expansion pass.

IGN / Michael Cripe

Announcement

Dive Into Pokémon Pokopia's Expansion Pass This August

With a free update inbound. The Pokémon Company has announced that Pokémon Pokopia is getting a paid expansion pass! What's more, it's available later today! This expansion adds in a whole new underwater area, Bubbly Basin, which (unsurprisingly) takes place under the waves and throws in a bunch of Water Pokémon in the process — Mudkip fans, it's our time. Naturally, there's a bunch of new outfits and a fresh Dive ability to unlock, too.

Nintendo Life

Announcement

Dive Into Pokémon Pokopia's Expansion Pass Today

Nintendo Life

Update

Pokémon Pokopia is getting an underwater expansion in August, with more to follow

Pokopia's paid expansion will allow players to access a new underwater town

VGC / Andy Robinson

Update

Months of work later, one Pokémon Pokopia player's recreation of the original Kanto region is almost complete

Pokémon Pokopia has been a hit on Nintendo Switch 2, and its ongoing events are keeping players glued to it. One especially dedicated player has been working on a recreation of the first-generation Kanto map with Pokopia's Minecraft-like tools, and they're almost finished now.

Eurogamer / Fran Ruiz

Culture

Opinion: Pokémon Pokopia Shines Brightest In Its Subdued Moments

Hit(monlee) after Hit(monchan). In the years to come, I'll look back on March 2026 as a key turning point in my life. From that moment on, my daily existence can be chronologically sorted into two camps: the time before Pokémon Pokopia's Title Theme was stuck in my head, and the time after it. I knew that I was going to love Pokopia's habitat building, its customisation, and its adorable little interactions. What I wasn't anticipating was how much I was going to want to sack all that off and jus

Nintendo Life

Review

Feature: Reviving Kanto - My Mental Health Journey Through Pokémon Pokopia

A Pokémon Center for my brain. May is Mental Health Awareness Month in the US. Continuing Pokémon's 30th-anniversary year and following on from the March release of Pokémon Pokopia, today Tim shares his personal journey with the Switch 2 spin-off... If you consider yourself a Pokémon fan, I wager that what keeps you riding with the series is a deep affinity for the pocket monsters themselves. I further wager that the series near-exclusively framing them as battle-hardened gladiators puts limita

Nintendo Life

Culture

Opinion: My Pokopia Towns Look Terrible, But That's Okay

Embracing the Muk. Around the 35-hour mark, I finally rolled credits on Pokémon Pokopia. As anyone who's made it to the end will tell you, it's a bittersweet experience. I watched those closing animations play out with a tear in my eye, thinking about how far I'd come, how much my Ditto had grown, and how much my towns had evolved since I first set foot in them. Then the game reloaded, and I was immediately met with a harsh truth: my Withered Wasteland looked terrible. Walkways consisted of ever

Nintendo Life

Review

Pokémon Pokopia Event Announced

The next Pokémon Pokopia in-game event has now been formally announced, and it'll star gem goblin Sableye.

IGN / Tom Phillips

Announcement

Pokémon Pokopia 'Sableye's Gem Hunt' Event Has Finally Been Officially Announced

Kicking off next week. We've known about an upcoming Sableye event in Pokémon Pokopia for a good while now (thanks to the joys of time jumping), but The Pokémon Company has today made it official. The 'Sableye's Gem Hunt' event kicks off next week on 29th April at 5am and will run until 14th May at 4:59am (local time). As the name suggests, this one is all about Sableye, with that creepy adorable little Dark/Ghost Type appearing outside completed Pokémon Centers with a hankering for gems. Read t

Nintendo Life

Announcement

Pokémon Pokopia Update Expands Ability to Move Pokémon Centers

Pokémon Pokopia has a new update available on Switch 2, which upgrades your ability to relocate Pokémon Centers.

IGN / Tom Phillips

Update

Pokémon Pokopia's Next Event Is All About Jump Rope

*Mario Odyssey flashbacks*. The next Pokémon Pokopia event is coming this weekend, but be wary, as it'll require dextrous timing and button pressing on your part. Bulbasaur's Jump Rope Challenge is coming to the game on 19th April. The event will kick off 5am local time and will run for a week until 26th April. And all you need to have done is completed the very first Main Quest in Withered Wasteland, called Yawn Up a Storm.

Nintendo Life

Update

UK Charts: Pokémon Pokopia Is Starting To Prove Its Staying Power

But RE Requiem reigns supreme. The latest UK Charts data is in, and Pokémon Pokopia has turned in a solid performance this week to land at number 2. We can only imagine that stores have finally been provided with adequate stock to satiate demand – hardly the most compelling reason for the game's jump up to second place, but we'll take it. If nothing else, we're getting a real sense that Pokopia is likely going to stick around for quite a while. That said, it wasn't quite enough to dethrone Resid

Nintendo Life

Business

Pokémon Pokopia Update Released, Includes Fix for Missing Pokémon

Pokémon Pokopia has a new update available on Switch 2, with a fix for your missing creatures and habitats.

IGN / Tom Phillips

Update

Pokémon Pokopia player in Japan designs playable Only Up-style climbing platformer in-game

Pokémon Pokopia player and indie developer creates elaborate climbing platformer game in the style of Only Up!

Automaton West / Hideaki Fujiwara

Culture

One Deranged Pokémon Pokopia Player Has Slurped Up the Entire Ocean

Iffy as my own sense of aesthetics in Pokémon Pokopia might be, at least I am not actively causing a second apocalypse to befall the world of Pokopia, like one player is doing by sucking up the entire ocean and destroying all the land in Bleak Beach.

IGN / Rebekah Valentine

Culture

Pokémon Pokopia Players Are 'Shiny Hunting' for Rare Variants of Certain Items

There are no shiny Pokémon in Pokopia. But players have managed to find another rare "variant" to hunt down; this time, it's furniture.

IGN / Rebekah Valentine

Culture

Pokémon Pokopia's New Mystery Gift Distribution Is Now Live

Use this code while you can. Pokémon Pokopia only just arrived on the Switch 2, but it's already dishing out plenty of free goodies for trainers to claim.

Nintendo Life

Update

April Fool's Comes To 'Pokémon Pokopia' With Inflatable Sudowoodo Event

For one day only. A one-day event comes to Pokémon Pokopia on 1st April 2026, celebrating both April Fool's Day and Sudowoodo, the imitation Pokémon. From 5am local time on 1st April until 5am on 2nd April, you'll be able to participate in a fun little game called the Imitation Quiz (thanks, Serebii).

Nintendo Life

Update

There's an IKEA Crossover Coming to Pokémon Pokopia

Pokémon Pokopia will host a collaboration with furniture giant IKEA.

IGN / Tom Phillips

Announcement

Pokémon Pokopia Teams Up With IKEA For Charming Collaboration

Head in the clouds. The Pokémon Company and furniture giant IKEA are teaming up for a rather lovely promotion, appearing in Pokémon Pokopia from tomorrow (thanks, Genki!). From 1st April until 30th June 2026 (and yes, despite the date, this appears to be official) you'll be able to visit a Cloud Island with special rooms that have been designed by IKEA's interior designers, all inspired Pikachu and Snorlax. The collaboration has been put together to celebrate IKEA Japan's 20th anniversary. Read

Nintendo Life

Announcement

Pokémon Pokopia is getting an IKEA collaboration inspired by Pikachu and Snorlax, and you can grab the new items starting tomorrow

I don't know about you, dear reader, but much like Eurogamer's Matt Wales, I can't stop playing Pokémon Pokopia. It's my favourite Nintendo first-party release in a bit, and its breadth and depth is simply astounding. Now, following its financial success, post-launch plans are beginning to ramp up, and the first big collaboration is with... IKEA.

Eurogamer / Fran Ruiz

Announcement

Pokémon Pokopia is getting an official Ikea island

In-store events tied to Pokémon Pokopia will also take place in Japan next month

VGC / Jordan Middler

Announcement

Pokémon Pokopia's second limited-time event adds Sableye in late April, but you can already cheat your way into it

Pokémon Pokopia continues to be one of the most talked-about games of early 2026, and with the 'More Spores for Hoppip' event adding three new creatures to Game Freak and Omega Force's life sim title right after launch, it seems we'll be regularly getting a lot of new visitors.

Eurogamer / Fran Ruiz

Update

Pokémon Pokopia surpasses 2.2m units in first four days

Pokémon Pokopia has sold over 2.2 million units worldwide in its first four days of release. Shortly after launch, Nintendo's share price increased by up to 10.5%, marking its largest gain since April 2025.

GamesIndustry.biz / Sophie McEvoy

Business

Pokemon Pokopia Review - The Pokemon Anniversary Gift I Didn't Know I Wanted

I audibly gasped. My small community of Pokemon friends had been steadily growing in the first hour or so of Pokemon Pokopia, and now Professor Tangrowth asked me to build a house and mark it as my own. I could even invite another Pokemon to live there with me, he said. You mean I can have a Squirtle roommate?! I built my new house as quickly as I could and invited Squirtle to come live in it, and he happily agreed. Childhood dream fulfilled. A few days later, Squirtle told me he wanted to move

GameSpot / Steve Watts

Review