You're used to having your Pokémon battle for Pokémon League badges... How about giving our little companions a break for a game? In a Nintendo Direct, dated September 12, 2025, a brand-new Pokémon game developed by Game Freak was unveiled...
Since March 5 2026, a quirky title is available on Nintendo Switch 2: play Pokémon Pokopia, a peaceful life-simulation game where you shape your world and tackle a range of tasks to feed, shelter, and entertain the Pokémon living there.
" Play as a Metamorph and shape a pristine world to create a wonderful place for all kinds of Pokémon. There's so much to do, including collecting berries, stones and wood, building furniture, growing vegetables in the fields you've plowed, creating homes for the Pokémon you encounter, and much more. "
In the style of Animal Crossing, players can build and develop their own little world, while caring for their Pokémon. Pokémon enjoy a quiet life, far from the battles to which they are accustomed. Create the right environment for the Pokémon living on your island, thanks to the abilities of the various pocket monsters.
The initial shots from the trailer reveal a 3D game that doesn’t look as visually polished as a Zelda title or the latest Pokémon releases. You can spot Pokémon from various generations. The first generation creatures dominate this trailer, but there are also glimpses of some from the 4th, 5th, and 6th generations.
The Pokémon Pokopia game is presented as a relaxing game, in which players can take the time to build their world and play with Pokémon. It's an interesting and welcome change of pace for the franchise, suited to those who enjoy taking care of their digital companions.
In a fresh trailer unveiled during the February 2026 Pokémon Presents, several exciting new details were revealed. In Pokopia, players gradually expand and develop their own city. Pokémon abilities come into play, allowing players to dig through rock or craft items using the Joy-Con's "mouse" mode. The multiplayer feature lets up to four friends visit each other's cities and enjoy mini-games together, such as hide-and-seek.
Pokémon Pokopia looks like a hybrid of MySims, Minecraft, and Animal Crossing, Pokémon-flavored. An intriguing blend that we're eager to test!
For the first time on Nintendo Switch 2, the game Pokémon Pokopia will only be available in the form of a Game Key Card. This system is not quite the same as a digital game: with the Game Key Card, players must connect to the Internet to download their game, and they must wait until the download is complete before they can play. These Game Key Cards can be resold or shared with others, unlike digital cartridges.
Our take on Pokémon Pokopia
A bit over twenty hours of testing.
Since its release, Pokopia has been driving chatter: one of Nintendo’s best-rated titles, it quickly shot to the top of the sales charts, even selling out... But what exactly is this original Pokémon spin-off really like?
Honestly, Pokopia didn’t take long to become an addiction for us: time slips away without you noticing, the game pulls you in for hours on end, and only the dying battery of the Switch 2 nudges you to pause. It’s a successful, absorbing surprise—well-made and engaging... but it won’t win over every player.
First, a heads-up: this isn’t about roaming as a Pokémon Trainer heading to the League. No battles, no catches—this title has almost nothing to do with the usual gameplay loop.
In Pokémon Pokopia, you play as a powerful Metamorph beyond all limits, able to transform, learn almost anything, and thereby rebuild a world devastated by natural disasters and abandoned by humans. Your mission is to restore the planet, to revive the various environments so Pokémon can appear and live on Earth again. And that requires real work!
You’ll spend hours dampening the earth, chopping wood, gathering leaves and stones, exploring, breaking, and rebuilding... The tasks can feel repetitive for players who aren’t fond of the simulation and management genres. If you’ve spent time with Minecraft, Animal Crossing, or SimCity, Pokopia won’t throw you off.
The game splits into two big acts: in the first, you follow the story, unlock areas step by step, and perform major builds. This is the “story mode”: you tackle specific quests, gradually unlock story elements (reading every journal and note you find during exploration is key), and the Pokémon give you lots of clues to progress.
The second part is where most players might balk. After finishing the story, you have free rein to destroy, rebuild, and reshape to your heart’s content. In short, you get carte blanche to recreate five worlds, from A to Z. The possibilities are endless, the worlds feel truly vast: it’s easy to feel overwhelmed and lost in these pristine, empty expanses that you must repopulate without any explicit instructions. Some players may drop out here: if you don’t know what to do in a game without a clear objective, or if your imagination runs a bit dry, building cities from scratch can be tough.
It’s also a long game: you’ll need hundreds of hours to track down the 300 Pokémon, recreate different ecosystems, design homes and towns... and it’s easy to become discouraged when you see the jaw-dropping builds by talent-packed architects on social media: how do they manage all that so fast?
But a reminder: Pokopia is your adventure, and everyone can play at their own pace. Given the game’s price and the console’s cost (remember, this is a Nintendo Switch 2 exclusive), it’s wise to take your time to savor each moment.
If the scale of the task doesn’t scare you, Pokopia should rapidly become a must-play in the genre. It’s well-crafted: the mechanics are easy to pick up, the visuals are simple but suit the game’s DNA, and it’s a joy to reconnect with favorite Pokémon one by one. There’s a neat feel of a treasure hunt at times.
Without spoilers, the story is surprisingly deep and tragic. Each discovered page pulls you in, building toward a final reveal. Those story fragments mesh into a fresh take on Pokémon lore.
The game hides plenty of surprises, each Pokémon with its own personality, and it’s enjoyable to have the freedom to craft your own Pokémon universe.
That said, this installment can be frustrating, especially around storage concerns: you pick up countless items and materials, and it’s easy to run out of space. It’s also easy to get distracted by everything to do: you start building a house, end up mining copper on a offshore island, return with CDs for a Pokémon while gathering tomatoes... And last but not least, to access the game’s full experience you must pay a Nintendo Switch Online subscription. An additional cost that’s annoying for a game priced at 70 euros.
If you love sandbox titles, suspend your social life and let Pokémon Pokopia carry you away—a bravely daring gamble from Nintendo.
Your Metamorph is waiting to help you build a better world.
Dates and Opening Time
Starts March 5, 2026
Prices
€69.99
Official website
www.nintendo.com
