Nintendo hosted a pretty packed Nintendo Direct a few weeks ago, announcing plenty of new games, along with release dates for existing ones. One of the new games that caught my eye was Pokemon Pokopia, which looks to be a cross between Animal Crossing and Dragon Quest Builders, but with a Pokemon twist.
Nintendo has just announced that Pokemon Pokopia is now available for preorder, and the game itself will be releasing on March 5, 2026. The game will retail for $70 USD, and it’ll also be a Switch 2 exclusive title. We all knew this would happen sooner or later, but it looks like Nintendo is slowly starting to phase out the Switch 1, and start releasing exclusive games for the Switch 2 to push the new console. Folks who preorder the game will be able to get an in-game Ditto rug for decorating their houses. The rug itself is pretty cute and I’m not gonna lie, it might just be enough to get me to preorder early.
Pokemon Pokopia puts you in control of a Ditto who transforms into a human. You’ll be tasked with working with other Pokemon and using their moves to create “your very own Pokemon paradise”. It’s unlikely that there’ll be much, if any, combat to be had here, as the focus seems to be on creating your own base and gathering Pokemon to live with you.
Frankly, as someone who’s poured countless hours into Animal Crossing: New Horizons and Stardew Valley, I could not be more excited for this. A Pokemon life sim game seems like such a slam dunk for Nintendo that it’s a wonder they didn’t do this sooner. Personally, I’ll be picking this game up on release day, knowing full well that it’ll probably consume me for months on end, responsibilities be damned.
Pokemon Pokopia is set to be released for the Switch 2 on March 5, 2026.
