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A New Kind of Adventure - Pokémon Pokopia

Pokémon spin-offs have taken many forms over the years ranging from dungeon crawlers to photography safaris, but Pokémon Pokopia explores new ground. Announced during the September 2025 Nintendo Direct, Pokopia reimagines the Pokémon franchise as a cozy survival game and town builder, packed full of  creation, growth, and exploration. Launching in 2026 on the Nintendo Switch 2, Pokémon Pokopia  offers players an entirely new way to experience the Pokémon universe.

Picture of Alex Kivitz

Alex Kivitz

Ditto in Disguise - An Unlikely Protagonist

We’ve had games before where you would embody the Pokémon themselves, with Pokémon Mystery Dungeon being a fan favourite. So it’s not as far a leap as many would expect to have you play as “yourself?” You find yourself playing as a Ditto, but one that transforms into the image of a human. Early footage from the Pokopia trailer shows Ditto emerging from a Poké Ball next to a broken Pokédex with a distorted image of a Trainer. 

We know Pokémon doesn’t shy away from emotionally powerful stories, and from what we’ve seen, Pokémon Pokopia is no different. With Ditto mimicking the Trainer from the Pokédex, we get a glimpse into a potentially sad and tragic story, or a Ditto lost from their Trainer forced to fend for themselves. Now how far this will be developed we have yet to see, but it is a bold narrative choice that adds layers of mystery and emotional intrigue that I can’t wait to see in a Pokémon title.

The Art of Mimicry - Learning Moves as Tools

Right from the beginning we see how Pokopia transforms classic Pokémon moves into tools for reshaping the world. We see as Ditto learns Bublasaur’s Leafage move to sprout grass and how Squirtle’s Water Gun is used to water crops. Rather than relying on the classic survival tools like axes, shovels, and watering cans, Ditto learns new moves directly from other Pokémon themselves.

We see an interesting gameplay loop similar to survival games like Valheim and Minecraft, however, instead of crafting new tools to expand, you explore and find new Pokémon to learn moves from. This is a wonderful blend of the known Pokémon mechanics and exploration of gameplay from another genre entirely.

Leafage
Image: The Pokémon Company
Water Gun
Image: The Pokémon Company
Charmander
Image: The Pokémon Company

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Pokéblocks - The Foundation of Pokopia

Much of what we’ve seen of the gameplay so far is that it revolves around gathering, crafting, and creating. Just like other crafting survival games, we’ll start out working with nature itself, collecting wood, gathering seeds and crops, and building our shelter and farm. 

We also know this is just the surface level, and we look forward to seeing how the game will progress and how in-depth the crafting and building can become. From the trailer, the game already promises to provide multiple biomes, seasons, and a day/night cycle. The weather looks to shift as well and offers the game a more dynamic feel.

Terraforming - Before
Terraforming - After

The aesthetic takes inspiration from other sandbox games like Minecraft, with blocky terrain and simplified visuals. It’s a look that might divide players: some will embrace its cozy, approachable style, while others may be turned off from the game in favour of others with more detailed artistry.

Images: The Pokémon Company

First Impressions - Does Pokémon Pokopia Look Good?

All we really have to go with is the trailer so far, however, on the surface the game already looks very promising. The premise is unique, and the Ditto protagonist makes for a very refreshing take on the crafting and tool system. Like with many crafting survival games, diversity in the gameplay loop will be key. It already seems like we’ll be able to terraform the land, create waterfalls, shape the landscape, and really mold the terrain to our liking. 

The steady progression of growing your land and discovering new Pokémon, coupled with using their abilities to grow a more diverse and complex base, shows a lot of promise. Should the gameplay reward player creativity and ingenuity, we’ll see Pokopia quickly become a fan-favourite spin-off.

 

Image: The Pokémon Company

Expectations are high and in a genre where you will inevitably be compared to the likes of Animal Crossing, Stardew Valley, and Minecraft, Pokémon Pokopia will need to really show how it differentiates itself. We appreciate how the game looks to be a slow-burn game in which you can take your time and really flush out how you progress. The statement of being able to pick up and play whenever you wish means it’s great for even the busiest of gamers.

 

Image: The Pokémon Company

Slated to release in 2026, we’re very excited to see how the game will play and for what additional news we will receive. If you want to see the full trailer, you can watch it here. Overall, we are very excited to play Pokémon Pokopia.

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