Nintendo has announced a release date for Pokémon Pokopia, an Animal Crossing-like cozy game set in the world of Pokémon, on the Nintendo Switch 2. The game received an announcement today with very little indication, with the game now set to release on March 5, 2026. A new trailer is also planned for the game, but it will not be released until November 13.
Announced in September during the Nintendo Direct, Pokémon Pokopia trades the constant battling of the main Pokémon games for a more tranquil life. The player takes the role of a Ditto that, in turn, chooses to take the shape of a human girl. In a similar vein to the Story of Seasons franchise or Dragon Quest Builders, players will shape the world around themselves, adding trees, tall grass, or crops, to slowly build up their community.
Along the way, you will recruit different breeds of Pokémon, but instead of playing the usual elemental game to gain an upper hand in combat, the natural ability of these Pokémon will instead aid you in growing the land. Dying grass can be watered by water-type Pokémon, for instance. Similarly, a grass type will allow the ditto to begin growing crops. Later on, you can even start shaping the land around you, again learned through different elemental types.
Pokémon Pokopia looks like an interesting break from the usual, and smart, given the popularity explosion of cozy games in recent years. Hopefully, this new trailer will offer a deeper glimpse into just how deep customization can go when building a land all your own, as well as how many Pokémon we can expect to pop up along the way. The trailer will drop at 6 AM PST / 9 AM EST.
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