Pokemon Pokopia was one of the more unusual game announcements during the latest Nintendo Direct. That said, it’s not the first life sim the Pokemon franchise has attempted. For example, My Pokemon Ranch debuted on the Wii in 2008 and offered players a chance to hang out with Pokemon in a more chill experience than the mainline games.
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Pokemon Pokopia looks like it is taking a page from the Minecraft book. There are a lot of questions on the table, and given the nature of other weird Pokemon spinoffs, the game could go in any number of innovative or unusual directions. All we have to go on so far is the Pokemon Pokopia debut trailer, so let's look at some of the gameplay details and features that were shown off.
Development And Release Details
Could It Beat Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream?
Pokemon Pokopia will be an exclusive game for the Switch 2 and will release in 2026. It is being co-developed by Game Freak and Koei Tecmo, which probably means Koei Tecmo will do most of the developing, as they are a third-party studio joining a big Nintendo franchise. Koei Tecmo has worked with Nintendo on a number of titles, including Hyrule Warriors, and most importantly, Pokemon Conquest.
A lot of fans love that spinoff, and that could be good news for Koei Tecmo and Pokemon Pokopia. Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream is set to release sometime in 2026 too, and it's another life sim, but the big difference is that it will launch on Switch, and not Switch 2 like Pokemon Pokopia.
Ditto Can Transform Into A Human
And Be Customized
The big gimmick of the Pokemon Pokopia debut trailer is intriduced with Ditto trying to transform into a human, which it does, although with mixed results. Most of the trailer shows the Ditto as a girl with reddish brown hair. However, later on, a version with purple hair and green hair can be seen as well.
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It’s not known whether players can customize their character at the beginning of the game or if they do it later through crafting or finding items, but there will be some degree of customization options. The mainline Pokemon games have allowed Trainer customization for the past few Generations, so this would make sense for Pokemon Pokopia, too.
There Will Be Multiplayer
The More, The Merrier
There is one brief glimpse in the Pokemon Pokopia trailer that hints at multiplayer. One of the last shots shows two Ditto kids running through some grass together. There aren’t many more details on the official website, but it does list multiplayer with up to four players, which is not unheard of in the Pokemon games.
It doesn’t mention whether this will be online or local only multiplayer, but fans will assuredly be crossing their fingers for both options. A life sim game like Minecraft and Stardew Valley is more fun with friends who can help with menial tasks like chopping wood or growing crops.
Learn Abilities From Pokemon
From Vines To Water Breath
As if Ditto transforming into a Pokemon Trainer wasn’t weird enough, the trailer gets stranger when Bulbasaur pops up. Ditto learns to grow vines from its arms, and they can be used to grow grass. Later, Ditto learns how to sprinkle water on grass from Squirtle.
There are two other confirmed abilities, including getting Scyther's blades to cut trees and Hitmonchan’s boxing gloves to punch land into rubble. Will there be more abilities in the final game to help cultivate the land?
Confirmed Pokemon
They Hide In Grass
Will Pokemon Pokopia contain all 1,000+ Pokemon in it to find, befriend, and perhaps gain powers from? Probably not, but the trailer did show quite a few Pokemon already. Brushing past the Pokemon already mentioned, avid fans can also spot Charmander, Azurill, Wingull, Pikachu, Pichu, Swablu, Drilbur, Oddish, Combee, Timburr, Pidgey, Pawmi, Mime Jr., Zorua, Diglett, Mareep, Psyduck, Goomy, Vulpix, Clefairy, Arcanine, Riolu, Magikarp, Poliwag, Lotad, Ludicolo, Eevee, Vaporeon, Leafeon, Sylveon, Slowpoke, Dragonaire, Bellossom, Pinsir, Makuhita, Snorlax, Marill, Paras, Torchic, Bellsprout, and Lapras in the trailer. That's quite a roster.
There are more Pokemon shown in promo art, too, but some of them are harder to make out. That’s already a solid number so far, and this is only the first trailer. It’s also worth mentioning that the Pokemon can communicate with each other, like in the Pokemon Mystery Dungeon games.
Grow Grass, Find Pokemon
If Only This Happened In Real Life
Pokemon Pokopia is not going to be a game about catching Pokemon, but players may be wondering how they can meet them in their game. While not every method is communicated, there is one obvious hint. It seems like Bulbasaur will be the first Pokemon players meet, which is how they can learn to grow grass.
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It’s important to note that Bulbasaur is hiding in the grass, and the trailer’s narrator says cultivating grass is important, which then leads to discovering Charmander. This could be a hint that the more grass players grow, the more chances they will have to encounter new Pokemon. This might not be the only way to meet new Pokemon, either. Perhaps the examples in the trailer are mostly scripted, but it’s what can be gathered so far.
There Is Crafting
Create A Pokemon Society
Beyond all the Pokemon antics, Pokemon Pokopia will have traditional crafting mechanics as well. The trailer says collecting wood and rocks can lead to creating many things, but there will probably be other materials needed too, like in all crafting games.
In the trailer, players are seen at a workbench, building a table, growing fields, and even building a house. Players can even play with physics to bring things like water to their village if they guide a river to their location. It may not be the next Animal Crossing, but Pokemon Pokopia has potential.
OpenCritic Reviews
- Released
- March 5, 2026
- ESRB
- Everyone / Users Interact, In-Game Purchases
- Developer(s)
- Koei Tecmo, Game Freak
- Publisher(s)
- Nintendo, The Pokemon Company
WHERE TO PLAY
- Genre(s)
- Life Simulation, Simulation
