Game: Pokémon Pokopia Expansion Pass
Genre: Simulation, Crafting, Co-op, Creative
System: Nintendo Switch 2
Developer|Publisher: Game Freak, Omega Force|Nintendo
Age Rating: EU 3+ | US Everyone
Price: US $34.99 | UK 29.99 | EU € 34,99 (you need the base Pokémon Pokopia game)
Release Date: Aug 5th, 2026
Review code provided with many thanks to Nintendo Europe
The first part of the Pokémon Pokopia Expansion Pass is here, as well as the free update. Eagerly awaited if you love Pokémon Pokopia as much as I do: it isn’t often that I sink 245 hours (and counting) into a game. Second only to Animal Crossing: New Horizons, which won’t surprise you if you are a regular reader here.
What’s in the Expansion Pass?
The Expansion Pass has three parts, and they are released over several months. The first part is out now, called the Bubbly Basin. A new Underwater Area that you can restore to its former glory, with new Pokémon, new recipes for new furniture and new outfits for Ditto. I will give you my thoughts on whether it’s a good addition in this review.
The second part is expected towards the end of the year, and although there won’t be a new area or town added, you will befriend new Pokémon and decorate with new furniture. Plus, accessories will be introduced for Pokémon like sunglasses, bowties and more.
We don’t know much yet about the third part, only that it will add a new area and town and that it’s expected in 2027.
The Free Update
Even if you haven’t gone for the Expansion Pass, you will have noticed that Pokémon Pokopia has had a free update for everyone. The update gives you the ability to Dive (that is, if you have come so far that you know the Surf move and that you have complete the “Raise the environment level!” request at Bleak Beach). Version 2.0.0 also introduces new items, emotes, hair colours, and more, alongside a plethora of other improvements, gameplay adjustments and bug fixes. If you would like to see the full list, you can find it here at My Nintendo News.
There are also some quality-of-life improvements in the update. I was happy to see the Portal Pod recipe in the QOL list, as it solves a big part of the storage issue that I wrote about in this YvoCaro Plays! I’ve read reports online which I haven’t been able to verify myself that the pod isn’t available in the base game unless you have levelled up your Palette Town. But in the Bubbly Basin expansion, it’s available right away. Also, never knew what to do with those huge amounts of beach sand blocks, or are you tired of trading them in? You can now put them in the garbage can to actually make it disappear the next day.
The Bubbly Basin
Now, let’s go to the first part of the Expansion Pass. Once you have Dive, given to you by the legendary Manaphy, you can just wade into the sea at Bleak Beach (at the end of the lane where you first encountered Meowth). Walking on the ocean floor in a straight line, you will soon find the gate to Bubbly Basin.
The first time, you are accompanied by the super cute Popplio who waits for you at the Pokécenter in Bleak Beach. Professor Tangrowth can’t go under the water, so he calls you from time to time to check on progress. It’s Popplio who guides you along while you find new habitats and all kinds of marine Pokémon. Your first task is to rebuild the Pokémon Centre, and after that, the gorgeous Ocean Temple that Popplio asks you to build. The Pokémon you discover give you little quests as well. In this way, by getting smaller tasks and bigger quests, the Bubbly Basin unfolds.
The remnants of the architecture in the area are very different from the other areas. Some only have a different roof, others have an oriental feeling. Inspired by Cerulean City, a seaside town in the Kanto region, you’ll get a nice array of new blocks, roof covering and furniture to collect. The Marine furniture looks so cute, the lanterns operate in the depths without any electricity, and you even get a new way to cook: a blender.
Early on, you also find a new doll with the help of Frillish, the Starmie Doll. With it, you can travel to a new kind of Dream Island. It will be one that’s underwater for a big part, with pearls and coral to find.
Smooth and Joyous Gameplay
I wasn’t sure what to expect, how big the new addition would be. I wasn’t disappointed, even if this is only the first part of the Pass. The Bubbly Basin is big, consisting of caves under water and above the water, dark depths ready to be explored, and even land above the water. As always, lots to explore, which gives me a feeling of excitement about what might be around the next corner. There are even parts to discover that will bring a smile to any Pokémon fan’s face, which I won’t spoil here. After all, nothing feels better than to discover it yourself!
The way everything is implemented is exactly why I love Pokémon Pokopia. It’s smooth; swimming, paddling water, swooping up above the waves; it’s a joy to do. The Bubbly Basin truly adds a feeling of freedom! The swirls are back, but as you are already in the water, they float in the depths but work in the same way. Want to use the Magnet Rise move? The little ball just forms a bubble around it, so it functions perfectly underwater.
Smeargle, who is pretty essential to have along to paint things, can even accompany you under the waves with its own air bubble. With the Buoyant Blocks that you get, you can even build houses and other buildings floating in the water. It’s all well thought out, and nothing seems out of place, tying seamlessly into the main game.
Is the Expansion Pass Worth it?
There are 50 new Pokémon to find in the Bubbly Basin, and some that can even live in the water caves that aren’t flooded. You get new crops, new furniture, new outfits, a new cooking tool, and so much more. Also, you get treasure maps where X literally marks the spot.
The gameplay of gathering Pokémon, building habitats and beautifying the area in Bubbly Basin stays the same, of course, and if you didn’t enjoy playing the base game, the Expansion Pack won’t persuade you. But if you already love your time in Pokémon Pokopia, then the Expansion Pass with Bubbly Basin is a must. I do realise you have to pay now to get some of the expansions as late as 2027, but to be honest, to me, even the Bubbly Basin already seems worth it.
Final Verdict: Two Thumbs Up
Do you like our content?
Subscribe to our daily news and never miss a review!