What happens when you cross paths with some of the best comfortable games like Stardew Valley, Animal crossing, or even Minecraft with Pokemon? You get Pokémon Pokopiaa game that I have been waiting for (admittedly cautiously) since its first announcement at the end of 2025.
Immediately comparisons were drawn to some of the games I listed above, as well as games like Dragon Quest Builders 2further fueled by the fact that the games were co-developed by Koei Tecmo’s in-house team, Omega Force. For many Pokémon fans, this was the moment we’ve all been waiting for.
However, we’ve been through this before with Pokémon – recently too, with its difficult battles to break into the open-world game – so it’s been a long wait to learn more about this mysterious life sim and cozy crafting game.
The wait is over, friends. Well, not completely – the game isn’t available for a few weeks yet – but I spent over an hour on Pokopia and I can confirm that it’s every bit as fun as I hoped. At least the tutorial is…
The Most Depressing Pokémon Game Ever
The premise of Pokopia alone has me pretty hooked. We don’t have confirmation on which region the game is set in (and a Nintendo rep told me that’s a surprise we’ll have to wait to find out once we play the full game), but wherever they are, humans and Pokémon are nowhere to be found, and it’s your job to bring them back.
The main characters of your story are Professor Tangrowth – modeled after the classic researcher role previously filled by Professor Oak – and Ditto, the playable main character who can transform into a human but has a limited ability to imitate Pokémon.
The game opens as Professor Tangrowth searches through remains recovered from a mysterious cave. There, Tangrowth is surprised to find not only a Ditto, but a Ditto who can transform into a trainer. And use the technology humans left behind.
The two emerge from the cave, confronted with the barren landscape left behind after the tragedy that wiped out all known life. All known life except Tangrowth, Ditto, and an unconscious Squirtle near the cave entrance. Awakening, this water-type Pokémon reveals Ditto’s true power: maintaining a human-like body while adopting special moves from other Pokémon that allow the player to terraform and rebuild the post-apocalyptic landscape.
In this context, you will restore the natural habitat of Pokémon to encourage their return. Different combinations of terrain, flora, furniture, and even altitude levels will attract different species of Pokémon, bringing with them new abilities. For example, Bulbasaur’s Leafage plants tall grass, Scyther’s Chop helps break up large logs; you get the picture.
You can also place and remove blocks to more directly terraform the world around you – that is, once you’ve unlocked those abilities – and overall there are a wide variety of ways to shape and use your environment to your advantage.
The world is your Cloyster
As you explore the map, you’ll notice sparkles on the ground that will give you clues about which Pokémon might be suitable for nearby habitats. Some rarer species will take a little longer to appear, but most of the Pokémon I found appeared within minutes of me repairing their habitat.
Other Pokémon fill more functional roles as you progress through different areas of the map. For example, when repairing or building new structures, Timburr can help build. Some projects like these are carried out based on actual deadlines; I had to wait 15 minutes for my house to finish building in the demo (which unfortunately happened once I was already out of the demo save).
You will also need to call on Pokémon with specific abilities to help you with different projects. Building your Pokédex and ensuring a wide range of Pokémon live around you is therefore a priority.
In addition to building structures for you and your Pokémon companions, you’ll also be tasked with reclaiming various old world buildings like Pokémon Centers. I didn’t get to see mine fully restored, but I was able to interact with the Poké Life computers stationed outside, where you can complete daily quests, purchase new items, and much more.
We also had the opportunity to test the multiplayer mode, during which our mission was to bring together a motley team of Pokémon to help rebuild a Pokémon Center. To do this, we had to do a combination of terraforming to attract the necessary species, but also working as a team to seek out the inhabitants of a neighboring island. After discovering that many would not follow us into the water, we built a large earth bridge, Minecraft-style, and carried them through. Chaos naturally ensued, and it was wonderful.
This multiplayer experience was staged for the demo, so it’s hard to know what the final product will look like, but it’s certainly more hands-on and interactive than multiplayer in games like Animal Crossing: New Horizons.
Don’t look a Ponyta gift in the mouth
At this early stage, I can’t say there’s much I don’t like about Pokopia, but the test will be trying the full game when it releases on March 5 for Nintendo Switch 2. Yet what’s won me over so far isn’t just in the gameplay; It’s the attention to detail that makes this game truly fun.
It seems like there’s quite a big world to explore, and with much to learn as you do; As I explored, I found several research notes from Professor Tangrowth’s original trainer detailing some of the circumstances that led to everyone’s disappearance. It gives what could have been a very simple game a lot more intrigue and identity, and I can’t wait to see how the mystery unfolds.
I also loved the personality injected into these Pokémon. Different species have different likes and dislikes – take Squirtle, for example, who likes water, cleanliness, healing, cute things, group activities and sweet flavors. However, I haven’t been able to see much in the way of how these factors factor into gameplay or if they’re just good padding for the Pokédex.
Where it really shines is in the dialogue. I’ve found the recent Pokémon games to be wordy to say the least, and more broadly, I think Nintendo has struggled a bit to make its slower-paced games enjoyable to play. There’s no such problem in Pokopia, however, not only are your response options as Ditto quite ironic in places, but some of the nonsense that comes out of different Pokémon caught me off guard.
At one point, Scyther shared his admiration for Charmander; “I like Charmander, we just vibe you know.” I almost spit; it’s just not what I expected, but I’m glad to see that the game has enough fantasy and doesn’t take itself too seriously.
With weeks of waiting until the full launch, my money is on Pokopia being one of the most successful Nintendo Switch 2 games to date, and not just because people will buy anything for the chance to see their favorite pocket friends. It’s full of heart, beautifully rendered and perfect for a cozy evening.
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