If you’ve been waiting for Pokémon Pokopia to finally expand beyond its original adventure, the wait is almost over. Trust me, this isn’t just another small DLC drop with a couple of decorations and a handful of Pokémon. The first chapter of the Pokémon Pokopia Expansion Pass is bringing an entirely new underwater world, fresh gameplay mechanics, more Pokémon to recruit, creative building options, and another town that needs your help.

Launching on August 5, 2026, Pokémon Pokopia Expansion Pass – Part 1: Bubbly Basin is shaping up to be the biggest content update the game has received since launch. Whether you’re someone who spends hours perfecting your builds or you’re simply looking for more Pokémon to meet, there’s a lot packed into this expansion.

And here’s the best part—even players who don’t buy the DLC aren’t completely left out. On the very same day, Version 2.0.0 arrives as a free update for every Pokémon Pokopia owner, introducing the brand-new Dive move. However, while everyone gets the update, the underwater town, story content, and everything that makes Bubbly Basin special are exclusive to Expansion Pass owners.

Let’s dive into everything officially confirmed so far.

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Pokémon Pokopia Expansion Pass Part 1 Release Date

Mark your calendars because Pokémon Pokopia Expansion Pass – Part 1: Bubbly Basin officially launches on August 5, 2026, exclusively for Nintendo Switch 2.

Players have actually been able to purchase the Expansion Pass since June 9, 2026, when it was revealed during the Nintendo Direct presentation. Now the countdown is almost over, and the first wave of post-launch content is finally ready to open its doors.

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Welcome to Bubbly Basin—The Ocean Has a Brand-New Town

This DLC doesn’t simply add another location—it introduces an entire town resting beneath the ocean.

Once Ditto learns the brand-new Dive ability, you’ll finally be able to descend below the waves and discover Bubbly Basin, a peaceful underwater settlement waiting to be restored.

Your adventure begins with Popplio, who welcomes you into the submerged community before sending you on your mission to rebuild everything from the ground up. As you complete requests from Pokémon living underwater, the town slowly transforms into a lively paradise filled with new structures, decorations, and surprises hidden beneath the sea.

Instead of simply exploring another map, you’re once again bringing life back to a forgotten location—one building at a time.

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Underwater Building Changes Everything

One of the biggest reasons Bubbly Basin feels completely different from the main game is its unique building system.

Because you’re constructing everything underwater, you’ll gain access to buoyant blocks, a completely new type of building material that floats at different heights.

That means you’re no longer limited to traditional flat layouts.

Instead, you can design layered underwater neighborhoods, floating platforms, elevated structures, and creative three-dimensional builds that simply wouldn’t be possible on land.

If you enjoy experimenting with architecture in Pokémon Pokopia, this feature alone could completely change how you design your towns.

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Watermelon Farming Joins the Adventure

Building isn’t the only thing expanding in Part 1.

The underwater world also introduces watermelons as a brand-new crop, bringing fresh gardening opportunities along with new ways to use your Pokémon’s specialties.

Different Pokémon now contribute unique abilities while farming:

• Water-specialty Pokémon create protective air bubbles around seedlings.
• Grow-specialty Pokémon help crops mature faster.
• Generate-specialty Pokémon power bubble machines and activate streetlights across Bubbly Basin.

Instead of relying on one Pokémon, the new farming system encourages players to combine multiple specialties together, making town development feel even more strategic than before.

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Plenty of Water-Type Pokémon Are Waiting Below

It wouldn’t be an underwater expansion without plenty of aquatic Pokémon.

Officially confirmed Pokémon appearing throughout Bubbly Basin include:

• Popplio
• Mudkip
• Chinchou
• Lanturn
• Corphish

Alongside these familiar faces, players will also encounter several other Water-type Pokémon while rebuilding the ocean settlement.

Each encounter helps make the underwater world feel alive, giving players even more Pokémon to recruit and interact with throughout their journey.

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Exploring the Dark Ocean Holds More Secrets

The adventure doesn’t stop with rebuilding the town.

As you venture deeper beneath the ocean, you’ll eventually discover a mysterious hole leading into darker underwater regions.

Fortunately, glowing coral illuminates your path, allowing you and your Pokémon companions to safely explore these hidden depths.

These deeper areas promise even more discoveries beyond the main settlement, rewarding curious players willing to leave the safety of Bubbly Basin behind.

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Dream Islands Return With Multiplayer Fun

One especially exciting discovery hidden within the expansion is the Starmie doll.

Finding this collectible unlocks a brand-new Dream Island, offering valuable resources that help expand and improve Bubbly Basin.

Even better, this Dream Island fully supports multiplayer.

That means you and your friends can swim together, explore the underwater environment, gather resources, and continue developing the town as a team.

Multiplayer exploration adds another reason to keep returning long after completing the main story.

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Build Your Own Sharpedo Submarine

One of the coolest additions in the expansion is the ability to construct a Sharpedo submarine.

Instead of simply serving as transportation, it functions as an underwater room that behaves much like the classic Secret Base concept.

It’s another creative space players can personalize while making the ocean truly feel like home.

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Dive Finally Arrives in Pokémon Pokopia

Launching alongside Bubbly Basin is Version 2.0.0, a completely free update available to every Pokémon Pokopia player.

Its headline feature is the long-awaited Dive move.

After unlocking it, Ditto gains several important abilities:

• Swim underwater with Water-type Pokémon.
• Build beneath the ocean.
• Plant underwater crops.
• Explore underwater environments across both the base game and Bubbly Basin.

Although the update itself is free, accessing everything connected to Bubbly Basin still requires owning the paid Expansion Pass.

Before you can start swimming through the ocean floor, there are a few progression requirements you’ll need to complete. Thankfully, none of them are overly complicated if you’ve already spent a decent amount of time with Pokémon Pokopia.

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How to Unlock the Dive Move in Pokémon Pokopia

While Version 2.0.0 is available to every player for free, unlocking the Dive move requires meeting several in-game conditions.

Before Ditto can dive beneath the sea, you’ll need to:

• Complete the “Raise the environment level!” request in Bleak Beach.
• Learn the Surf move.
• Learn how to Jump.
• Install Version 2.0.0.

Once those requirements are fulfilled, Manaphy will teach Ditto the Dive ability.

However, there’s one important catch.

Although the Dive feature is included in the free Version 2.0.0 update, Manaphy is only available through the paid Expansion Pass. That means you’ll still need to purchase the DLC if you want to unlock Dive and experience everything Bubbly Basin has to offer.

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How to Access Pokémon Pokopia Expansion Pass Part 1

If you’re planning to jump into Bubbly Basin on day one, make sure you have everything ready before launch.

You’ll need:

• The Pokémon Pokopia base game.
• The paid Expansion Pass.
• Version 2.0.0 installed.
• Completion of the “Raise the environment level!” request in Bleak Beach.
• The ability to learn Dive from Manaphy after meeting all required conditions.

Once everything is in place, you’ll be able to head beneath the waves and begin restoring the brand-new underwater town.

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Pokémon Pokopia Expansion Pass Roadmap

Bubbly Basin is only the beginning. The Pokémon Company has already revealed a roadmap showing what’s planned for the Expansion Pass, giving players plenty to look forward to over the coming months.

Content	Release	What’s Included
Dynamic Ditto recipes	Available now	Dynamic Ditto-themed block and wallpaper recipes
Part 1: Bubbly Basin	August 5, 2026	New underwater town, Dive gameplay, underwater construction, Pokémon, furniture, outfits, smoothies, Surf power-up, Dream Island
Part 2	Late 2026	Wearable accessories for Ditto and Pokémon, additional furniture, more Pokémon (including Snubbull), no new town
Part 3	2027	A completely new town to rebuild and explore

While Nintendo and The Pokémon Company haven’t shared every detail yet, they’ve confirmed that additional information about Part 2 and Part 3 will be revealed closer to their respective launch dates.

So if Bubbly Basin is only the first chapter, there’s clearly a lot more content waiting on the horizon.

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Pokémon Pokopia Expansion Pass Price

If you’re ready to expand your adventure, the Pokémon Pokopia Expansion Pass is priced at $34.99 USD, with regional pricing varying through the Nintendo eShop.

In selected regions, Nintendo also offers a bundle that includes both the Pokémon Pokopia base game and the Expansion Pass, making it a convenient option for new players jumping in for the first time.

Considering the roadmap already includes three separate content waves, the Expansion Pass is designed to deliver new gameplay well beyond the game’s original release.

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Expansion Pass Purchase Bonus Explained

Early adopters also receive a nice bonus.

Players who purchase the Pokémon Pokopia Expansion Pass by August 31, 2027 will receive a serial code via the email linked to their Nintendo Account. Redeeming that code grants 30 rare Pokémetal ingots, giving builders an immediate resource boost.

To claim the reward, you’ll need to:

• Purchase the Expansion Pass by August 31, 2027.
• Redeem the serial code sent to your Nintendo Account email by August 31, 2027.
• Claim the 30 Pokémetal ingots through Mystery Gift before September 30, 2027 while connected to the internet.

The Pokémon Company has clarified that these rare ingots aren’t permanently exclusive. Players can also obtain them through normal gameplay later on, but buying the Expansion Pass before the deadline lets you collect them immediately instead of waiting.

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Why Bubbly Basin Feels Like the Perfect First Expansion

From everything officially revealed so far, Bubbly Basin looks far more ambitious than a standard DLC.

Instead of adding just another location, it introduces an entirely new underwater town, fresh building mechanics with buoyant blocks, expanded farming through watermelons, deeper exploration using the Dive move, multiplayer Dream Islands, a customizable Sharpedo submarine, and a roster filled with Water-type Pokémon waiting to meet.

The addition of underwater construction completely changes how players can design their towns, while new Pokémon specialties encourage even more creativity when managing crops and developing the settlement. Hidden underwater caverns, glowing coral pathways, and the mysterious Dream Island ensure there’s plenty to discover beyond simply completing story objectives.

Even players sticking with the base game benefit from the free Version 2.0.0 update, but the heart of the experience remains locked behind the Expansion Pass, where Bubbly Basin delivers its full adventure.

With Part 1 launching on August 5, 2026, this marks the beginning of Pokémon Pokopia’s three-part post-launch roadmap. And with Part 2 bringing new accessories, furniture, and additional Pokémon later in 2026, followed by Part 3’s completely new town in 2027, it’s clear that this journey is only just beginning.

If you’ve been waiting for a reason to dive back into Pokémon Pokopia, this expansion looks ready to make a serious splash. The ocean floor is calling, another town is waiting to be rebuilt, and a whole new adventure is about to begin.

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Disclaimer:

Disclaimer: This article is based on official announcements from The Pokémon Company regarding the Pokémon Pokopia Expansion Pass – Part 1: Bubbly Basin and the free Version 2.0.0 update. While it accurately reflects confirmed details on the release date, features, Pokémon, roadmap, pricing, and bonuses as of the latest updates, some elements (such as exact additional Pokémon or minor feature adjustments) may still receive further clarification closer to launch. Always verify the most current information through official channels.

Image credit: The Pokémon Company / Omega Force

Official sources:

• Pokémon.com – Dive into Pokémon Pokopia Expansion Pass—Part 1: Bubbly Basin
• Pokémon Pokopia Official Expansion Pass Page
• The Pokémon Company Press Release