If one single thing has withstood the test of time from the 90s, it’s the unstoppable juggernaut known as the Pokémon franchise. Since 1996, Nintendo and Game Freak have been coming up with more and more new exciting ways to interact with the world of the Pocket Monsters, and next year, it looks like we’ll have one more:
Pokémon Pokopia is the franchise’s first foray into the crafting game, following the likes of games like Dragon Quest Builders to provide players with a cozy experience that’s more invested in giving the player freedom to create the Pokémon home of their dreams than it is slamming the iconic creatures against each other in battle.
As a Ditto who’s taken the form of a human (something that I’m sure is perfectly innocent and in no way related to the barren destroyed lands we see in the earliest scenes), you are tasked with creating a new world where Pokémon can live and grow, and you will, in turn, learn from them new ways to interact with your environment. The building seems to be fairly complex, with lots of options for workstations, structures, and there even seems to be some sort of electricity analog. Real creative heads who still love Pokémon will certainly be in for a treat when this releases, but they shouldn’t hold their breath – it will still be a few months before they can craft the Pokécenter of their dreams!
Pokémon Pokopia is scheduled to release on March 5, 2026, for the Nintendo Switch 2 in game-key card and digital download formats.
