Overview
- Part 1 of the Pokopia Expansion Pass, Bubbly Basin, is live on Nintendo Switch 2 as a paid DLC included in the three-part $34.99 bundle.
- The expansion opens a vertical, waterlogged town and unlocks Dive/swimming so players can freely explore submerged caves and ruins.
- The free Ver. 2.0.0 update ships with Portal Pods for remote access to stored items, bulk transfer tools, and motion‑sickness options aimed at inventory and building pain points.
- Review coverage published Thursday, August 6, 2026, praises the new underwater aesthetic, roughly 50 new Pokémon, themed building kits and buoyant blocks while noting the DLC largely reuses the base game's mission-and-tutorial progression.
- Critics warn the content and structure make the immediate value of buying only Part 1 uncertain until Part 2 arrives in late 2026 and Part 3 in 2027, and builders and collectors are likely to weigh convenience gains against the upfront price.