Pokemon Pokopia Releases a Subnautica-Style Free Update

3 days ago 3

Published Jun 9, 2026, 10:46 AM EDT

Tay Garcia is a Contributor at DualShockers and a Brazilian journalist who has been covering games professionally since 2017. Her work spans news, reviews, previews, lists, guides, and features, with a particular focus on horror, retro games, theories, puzzle games, Metroidvanias, Soulslikes, and story-driven titles.

Before joining DualShockers, Tay worked as an assistant editor and contributed to Jovem Nerd, one of Brazil’s largest pop culture outlets, as well as Editora Europa, a major Brazilian publisher known for gaming and technology magazines. She has also worked as a streamer, YouTube creator, and podcaster. Tay holds a B.A. in Journalism, has postgraduate training in Social Media, and is certified in professional video game journalism. She was also a member of Podcast UP, which won the Cubo de Ouro Award for Best Podcast in Brazil in 2021.

Pokémon Pokopia launched just a few months ago, but it has already captured the hearts of a legion of passionate fans! Players worldwide have simply fallen in love with building their very own cozy spots to call home in this unique slice of the Pokémon universe – and Nintendo has just confirmed that this vibrant world is about to grow significantly larger.

Pokémon Pokopia: 10 Most Useful Pokemon Specialties, Ranked

Every Pokémon brings something different to the table when rebuilding the world.

During the highly anticipated Nintendo Direct broadcast on June 9, development partners Game Freak and Koei Tecmo took to the digital stage to showcase a variety of upcoming updates and post-launch content planned for Pokémon Pokopia. The announcements instantly ignited the community, promising both immediate content drops and some structural overhauls to the core gameplay experience.

Diving Into Deep Waters & Brand New Horizons

For starters, the developers unveiled a game-changing free update that will officially allow players to go underwater! This mechanic goes far beyond simply swimming or diving for rare resources, and it introduces full-fledged underwater construction, meaning players will soon be able to build entirely submerged structures, aquatic homes, and elaborate deep-sea habitats, restricted only by the limits of their imagination.

This free update is currently scheduled to launch in August 2026, though it seems that the developers will reveal additional details regarding specific aquatic mechanics closer to the release date.

But that’s not all the developers had in store for fans during the broadcast! In another massive surprise, Nintendo also announced that the very first Expansion Pass DLC for Pokémon Pokopia is finally ready. This add-on introduces an extensive amount of content to the base game, including a brand-new town to explore, exclusive furniture sets to collect, fresh tools to master, and a variety of new friends and Pokémon to encounter.

This mechanic goes far beyond simply swimming or diving for rare resources, and it introduces full-fledged underwater construction

The absolute best part of the announcement is its immediate availability. Rather than making fans wait even more, the studio confirmed that this major Expansion Pass DLC will become available to download later today, June 9, for players all around the globe. So yes, you'd better charge that Nintendo Switch 2 for later.

To close out the digital presentation, the development team also detailed a brief content roadmap to give players a clear idea of what they can expect from Pokémon Pokopia in the long run.

They explained (quite briefly, but still) that this newly released Expansion Pass DLC is merely the first chapter of a much larger, three-part narrative journey. This means that while Part 1 is officially launching now to set the foundation, Part 2 is already planned for later this year with a heavy focus on implementing additional gameplay features. And, finally, Part 3 will arrive even further down the line, bringing yet another new town to explore and build on.

While official release dates for the second and third parts remain under wraps for now, the sheer volume of content on the horizon proves that the developers are fully committed to supporting this community. Whether you are looking to download the fresh DLC today or preparing to build your dream underwater paradise this August, Pokémon Pokopia fans are eating incredibly well this summer.