Pokémon Pokopia's free update is basically a preview of Winds and Waves

3 days ago 3

Published Jun 9, 2026, 10:38 AM EDT

A paid expansion pass also introduces a ton of new underwater content for the life sim

Ditto speaks to Popplio, a new Pokemon included in the Pokopia paid expansion DLC.

We can't play Pokémon Winds and Waves until some undetermined time in 2027, but Pokémon Pokopia players won't have to wait nearly as long to get a similar experience. During Tuesday's Nintendo Direct showcase, the Japanese company revealed that the cozy life sim will be getting a free DLC that takes players deep underwater.

What makes this especially interesting, though, is that this is also the premise of Pokémon Winds and Waves, to some extent. The next major Pokémon game focuses heavily on the ocean, and will allow players to explore underwater terrain.

In addition to the free DLC, Nintendo also announced an expansion pass for the Pokémon building game. It'll come with a new town, new furniture, more outfits, and additional monsters such as Popplio and Mudkip. The first part of the paid DLC, Bubbly Basin, goes live today. The portions of the expansion pass that promise new features and a new area won't be released until late 2026 and 2027, respectively.

To access Bubbly Basin, players need to complete the "Raise the environment level" quest in Bleak Beach in addition to downloading a new software update.