Pokopia appears to be shaping up to be everything we could have imagined: It’s Animal Crossing set in the Pokémon world. Earlier this week, it was announced that Pokopia would be arriving on March 5th, 2026. But, they weren’t done with announcements.
Earlier today, the official Pokémon YouTube channel treated us to an “extended look” trailer of Pokopia, full of details and explanations of how Pokopia works. Not only did we learn how the story unfolds, but we also learned a ton of new information about the various things you can do in the game.
Pokopia has so much to do, and there’s actual lore and story to go along with it!
The story begins with a Ditto getting out of its Pokéball in a cave of some sort and seeing the ruined remains of a civilization that once resided there. For instance, a crumbled, overgrown Pokémon Center is an early set piece that leaves us with more questions than anything.
The trailers thus far have heavily hinted that this is taking place in the Kanto region, which is the setting for the original Pokémon games on the Game Boy, but nothing is confirmed. Between the blocky environment meant to invoke the classic Pokémon Red and Pokémon Blue games, the classic Pokédex, the music tracks straight out of that generation, and a heavy lean on the original 151 Pokémon, it’s highly probable that you’re somewhere in Kanto.
Ditto transforms into a derpy, Ditto-fied version of what may or may not be their own previous trainer, vaguely shown on a shorted-out Pokédex, and begins to explore outside the starting cave. That’s where you meet Professor Tangrowth.
Professor Tangrowth, a Tangrowth with a pair of spectacles not quite on his face and a Technical Machine (“TM”) disk on his head, is mostly there to help guide you on your Pokopia journey, taking the role of an advisor on how to do tasks. But, while he is the initial Pokémon you meet, he isn’t the only one.
Being social in Pokopia includes both Pokémon and actual players
If you’re familiar with Animal Crossing, the gameplay loop should fit like a glove for you. You’ll meet Pokémon (or Villagers, for the AC fanbase) as you build up and change the terrain, build buildings, gather resources, craft items, design and decorate as you see fit, and help various Pokémon with requests to improve their quality of life in this abandoned world. You can even design your own home/room.
Aside from Professor Tangrowth, there are special variants of Pokémon in Pokopia. You’ll find these variants, such as Mosslax, a Snorlax overgrown with moss that seems to have been sleeping for a very long time, and Smearguru, a Smeargle with paint splatters all over itself. Peakychu is another variant, who is a Pikachu with pale fur and drooping ears. It’s possible that there may be more variants not yet announced as well.
As shown in the previous announcement trailer, your Ditto will have the ability to use moves learned from other Pokémon it meets, such as Water Gun (which works the same as a watering can you can usually find in games like this). But, you’ll also be able to “fully” transform into round, derpy Ditto versions of Pokémon like Lapras and Dragonite to traverse the area better. They’re adorable.
In addition to all of the single-player love, you’ll also be able to team up with up to three other players in multiplayer to hang out in your little Pokémon town and help you build things. With Gameshare, you can share the game with a friend on either a Nintendo Switch 2 or an original Nintendo Switch, even though the game is not on the Switch.
At the end of the trailer, they also announced that, by pre-ordering the game, you get a special Ditto rug for you to use to decorate. It isn’t a lot, but it’s adorable and worth taking advantage of.
Pokopia is coming to the Nintendo Switch 2 on March 5th, 2026. If you’re into these kinds of games, you definitely need to be aware that the new Animal Crossing: New Horizons Free Update Ver.3.0 is coming in January. Check out our coverage of it here. You can also check out our theory on whether Pokémon Pokopia also happens to take place in a post-apocalyptic wasteland.
