Pokémon Pokopia

Pokémon Pokopia is not a traditional Pokémon game in which you catch Pokémon or battle with them. Instead, friendship takes centre stage: you attract Pokémon to come and live in your world and work together with them to bring the environment back to life. Together, you care for your world, tend crops and build little houses where Pokémon can feel at home. Sometimes the Pokémon residents will make requests of their own. For example, a Squirtle might ask you to lay a path to the beach so it can finally have a paddle.

The world is made up of voxels, or 3D blocks, which you can place, remove and shape yourself. This block-based building gives the game a clear Minecraft-like feel. At the same time, creating gardens, paths and cosy living spaces will feel familiar to players of cosy games such as Animal Crossing or Disney Dreamlight Valley. That mix suits the developer, as Pokopia is being made by the studio behind Dragon Quest Builders: a series that already built on the Minecraft principle but gave it a more narrative and relaxing twist.

Pokémon Pokopia is filled with familiar Pokémon that you can attract to your world by building, designing and decorating. Some Pokémon, such as Bulbasaur and Squirtle, join you early in the story. They teach you how to use moves to grow grass and water your crops. Others only appear once you've created the right environment for them. For example, Dragonite may decide to move in if you place a few water plants and a rowing boat together. Put a chair and a fishing rod by the water's edge, and Magikarp will curiously appear in the water.

You'll also encounter a few mysterious new variants that play a bigger role in the story. Peakychu is a pale Pikachu with large eyes and a soft glow. Mosslax is a Snorlax completely covered in moss, looking as though it hasn't moved in centuries. Like Professor Tangrowth, both Pokémon are noticeably different from their usual forms, but you'll have to discover their true role for yourself. Alongside these familiar faces and mysterious newcomers, you can also persuade many other Pokémon to move in, including Gardevoir, Eevee and Zorua, as well as newer Pokémon such as Paldean Wooper and Tatsugiri from Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Violet.

Pokémon Pokopia supports multiplayer for up to 4 players, allowing you to build, gather or simply hang out together. With multiple players, everything goes faster: you complete quests more quickly, collect resources more efficiently and large building projects become feasible because everyone can contribute at the same time. You can visit each other’s worlds and help search for materials, but also lay paths together, expand fields or explore new areas. Thanks to GameShare, friends can join in without owning the game themselves, and even players with an original Nintendo Switch can take part, even though Pokopia is released exclusively on Nintendo Switch 2. You can also play together online with a Nintendo Switch Online membership.

Alongside Mario Kart World and Donkey Kong Bananza, Pokémon Pokopia has quickly become one of the Nintendo Switch 2's standout titles. Looking for even more Pokémon adventures? At MediaMarkt, you'll find plenty of other Pokémon games for Nintendo Switch to keep you entertained for hours.