A few days ago, The Pokémon celebrated its 30th anniversary, and although Game Freak and The Pokémon Company did not release new games on the actual 30th birthday of the franchise, fans of the pocket monsters had to wait a few more days for the latest. The Pokémon the topic you will present on Pokémon Pokopia.
Developed by Game Freak and Japanese partner Omega Force, Pokopia marks the franchise’s first jump into the life-simulation genre with players including Ditto transforming themselves to look and act like their former trainer in order to help the local Pokémon revive an empty space.
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Prepare your pocket (or your patience)
When Pokopia first announced in late 2025, it quickly became one of Nintendo’s most anticipated releases The Pokémon games over the years, but its announcement soured some as it was announced Pokémon Pokopia it can only be Nintendo Switch 2.
Apart from this, there is a way for owners of the first generation of Nintendo Switch consoles to play Pokopiaalthough they will need a friend or family member who owns a Nintendo Switch 2 to access the game.
How to get access to multiplayer in Pokémon Pokopia
When people start playing Pokopiathey won’t have access to multiplayer from the start, and will have to complete several main story quests from Professor Tangrowth first.
By completing these quests, along with helping a few of the other resident Pokémon and cleaning up the neighborhood, players will eventually reach Environmental Level 2 on PC.
From here, players will gain access to the Link Play option on PC, which allows players to invite others to their game, visit a friend’s game, or play on Cloud Island.
This will allow all Nintendo Switch 2 owners to play Pokémon Pokopia locally or online, but owners of first-generation Nintendo Switch consoles won’t be able to play yet.
How to Find Palette Town
There is only one place to play Pokémon Pokopia on the first generation of Nintendo Switch consoles, and it can be difficult to find out if players don’t know what to look for.
When facing the first fallen Pokémon Center, players should look to the left to find a rock wall under a broken bridge.
In order to get past this wall, players will need to attract Hitmonchan by creating a resting place to exercise by placing a punching bag next to a chair or bench.
Both of these items can be found near the first broken Pokémon center in an abandoned building and once Hitmonchan is attracted, it will teach players the move Rock Smash, which will allow players to break rocks and build a path under the broken bridge.
From here, players will find a beach and a cove, but if players go left from the beach, they will find a destroyed road, and they will need to create a bridge to cross and reach the rest of the road that leads to Palette Town.
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Connects to Nintendo Switch in Pokémon Pokopia
It is recommended by the game that players wait until they gain more experience and skills before going to Palette Town, but players can still enter the new area regardless.
After a short loading screen, players will find themselves in Palette Town, which can be renamed to their liking on PC next to another fallen Pokémon Center.
Here, Nintendo Switch 2 players can finally connect to the first-generation Nintendo Switch console through GameShare and play with friends who don’t have their own copies. Pokopia.
First, the Switch 2 and Pokopia the owner must go to the Link Play option on the PC, select Invite Others to Visit, and select GameShare with nearby players or via GameChat.
Then, on the first generation Nintendo Switch, players must select the GameShare option from the Switch’s home menu and select Join GameShare.
This will automatically connect the two Switch consoles together in a Pokopia GameShare session and create a random Ditto character for the player on the original Switch.
Players of the original Switch can create, craft, and interact with nearby Pokémon and use all the abilities that the Switch 2 player has already acquired. However, they cannot interact with Pokémon tracking or returning to the Withered Wasteland.
Once the GameShare connection is closed, all items owned by real Switch players will be sent to the lost and found chest near the collapsed Pokémon Center.
Gen 10 Pokémon games announced on Pokemon Day 2026
As part of the series’ 30th anniversary celebrations, The Pokémon Company announced the Gen 10 games as part of the Pokémon Day live stream.
- Released
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March 5, 2026
- The ESRB
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Everyone / Users are Interactive, In-Game Purchases
