Pokémon Pokopia is expanding beneath the waves with a free underwater exploration update arriving in August 2026. The update will be available to everyone who owns the game and will introduce a new way to explore, build and develop Pokémon settlements.
The main addition is Dive, a new move that allows Ditto to travel freely underwater. Instead of limiting exploration to beaches and the surface, players will be able to reach the ocean floor and discover familiar towns from an entirely different perspective.
Underwater areas will also support several of the game’s core building mechanics. Players can plant grass, place structures and work alongside Pokémon to create towns beneath the sea. This means the update is more than a simple swimming feature, as it extends Pokémon Pokopia’s town-building system into a completely new environment.
How to Unlock Underwater Exploration in Pokémon Pokopia
Dive will not become available immediately after installing the update. Players must first complete the “Raise the environment level!” request in Bleak Beach. Ditto must also be able to jump and already know Surf before the new move can be learned.
These requirements suggest that underwater exploration will become available after players have made a reasonable amount of progress rather than during the opening hours. Once Dive is unlocked, it can be used to explore underwater sections connected to the existing world.
Although the update itself is free, not every underwater area shown in the announcement will be included at no additional cost.
Bubbly Basin, a new underwater town launching during the same month, is part of the paid Pokémon Pokopia Expansion Pass. This separate area will feature additional Pokémon, furniture and outfits for Ditto. Players will also be able to develop the town using the Dive ability introduced through the free update.
Accessing Bubbly Basin requires players to complete the same Bleak Beach request and learn Dive first. In other words, the free update provides the main underwater mechanics, while the Expansion Pass adds a separate location built around them.
More Pokémon Pokopia Content Is Planned
Bubbly Basin marks the first part of the Pokémon Pokopia Expansion Pass. The second wave will arrive in late 2026 and add new features that help players improve their Pokémon paradise. However, this update will not introduce another town.
The third part will follow in 2027 and bring a completely new town for players to explore and rebuild. Nintendo and The Pokémon Company have not shared further details about these later additions yet.
Nintendo and The Pokémon Company also have not announced a specific release date for the free update. For now, both companies only confirm an August 2026 release window.
Even without the paid expansion, the free update looks like a meaningful addition. Underwater exploration, gardening and construction should give players more space to expand their settlements and new reasons to revisit familiar locations.
The Pokémon Pokopia underwater exploration update will arrive on Nintendo Switch 2 in August 2026.
