Pokémon Pokopia's Bubbly Basin DLC arrives August 5

The Pokémon Company has confirmed that Bubbly Basin, the first part of Pokémon Pokopia's expansion pass, arrives on August 5 for Nintendo Switch 2. The announcement came with a trailer and a run of feature details, and matched a date that had already leaked ahead of it.

Underwater exploration is the expansion's organising idea, and it requires a change to what Ditto can do. Ditto can only hold its breath for a limited time, so a free software update releasing alongside the paid content lets players speak to Manaphy and learn Dive, which allows Ditto to breathe underwater.

With Dive available, players can reach the town of Bubbly Basin and the deep-sea areas added in the first part of the DLC. The Pokémon found there include Totodile, Popplio and Finneon, species previously out of reach. As on the surface, the goal is to raise the town's environment level and build habitats for the Pokémon encountered along the way.

What's in part one

• New Pokémon and the Bubbly Basin town
• A deep sea environment and the Dive ability
• New outfits for Ditto
• The Buoyant Block, for floating structures
• Watermelon crops and a smoothie recipe
• Bubble machines and a Surf move power-up
• The Sharpedo submarine

The Buoyant Block is the addition the trailer leans on hardest, allowing structures to be built on the water rather than only on land. Alongside it are dozens of new furniture pieces, a new crop to plant and new food to make.

The Pokémon Company also outlined the second part of the expansion pass, due in late 2026. That half focuses on customisation, bringing accessories for Ditto and other Pokémon along with hundreds of furniture and decorative items.

Between the two halves, the expansion pass leans in different directions: the first adds a place to go and a way to get there, while the second adds ways to decorate what is already built. Only the August 5 date has been confirmed; the second part has no date beyond the late-2026 window.