Updated

Updated · Game Informer · Jun 9

Pokémon Pokopia Adds Bubbly Basin in August as Free Dive Update Reaches All Players

Updated

Updated · Game Informer · Jun 9

Pokémon Pokopia Adds Bubbly Basin in August as Free Dive Update Reaches All Players

Q: Will Pokémon's first major DLC be enough to justify the Switch 2's impending price increase for new buyers?

No. Pokémon Pokopia’s first Expansion Pass looks like a meaningful content boost, but it is not enough on its own to justify paying more for a Switch 2. The timing makes that clear. Nintendo is raising the Switch 2’s U.S. price from $449.99 to $499.99 on September 1, 2026, a $50 increase. Pokopia’s paid Expansion Pass adds Bubbly Basin in August, with an underwater town, aquatic Pokémon, and cosmetic items, while a free update gives all players the Dive ability. That is a solid update for existing fans, but it is still DLC for one game rather than a system-defining release. The value equation is also limited by scale. Pokopia has sold more than 2.2 million copies and has become one of the Switch 2’s stronger early exclusives, so the DLC should help retention and keep players engaged. But for a new buyer deciding whether to absorb a higher hardware price, one expansion to a social-sim spinoff is unlikely to outweigh the extra $50 by itself. What may justify the higher price is the broader package: stronger hardware than the original Switch, a growing exclusive lineup, major third-party ports, and Nintendo’s shift toward more Switch 2-only software. In that context, Pokopia’s DLC helps the platform’s momentum, but it is better seen as a bonus for current owners than a decisive reason for new buyers to accept the price hike.

Q: What specific steps must players take in Bleak Beach to unlock the new Dive ability for everyone?

Players must raise Bleak Beach’s environmental level high enough to trigger Gyarados’s appearance, then befriend Gyarados, which is the Pokémon that teaches Ditto the new Dive ability. The news report itself only says Dive is unlocked after improving Bleak Beach’s environmental level, but the supporting material adds the missing detail: the key requirement is pushing Bleak Beach’s water-focused environment rating to the necessary threshold. Once that condition is met, Gyarados becomes available in town. After that, players need to complete the interaction or friendship requirement with Gyarados. When Gyarados is befriended, Ditto learns Dive. That ability is then used while surfing to access underwater areas, including the new Bubbly Basin biome arriving with the August Expansion Pass update. So, in practical terms, the path is to improve Bleak Beach’s environment—especially its water environment—until Gyarados appears, and then befriend Gyarados to unlock Dive.

3 articles · Updated · Game Informer · Jun 9

August will bring Pokémon Pokopia’s first Expansion Pass drop, adding the fully underwater Bubbly Basin town after Nintendo unveiled the plan in a Direct presentation.
A free software update arriving the same month gives all players the Dive ability, which is required to access and build the new biome for underwater Pokémon.
Dive is unlocked only after players raise the environmental level in Bleak Beach, tying the new area to existing progression systems.
Late 2026 will add more Expansion Pass features, and 2027 will bring another new town, extending support for the Switch 2 exclusive that launched on March 5.