The first paid slice of the Pokémon Pokopia Expansion Pass finally has a hard date. According to The Pokémon Company, Part 1: Bubbly Basin arrives on Nintendo Switch 2 on August 5, 2026, and it drops Ditto into a full underwater town.
That timing matters for anyone still finishing the base game. Bubbly Basin is not a free side quest. It is the opening chapter of a three-part paid Expansion Pass already on Nintendo eShop for $34.99. Meanwhile, a free Ver. 2.0.0 software update on the same day teaches every owner the new Dive move.
What Bubbly Basin adds underwater
Pokémon.com frames Bubbly Basin as a mysterious town on the ocean floor. With Dive, Ditto can descend, rebuild submerged structures, and reshape the area into a water-friendly paradise. Popplio waits at the town entrance, and the company says the zone is packed with Water-type residents such as Mudkip and Chinchou once you craft the right habitats.
Building also changes under the waves. Newly added buoyant blocks float at different depths, so layouts can stack in three dimensions that land builds cannot match. The press notes even call out a Sharpedo submarine room that feels like a Secret Base. On top of that, seafloor furniture and new Ditto outfits give the expansion its own design kit.
Free Dive update, paid pass, and how access works
Here is the split that confuses people. Dive ships in the free Ver. 2.0.0 update on August 5, so every Pokopia owner can explore underwater spaces in areas they already own. However, Bubbly Basin itself sits behind the Expansion Pass. The Pokémon Company also requires the Bleak Beach request “Raise the environment level!” before the paid town unlocks, and Dive learning still depends on knowing Surf and jump.
One purchase covers Parts 1, 2, and 3. Part 2 is scheduled for late 2026 with accessories you can wear alongside Pokémon, plus more furniture and creatures, but no new town. Part 3 arrives in 2027 with another rebuildable town. Buyers also get recipes for dynamic Ditto print blocks and wallpaper. Purchase by August 31, 2027, and Nintendo emails a serial code for 30 rare Pokémetal ingots.
Secrets, watermelons, and the official trailer
Bubbly Basin is more than a build sandbox. Pokémon.com teases a deep, dark hole in the seafloor and glowing coral that leads to deeper adventure. A Starmie doll can open a new Dream Island stocked with resources for undersea development, and that island also supports multiplayer swims. Gardeners get watermelon as a new crop, with Water-specialty Pokémon bubbling the seedlings and Grow-specialty partners boosting the plants.
The official extended trailer from The Pokémon Company walks through those systems before launch day. For Switch 2 owners watching hardware costs after Nintendo’s memory-driven price hike, the $34.99 Expansion Pass is a real extra on top of the full game. Brick collectors who want Pokémon builds outside the game still have options like the LEGO Pokémon Smart Play sets, but Bubbly Basin is pure digital life-sim content.
Bottom line: if you already live in Pokopia, mark August 5. Grab the free Dive update either way. Buy the Expansion Pass only if you want the full underwater town arc, the later 2026 and 2027 drops, and the purchase bonuses that come with them.
