Summary:
The Pokémon Company has confirmed that Pokémon Pokopia Expansion Pass Part 1: Bubbly Basin will launch for Nintendo Switch 2 on August 5, 2026. The paid downloadable expansion introduces an entirely new underwater town where players can meet aquatic Pokémon, complete requests, decorate submerged spaces and continue developing their growing Pokémon paradise beneath the waves. Bubbly Basin will arrive alongside the free Pokémon Pokopia Version 2.0 update, meaning every player will receive something new to explore even without purchasing the Expansion Pass.
The free update teaches Ditto how to dive and remain underwater, opening submerged areas for exploration and construction. Expansion Pass owners can take that ability further by visiting Bubbly Basin, although they must first reach the required level of progress in Bleak Beach. The first expansion also brings additional Pokémon, activities, decorations and aquatic features that fit naturally into Pokémon Pokopia’s relaxed building and life-simulation gameplay.
The announcement also offered an early look at Expansion Pass Part 2, which is planned for later in 2026. This portion will focus on fashion by allowing players to dress up Pokémon friends and coordinate their appearances with Ditto. Before that arrives, players can participate in Fetching Scales for Feebas. The limited-time event runs from August 13 until August 28, giving players an opportunity to collect Prism Scales, earn themed items and befriend Feebas and Milotic.
Pokémon Pokopia Bubbly Basin DLC Arrives on August 5
Pokémon Pokopia is heading beneath the surface when Expansion Pass Part 1: Bubbly Basin launches on August 5, 2026. Rather than adding a small collection of decorative objects and calling it a day, the expansion introduces a full underwater town that players can help restore and develop. It is a fitting direction for a game built around transforming neglected spaces into lively homes for Pokémon. We have already planted gardens, gathered materials and shaped welcoming settlements on land, so taking those familiar activities underwater feels like the next natural step. The setting also gives the developers room to experiment with aquatic decorations, unusual terrain and Pokémon that would look slightly out of place wandering through an ordinary flower bed. Nobody wants a Carvanha flopping beside the tomatoes, after all.
Bubbly Basin is the first part of the paid Pokémon Pokopia Expansion Pass. Its August release begins a longer sequence of additions planned for the game, with further Expansion Pass updates expected later in 2026 and beyond. The new town is therefore more than an isolated destination. It serves as the opening chapter of a broader expansion plan designed to keep players returning to their settlements, checking on their Pokémon neighbours and finding fresh corners of the world to rebuild.
The Free Version 2.0 Update Opens the Underwater World
Players will not need to purchase the Expansion Pass to experience every aquatic addition arriving on August 5. The free Pokémon Pokopia Version 2.0 update will introduce the ability to dive underwater, giving all owners of the game a new way to explore. Manaphy teaches Ditto the Dive skill, allowing the adaptable hero to leave the shoreline behind and investigate areas hidden beneath the water. This is not merely a brief swimming animation or a limited trip into a small pool. Ditto can remain underwater, move through submerged environments and use the newly accessible space for building.
The addition could significantly change how players approach their existing settlements. Water previously acted as a boundary between land and whatever might be hiding below it. Following the update, it becomes usable space. Players who enjoy arranging every fence, path and piece of furniture may suddenly find themselves with an entirely new layer to decorate. The ocean floor becomes another blank canvas, although this one comes with bubbles, coral and considerably fewer dry socks.
Bubbly Basin Adds a New Town Beneath the Waves
Expansion Pass owners will use the new diving ability to reach Bubbly Basin, an underwater town that needs the same kind of care and attention players have brought to other parts of Pokémon Pokopia. The location is designed around life below the waves, replacing familiar fields and woodland paths with a colourful aquatic environment. Players will be able to meet Pokémon suited to the setting, accept new requests and place objects that help turn the neglected area into a thriving community.
The underwater theme also creates opportunities for playful new building ideas. A structure that looks ordinary on land can feel completely different when surrounded by drifting bubbles and schools of fish. Decorative objects can become part of larger underwater scenes, while pathways and gathering spaces can be arranged around the basin’s natural features. Pokémon Pokopia works best when players can look at an empty space and imagine what it might become. Bubbly Basin provides a fresh setting for that creativity without abandoning the calm rhythm that defines the game.
Requirements for Beginning the Bubbly Basin Adventure
Players will need to make a certain amount of progress before beginning the paid Bubbly Basin storyline. The official expansion information states that the request called “Raise the environment level!” must be completed in Bleak Beach. This requirement ensures that players have reached the appropriate stage of the main game and understand the environmental development systems before travelling to the new town. It also ties Bubbly Basin to the existing world rather than presenting it as a completely disconnected destination available from the opening minutes.
Requiring progress in Bleak Beach makes sense from both a mechanical and narrative perspective. That area already introduces players to a coastal environment, making it a logical gateway to a town hidden underwater. Players who have spent time raising the beach’s environment level should already be comfortable gathering resources, completing Pokémon requests and improving habitats. Once those foundations are in place, travelling below the surface feels like an earned expansion of Ditto’s abilities rather than a random doorway appearing on the map.
New Pokémon and Activities Await Below the Surface
Bubbly Basin will introduce several Pokémon that fit its aquatic surroundings, including Popplio, Carvanha, Corsola, Corphish, Chinchou, Mudkip, Buizel and Manaphy. Each new arrival gives players another potential neighbour to meet and another personality to accommodate while developing the town. Some may request particular facilities or objects, while others may become connected to the activities and progression found throughout the basin. Their presence should help the town feel like a genuine underwater community rather than an empty construction zone with a blue filter placed over it.
The expansion also includes new recipes, objects and methods of travelling through the water. Smoothies can improve Surf, while a Sharpedo-inspired submarine adds a wonderfully Pokémon-like solution to underwater transportation. New food and decorative options, including watermelon-themed additions and bubble-producing machines, support the expansion’s cheerful seaside identity. These details matter because Pokémon Pokopia is not solely about reaching objectives. Much of its appeal comes from experimenting with small objects and discovering how they can transform a plain area into somewhere that feels personal.
Underwater Construction Expands Player Creativity
Building beneath the water may become one of the most important additions included in Version 2.0 and Bubbly Basin. Players are accustomed to designing spaces from a ground-level perspective, where trees, pathways, houses and fields form the basic vocabulary of a settlement. Underwater construction changes that visual language. Coral, bubbles, submerged terrain and aquatic movement can influence how a space looks and feels. A cosy meeting point might sit beside a coral formation, while decorative lighting could create a glowing underwater avenue.
The freedom to build below the surface also encourages players to revisit older ideas. A layout that seemed complete may inspire an underwater extension once the update arrives. Instead of expanding outward across another patch of land, players can expand downward. It is similar to discovering an unused room in a familiar house, except the room contains Chinchou and requires you to breathe through the magic of Pokémon logic. That mixture of creative freedom and gentle absurdity suits Pokémon Pokopia perfectly.
Expansion Pass Part 2 Introduces Pokémon Outfits
The latest Expansion Pass presentation also offered an early look at Part 2, which is scheduled to arrive later in 2026. While Bubbly Basin focuses on a new town and underwater development, Part 2 will broaden the game’s customization features. Players will be able to dress up their Pokémon friends, creating coordinated looks between Ditto and the Pokémon living in their settlements. Artwork featuring Ditto, Snubbull and a Pikachu-inspired character highlighted the fashion-focused direction of the update.
Pokémon customization is a natural fit for a life-simulation experience built around friendship and self-expression. Players already spend time arranging homes and habitats to match the personalities of their favourite Pokémon. Clothing provides another way to show that care. A coordinated outfit can make a familiar companion feel more individual, while seasonal costumes could give players an excuse to redesign entire areas around a particular theme. Some Pokémon may look dignified, others adorable and a few will almost certainly appear as though they got dressed in the dark. That unpredictability is part of the fun.
Matching Outfits Could Make Pokémon Feel More Personal
The ability to dress Pokémon friends should add a stronger personal connection between players and the residents of their towns. Customization often works best when it reflects a relationship rather than simply unlocking another menu. Choosing an outfit for a favourite Pokémon can feel like selecting a small expression of its personality. A playful Pokémon might receive a bright costume, while a calmer resident could wear something more understated. Coordinating that look with Ditto adds another layer, letting the pair appear as companions rather than unrelated characters standing beside one another.
The Pokémon Company has not revealed every clothing option or customization rule for Part 2, so the precise range of supported Pokémon and accessories remains to be detailed. What has been confirmed is the central idea: players will be able to dress up Pokémon friends. That feature gives the second expansion update a clear identity separate from Bubbly Basin while remaining closely connected to Pokémon Pokopia’s focus on creativity, companionship and the irresistible urge to put a tiny hat on something.
Fetching Scales for Feebas Begins on August 13
Shortly after Bubbly Basin opens, Pokémon Pokopia will begin its next special event. Fetching Scales for Feebas runs from August 13 at 5:00 a.m. until August 28 at 4:59 a.m. local time. The event centres on Feebas and asks players to collect Prism Scales that can be exchanged for rewards. Feebas can appear around rebuilt Pokémon Centers, giving players a reason to travel through the areas they have already restored and check familiar locations for new activity.
The timing makes August particularly busy for Pokémon Pokopia players. Bubbly Basin and Version 2.0 arrive first, providing just over a week to become familiar with diving and the underwater town before the Feebas event begins. The event then offers a more focused objective alongside the expansion’s open-ended building and exploration. Players can alternate between developing Bubbly Basin, experimenting with underwater construction and gathering the materials needed to complete the event’s reward exchanges.
Collecting Prism Scales and Befriending Feebas
Fetching Scales for Feebas asks players to gather Prism Scales, a fitting choice for an event built around a Pokémon famous for its dramatic evolution. The collected scales can be traded for event rewards, including items connected to creating suitable habitats for Feebas and Milotic. This structure gives the event a clear loop: find Feebas, help with the scale collection and use the rewards to build a welcoming space for the featured Pokémon.
Feebas has long been associated with patience. In several Pokémon games, finding or evolving it requires more effort than its modest appearance might suggest. Pokémon Pokopia turns that reputation into a community activity rather than a traditional training challenge. Instead of focusing on battles or statistics, players help Feebas through gathering and habitat building. It is a softer interpretation of the Pokémon’s familiar journey, but the emotional payoff remains. The awkward little fish is still waiting for someone to recognise its potential.
Milotic Gives Players Another Reason to Join the Event
Milotic is also connected to Fetching Scales for Feebas, making the event especially appealing to players who want the elegant Water-type Pokémon in their settlement. Feebas and Milotic represent one of the most striking visual contrasts in the series, with the humble Feebas eventually becoming a graceful creature known for its beauty. Having both Pokémon involved allows players to celebrate the complete evolutionary line rather than treating Feebas as nothing more than a step toward its evolution.
The habitat items available through the event should help players create an appropriate home for both Pokémon. This approach fits the wider philosophy of Pokémon Pokopia, where befriending Pokémon is closely tied to understanding what they need and improving the environment around them. Milotic may be the glamorous attraction, but Feebas remains the heart of the event. One is the dazzling finished painting, while the other is the first uncertain pencil line that made the entire picture possible.
Pokémon Pokopia Has a Busy August Ahead
August 2026 is shaping up to be one of Pokémon Pokopia’s most active months since its release. The free Version 2.0 update changes how everyone can interact with water, while Bubbly Basin gives Expansion Pass owners a substantial new town to develop. The Feebas event follows soon afterward, adding limited-time objectives and the opportunity to welcome Feebas and Milotic. Together, these additions provide several different reasons to return, whether you enjoy exploration, construction, collecting or simply spending time with Pokémon.
The update schedule also shows how Pokémon Pokopia can grow without losing its relaxed identity. None of these additions need to turn the experience into a frantic race. Bubbly Basin can be explored at a comfortable pace, underwater spaces can be decorated gradually and the Feebas event remains available for more than two weeks. Players can choose their priorities and shape their own routine. Some may immediately begin restoring the new town, while others will spend an embarrassing amount of time deciding where one bubble machine should go. Both approaches are completely valid.
Conclusion
Pokémon Pokopia Expansion Pass Part 1: Bubbly Basin launches on August 5, 2026, alongside the free Version 2.0 update for Nintendo Switch 2. The update gives every player access to underwater exploration and construction, while Expansion Pass owners can discover a full submerged town filled with aquatic Pokémon, new requests, objects and activities. Players must complete the required environment-level request in Bleak Beach before beginning the paid expansion.
The first look at Expansion Pass Part 2 confirms that Pokémon clothing and coordinated outfits will arrive later in 2026. Before then, Fetching Scales for Feebas runs from August 13 until August 28, offering Prism Scale collection, themed rewards and opportunities to befriend Feebas and Milotic. With underwater building, new Pokémon, a fresh town and a special event packed into the same month, Pokémon Pokopia players will have plenty to keep them busy both above and below the waves.
FAQs
- When does the Pokémon Pokopia Bubbly Basin DLC release?
- Pokémon Pokopia Expansion Pass Part 1: Bubbly Basin launches on August 5, 2026, for Nintendo Switch 2.
- Is the underwater update free for all Pokémon Pokopia players?
- Yes. The free Version 2.0 update introduces underwater exploration and the Dive ability for everyone who owns Pokémon Pokopia. Access to the Bubbly Basin town requires the paid Expansion Pass.
- How do players unlock Bubbly Basin?
- Expansion Pass owners must complete the “Raise the environment level!” request in Bleak Beach before they can begin the Bubbly Basin storyline.
- What will Pokémon Pokopia Expansion Pass Part 2 add?
- Part 2 will add new fashion features that allow players to dress up their Pokémon friends and coordinate outfits with Ditto. It is scheduled for later in 2026.
- When does the Fetching Scales for Feebas event take place?
- The event runs from August 13 at 5:00 a.m. until August 28 at 4:59 a.m. local time. Players can collect Prism Scales, obtain event rewards and befriend Feebas and Milotic.
Sources
- Expansion Pass, The Pokémon Company, July 29, 2026
- Update, The Pokémon Company, July 29, 2026
- Fetch Scales for Feebas in Pokémon Pokopia, The Pokémon Company, July 29, 2026
- Fetching Scales for Feebas, Serebii.net, July 29, 2026
- Pokémon Pokopia ‘Bubbly Basin’ Expansion Pass DLC Locks In Switch 2 Release Date, Nintendo Life, July 29, 2026