If you've browsed any of my articles since the Switch 2 came out back in mid-2025, it probably won't come as a surprise to learn that I've spent the last five days hopelessly addicted to Pokémon Pokopia. The runaway life sim has been a big hit since it dropped late last week for the Switch 2, and I've been completely blindsided by how much it grabbed me.
Sure, like the rest of us, I very much fell into Animal Crossing: New Horizons back during those near-endless lockdowns, but I also got bored with it fairly quickly – and having just dipped my toe back into the Switch 2 version of that game, I didn't see much to keep me there.
Pokopia, then, as a sort of hybrid between Animal Crossing, Minecraft and Pokémon, only had one franchise I actually really vibe with (the last one, of course). Could it convert that into a really engaging gameplay loop? Oh boy, and how.
I've had the game a matter of days and my Switch 2 tells me I'm already past the 25-hour mark, which is frankly ridiculous – but I can't stop playing in every moment of free time that I get.
Pokopia sees you play as a Ditto, the purple shape-shifting Pokémon. Bereft after the loss of your old trainer, you take on the form of a young trainer yourself and set about restoring what's pretty clearly an eerie post-apocalyptic version of some Kanto regions (the first generation of Pokémon games' setting).
Working your way through a few regions, you find each one completely decrepit but quickly learn some skills that can help you restore the environments in front of you. Doing so carefully can attract wild Pokémon back to your towns and landscapes, and the more of these you meet, the more new items and tools can be built.
The whole world is constructed out of blocks, Minecraft style, and you have pretty free rein to demolish and rebuild it as you like. The best part of the gameplay loop is how you attract and collect Pokémon. Each one has a home environment that'll attract it – from a simple block of four grass tiles to way more elaborate options like a home office or a garbage disposal area.
Learning new combinations will gradually expand your array of Pokémon residents, adding a layer of progress that's frankly miles more compelling than anything I've encountered in Animal Crossing.
The game's also completely charming to look at, with some of the visual clarity of the Let's Go! remakes giving you really gorgeous versions of many of the series' most iconic monsters.
Frankly, Pokopia is an unexpected slam dunk, a game so addictive that I think plenty of people will find themselves pouring hundreds of hours into its nearly endless loop of building, collecting, refining and discovering. If you're a fan of literally any of the franchises I've mentioned, but especially Pokémon, you're going to want to stick this one on your Switch 2 wishlist ASAP.
