Answer your burning questions about Pokopia

Pokemon Pokopia is a new type of spin-off game for Pokémon series of games, trading traditional combat mechanics for life sim staples like crafting and farming. There is still a big catch 'em all aspects Pokemon Pokopia however, you'd be forgiven for thinking there might not be, as the cozy game is very different from a traditional Pokémon entry.

So different, we've gone ahead and made a list of burning questions you probably have about it. Are there shines? Are Pokemon Evolving? Is there multiplayer? What exactly is Pokopia anyway? All this and more is answered in full below.

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Pokemon Pokopia tips for beginners

New to Pokemon Pokopia? These beginner tips will help you unlock habitats faster, find rare items, and get off to the best possible start.

General Pokopia details

Here are the most important things you should know before you start Pokemon Pokopia:

What is Pokemon Pokopia?

Pokopia is a spin-off of the head Pokémon series that mixes collecting Pokemon with life simulation mechanics similar to games like Animal Crossing and Hello Kitty Island Adventure. It is co-developed by Game Freak, who make the main series Pokémon games, and Koei Tecmo's Omega Force, which makes games like Dragon Quest Builders and Hyrule Warriors.

Does Pokopia have battle?

No, Pokopia has no battle — there are no trainer battles or gyms to tackle here. Instead, your goal is to build habitats and attract Pokémon to collect them all. You must also craft items, fulfill Pokemon requests, raise your Pokemon's comfort levels, farm ingredients, and restore areas to their former glory to progress with the main story in Pokopia.

Does Pokopia have a history?

Yes, Pokopia has a main story to experience as you complete its many challenges and quests. Without spoiling anything, the basic premise is that you play as a Ditto missing its former owner, so it transforms itself into a very Ditto-like human. You then wake up in a rundown area seemingly devoid of human life. It's your goal, with the help of your new Pokémon friends, to restore each area to its former glory in hopes of bringing back the humans.

Can you play Pokopia on Switch 1?

No, Pokopia is exclusive to Switch 2so you can't play Pokopia on the original Nintendo Switch. However, you can use Nintendo's GameShare feature to allow a Switch 1 device to join a local co-op session. This does not give you access to the full game, but only allows you to play with a friend in the Palette Town area with a default appearance. So basically you can help a friend in a field, but you can't actually start your own Pokopia save, or follow your friend for the rest of the game.

Is there multiplayer in Pokopia?

Yes, up to four people can play together at the same time in Pokopiaas shown in the host's world. You can pretty much do everything you can with your friends that you can do while playing solo, with any changes to the environment permanently affecting the host's world. Also, there is an area called Cloud Island in Pokopia which allows you and your friends to build in a fresh new area, separate from the main game. You can jump back to Cloud Island at any time, even if the host is not online, similar to a private server.

Does Pokopia have local cooperation?

Yes, you can play Pokopia without having to connect to the internet via local multiplayer. The same rules apply as when playing online (which we've described above) but keep in mind that everyone must have their own Switch 2 and a copy of Pokopia to join local co-op. Unless they use a Switch 1 with GameShare to help the host in Palette Town.

How long to beat Pokopia?

It depends on how much time you spend on side activities, collectibles, and customization, but in general, it takes between 20 and 40 hours to complete Pokopia. That said, there's still more to do after the credits roll, so really, you can play Pokopia for much longer than 40 hours before you've seen everything the game has to offer.

Pokopia game details

Now you know what you're in for, let's get into the details Pokopias gameplay:

Does Pokopia use real time?

Yes, Pokopia uses the time and date on your Switch console to determine the in-game clocksimilar to Animal Crossing. This affects Pokemon games, crop growing times, building times, and the weather, among a few other minor things. Because it's so similar to Animal Crossing, it means you can “time travel” and pass the time Pokopia by changing the clock and date in the Switch settings. The usual caveats apply here though, as messing with the clock can ruin something important in the game.

Can you get shiny Pokemon in Pokopia?

No, you cannot bring in shiny Pokemon Pokopiaas there is only one version of each Pokemon in the game. However, there are new forms of Pokemon to discover in Pokopia which we won't spoil here – but these are set characters you get with no luck-based mechanics involved.

Do Pokemon evolve in Pokopia?

No, Pokemon do not evolve into Pokopiabut there are developed forms. For example, you can get both Combee and Vespiquen, but each requires different habitats to spawn in Pokopiaand all have their own unique abilities. This means you can see both Combee and Vespique in the wild and talk to them as two separate Pokémon.

How many Pokemon are there in Pokopia?

There is around 300 Pokemon in the base game Pokopiawith the list including Pokemon from all generations, from Gen 1 all the way up to Gen 9. In the future, more may be added, but 300 is a lot of pocket monsters to keep us busy for now.

How many areas are there in Pokopia?

There are five areas in Pokopia: Withered Wasteland, Palette Town, Bleak Beach, Rocky Ridges and Sparkling Skylands. You unlock each area by progressing through the main story. Although not considered their own areas, you can also visit one Dream Island per day and play with your friends on Cloud Island whenever you want, even if the host is not present.