Pokemon Pokopia hasn't given me a reason to pre-order, but that's nothing new for the series

It won't be long before the first one Pokémon games exclusive to the Switch 2 console are coming out, and that's what's coming Pokemon Pokopiascheduled to be released on March 5 this year. Pokemon Pokopia is more of a cozy game that Animal Crossing and Stardew Valleyrather than something similar to that which Pokémon series has had to offer so far, but it's still a refreshing and exciting take on the monster-collecting universe that might even spark new lore discussions with its setting and unique shapes for Snorlax or Pikachu. As such, if you already enjoy the genre, or if you're in for a shift from the usual formula, Pokemon Pokopia might be the next best thing for you, so you might want to pre-order it.

To be honest, I can't even remember a time when I didn't pre-order Pokémon games, at least not when I started buying them with my own money instead of getting them as gifts when I was a kid. I love the series more than any other video game I've ever played, so it's always a matter of when rather than if for me. I'm sure next month I'll be pre-ordering Pokopiatoo, although that doesn't really give me a reason to do so. At the same time, it's not like I had high expectations after all the pre-order bonuses from the mainline series.

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Pokemon's tradition of bad pre-order bonuses continues in Pokopia

Ever since Gen 7, Pokémon games began to have a consistent pattern of early purchase bonuses and pre-order bonuses that varied with each game, and these were offered on top of any potential retailer-exclusive bonuses you could find, be it Walmart, Amazon, or other retailers. And as much as I like freebies, I can't deny that Pokémon has almost always been pretty stingy with its early buy and pre-order bonuses, and Switch 2 exclusives Pokopia is no exception, offering only two decoration items at best.

A History of Pokemon's Early Purchase and Pre-Order Bonuses

Why Pokemon Pokopia's Pre-Order Bonuses Are Disappointing

If you don't know, early purchase bonuses are available to all players until a certain date, which is usually a few months after the game's release, while pre-order bonuses are usually handed out via online redemption or in-game code. Pokemon Pokopia has both, depending on where you buy your copy, and they are:

• A Ditto mat house decoration (early purchase)

• A flat leaf greenhouse decoration (pre-order bonus on Amazon.com)

If you're already disappointed, trust me, you're not alone. More importantly, it's not like this is new either, as the series has a history of giving out minor bonuses for pre-orders. These are:

• Pokemon Legends: ZA Mega Dimension DLC

  • Two cosmetic outfits and a set of special Poke Balls

• Pokemon Legends: ZA

• Pokemon Scarlet and Violet (Indigo Disk)

• Pokemon Scarlet and Violet (Teal Mask)

• Pokemon Scarlet and Violet

  • 10x Potion, 10x Antidote, 3x Revive

• Pokemon Legends: Arceus

  • Baneful Fox Mask cosmetics (early purchase bonus)

  • Hisuian Growlithe Kimono Set (Early Purchase Bonus)

  • 30x Heavy Balls (Pre-Order Bonus)

• Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl

  • Manaphy Eggs (Early Purchase Bonus)

  • 12x fastball (early purchase bonus)

  • 200x Poke Ball (pre-order bonus, exclusive to Double Pack)

• Pokemon Sword and Shield (Expansion Pass)

  • Pikachu Uniform and Eevee Uniform

  • Leon's cap and tights

• Pokemon Sword and Shield

These are the latest early purchase and pre-order bonuses in the series, and in addition to the Manaphy egg in the Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearlthey have mostly been very bad. The pre-order bonus for Pokemon Scarlet and Violet is possibly one of the worst and most insulting ever, and all those giving out Pokemon are easily obtainable in the game anyway.

As such, I did not anticipate Pokemon Pokopia to have the best pre-order bonuses around, but I also didn't expect one of them to be a very simple plant in a very simple pot. Then Pokemon Pokopia's Ditto is front and center, I get the Ditto mat, and it's actually cute, but nothing really groundbreaking here. I think The Pokemon Company knows this, especially since fans have always been vocal about how disappointing some of these gifts are.

Yes, they are “free” if you pre-order, but you couldn't convince me under torture that Potions, Antidotes and Revives, or any basic Poke Balls, are good pre-order bonuses. Again, expectations were already low, but I can't help but wonder if it leaked Pokemon wind and wave will also have ridiculous gifts for players. I think, in the case of Pokopiathings are disappointing for many fans because it is a Switch 2 exclusive, and the console is still quite expensive, so a better gift would have been seen as a gesture of goodwill. We'll have to wait and see if the series improves on this underwhelming part of the process in the future, but for now I'm not impressed. But I'm not surprised either.

System

Released

March 5, 2026

ESRB

Everyone/user interacts, buys in the game

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