Pokémon Pokopia: Bubbly Basin DLC and Version 2.0.0 Patch Notes
The first paid Expansion Pass chapter and the free Version 2.0.0 update both released on August 5, 2026. Bubbly Basin adds an underwater town. The free update adds Dive, upgrades Surf and rewrites a large part of the base game.
What Released on August 5
Two separate things arrived on the same day. Bubbly Basin is Part 1 of the paid Pokémon Pokopia Expansion Pass. Version 2.0.0 is a free update that every owner of the game receives, whether or not they buy the Expansion Pass.
The split matters, because the headline new move belongs to the free half. Dive is part of Version 2.0.0. Bubbly Basin is the town you can reach once you have it.
The Expansion Pass is sold as a single purchase covering all three parts. Nintendo lists it at $34.99, with Nintendo Life reporting £29.99 in the UK. Parts 2 and 3 are included in that price and unlock as they release.
The Expansion Pass extended trailer, published 29 July 2026 on the official Pokémon channel.
How to Unlock Dive and Reach Bubbly Basin
Dive is taught by Manaphy. Nintendo lists three prerequisites before it becomes available: you must have completed the request “Raise the environment level!” in Bleak Beach, and you must already know Surf and be able to jump.
Once you have Dive, the underwater gate becomes usable and Bubbly Basin opens. Owners without the Expansion Pass still get Dive and can still build and move underwater in the base game’s existing areas — they just cannot pass through to the new town.
| Step | Requirement |
|---|---|
| 1 | Complete “Raise the environment level!” in Bleak Beach |
| 2 | Know Surf, and be able to jump |
| 3 | Learn Dive from Manaphy |
| 4 | Own the Expansion Pass to pass the underwater gate into Bubbly Basin |
Inside Bubbly Basin
Bubbly Basin is a new underwater town. Not all of it is submerged — previews describe sections above the waterline as well. It has its own Pokédex section covering the expansion’s species.
The Pokémon Company’s own announcement names Popplio, which greets you at the town entrance, and confirms Mudkip and Chinchou among the Water types that move in. Nintendo Life’s hands-on preview additionally identified Wiglett, Mareanie, Golisopod, Stunfisk and Sharpedo. A complete species list has not been published.
New building and farming systems
Buoyant blocks are the structural addition. They let you stack buildings across multiple underwater levels rather than building flat on the seabed. Bubble machines are powered by Generate-type Pokémon, and there is a new electricity-generating item designed for underwater placement.
Watermelons are added as a crop, and they need two specialties to grow: a Water-specialty Pokémon covers the seedlings in air bubbles, then a Grow-specialty Pokémon boosts them. Smoothies are added as a prepared food. Bubbly Basin also brings additional furniture, new outfits for Ditto and a Dream Island.
Exploration and the Dream Island
Swimming around Bubbly Basin turns up a deep hole in the sea floor. Following the glowing coral down it leads somewhere else, and Pokémon can be brought along for the descent.
Finding a Starmie doll in the town unlocks travel to a new Dream Island stocked with resources for developing Bubbly Basin. That Dream Island can also be visited in multiplayer, where players swim and explore underwater together.
Purchase bonuses
Buying the Expansion Pass grants recipes for dynamic Ditto print blocks and wallpaper. Anyone who buys it by August 31, 2027 also receives a serial code by email for 30 rare Pokémetal ingots.
The Free Version 2.0.0 Update
Version 2.0.0 is the larger of the two releases in raw content. The additions break into three groups.
Underwater traversal
Dive allows free movement underwater. The Build specialty now supports underwater house construction. Rollout, Rototiller, Rock Smash and Leafage can all be used while diving, and Strength works underwater.
Surf receives an upgrade that adds a speed boost and the ability to destroy underwater blocks. Surf can now also be activated on land via the focus button, and its activation conditions have been improved alongside Waterfall’s.
Storage and inventory
Items can now be transferred in bulk between the storage box and your bag, and a delete function has been added for objects such as garbage bins. Crafting now consumes storage box materials before bag materials. Nintendo Life’s preview describes shared storage reaching up to 140 item slots through craftable storage units.
New items and customisation
The portal pod and safe are added as craftable items, with recipes unlocking after raising Palette Town’s environment level. Smearguru offers a dynamic Ditto print pattern once you have the diploma, and can now learn patterns from photo references. Two emotes are added — Lie Down, and Ready, Set, Go! — along with five hair colours: orange, light pink, yellow-green, blue-green and brown.
Ten more items become paintable: stylish stool, handrail, metal chain, workbench, vending machine, bike, bookcase, Pokémon Center counter, arrow sign and rope.
Version 2.0.0 Full Patch Notes
Additions
- Dive, allowing free underwater movement
- Underwater house construction via the Build specialty
- Portal pod and safe items, unlocked by raising Palette Town’s environment level
- Dynamic Ditto print pattern from Smearguru, after acquiring the diploma
- Two emotes: Lie Down, and Ready, Set, Go!
- Five hair colours: orange, light pink, yellow-green, blue-green, brown
- Bulk item transfer between storage box and bag
- Item deletion function for objects such as garbage bins
- Finer depth placement for windows, doors and similar items
- Setting to hide the Magnet Rise cancellation confirmation
- Setting to allow movement with the move wheel open
- Motion-sickness reduction camera settings
- Ten newly paintable items: stylish stool, handrail, metal chain, workbench, vending machine, bike, bookcase, Pokémon Center counter, arrow sign, rope
Improvements
- Pokémon return to rebuilt habitats within designated areas
- Faster Pokémon response to replaced furniture
- Pokémon echo taught emotes back to the player
- Pokédex search can travel to a Pokémon’s current location
- Fewer ordinary conversation indicators
- Batch relic appraisal, up to 10 at once
- Multiple Paint, Gather Honey and Collect actions per interaction
- Storage box materials consumed before bag materials when crafting
- Power generator placement limit raised from 64 to 128
- Photo display limit raised from 10 to 40 per town
- Liquid holding refined, with short-press retention
- Automatic water level matching for released water
- Smearguru can learn patterns from photo references
- Paint balloon visibility improved
- More Dowsing Machine treasure on Dream Islands
- Companions follow during Surf, Glide, Rollout and Magnet Rise
- Rollout allows item inhalation and bag access
- Rollout destroys natural obstacles such as large boulders
- Surf can be activated on land via the focus button
- Improved Surf and Waterfall activation conditions
- Leafage reverts farm soil to normal blocks
- Strength usable underwater
- “All” tab added to the Pokédex and Habitat Dex
- Clearer building remodeling with attached roof and wall items
- Unassigned Pokémon assist with cooking during construction
- Dowsing Machine no longer places treasure in risky terrain
- Clearer insufficient-material messaging for the 3D Printer
- Square plant item placement
- Hide-and-sneak can be cancelled mid-action
- Startup event notification timing adjusted
- Certain roof items now block water
- Curved eaves crafting output increased to 10
- Tidal Bell and Clear Bell trigger via laser sensors and switches
- Camping chair and sleeping bag sound effects adjusted
- Rendering performance improvements
Fixes
- Pokémon assigned to construction sometimes showing no interaction options
- Suicune and Gholdengo struggling to cross water
- Pokémon falling from habitats or cliffs
- Honey-based habitat return failures
- Magnet Rise causing unwarranted Pokémon scolding
- Water-disliking Pokémon unable to cross duckweed surfaces
- Incorrect item requests from Pokémon
- Community box berry processing paint failures
- Music mat (high Do) note timing offset
- Paintable areas coloured through unintended procedures
- Excessive paint consumption on specific items
- Surface light colour change failures
- Multiple party cooking pot placement
- Distant item display artifacts
- Visual effects disappearing through glass
- Multiplayer building completion and cancellation issues
- Unclear action restriction messaging
- Non-administrator relocation kit placement on Cloud Islands
- Unrecoverable building kits during house remodeling
- Sand house painted portion resets
- Rock Smash mid-fall displacement
- Slowpoke halting during a Withered Wasteland request
- Request progression blocks in Sparkling Skylands
- Incorrect Tinkmaster location guidance
- Dream Island return loading failures
- Incorrect Palette Town transportation after a Dream Island
- Online session Dream Island transportation
- Gender pronoun display errors on the Cloud Island loading screen
Nintendo also lists further unspecified adjustments and bug fixes.
Parts 2 and 3
Part 2 is scheduled for late 2026. Its headline feature is accessories, which can be worn by the player and by Pokémon. It also adds furniture and Pokémon. Nintendo has confirmed that Part 2 does not add a new town.
Part 3 is scheduled for 2027 and does add a new town, along with more Pokémon and furniture.
| Part | Release | New town | Headline addition |
|---|---|---|---|
| Part 1 — Bubbly Basin | 5 August 2026 | Yes | Underwater town, buoyant blocks |
| Part 2 | Late 2026 | No | Accessories for player and Pokémon |
| Part 3 | 2027 | Yes | New town |
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you unlock Dive in Pokémon Pokopia?
Dive is taught by Manaphy. Before it becomes available you must complete the request “Raise the environment level!” in Bleak Beach, and you must already know Surf and be able to jump.
Is Dive free, or does it need the Expansion Pass?
Dive is free. It is part of the Version 2.0.0 update, which every owner of the game receives. The Expansion Pass is only needed to pass through the underwater gate into Bubbly Basin itself.
How much does the Pokémon Pokopia Expansion Pass cost?
Nintendo lists the Expansion Pass at $34.99, and Nintendo Life reports £29.99 in the UK. It is a single purchase covering all three parts.
What is in the Bubbly Basin DLC?
A new underwater town, new Pokémon, new furniture and new Ditto outfits, plus buoyant blocks for multi-level underwater building, bubble machines powered by Generate-type Pokémon, watermelons as a crop, smoothies as a prepared food and a Dream Island.
Which Pokémon are in Bubbly Basin?
The Pokémon Company names Popplio, Mudkip and Chinchou. Nintendo Life’s preview additionally identified Wiglett, Mareanie, Golisopod, Stunfisk and Sharpedo. A complete species list has not been published.
When do Expansion Pass Parts 2 and 3 release?
Part 2 is scheduled for late 2026 and adds accessories, furniture and Pokémon, but no new town. Part 3 is scheduled for 2027 and does add a new town.