Pokopia DLC 2 Brings Squirtle Shades, New Town Waits for 2027

Pokémon Pokopia’s second Expansion Pass wave is going heavy on cosmetics, and the fine print makes the real pitch clear. Wednesday’s Nintendo Direct showed bows, sunglasses, ribbons, ties and even detachable wings, with the Red and Blue water starter decked out in shades for a Squirtle Squad moment. Doduo, Skitty and Braixen are confirmed, and the trailer’s narrator says more Pokémon are waiting in the wings. The bigger news? This wave will not add a new town. Nintendo is saving the next explorable area for the third and final Expansion Pass wave in 2027.

That split matters for Switch 2 owners deciding whether the $34.99 Expansion Pass is worth it. The pass already includes August’s Bubbly Basin DLC, plus a Ditto block print recipe and 30 rare Pokémetal ingots, but the route to a genuinely new space is a 2027 payoff. Polygon’s review already called out tedious chores and slow pacing, so this second wave is a bet that dressing up your existing town can hold attention in handheld-sized slices.

Squirtle Squad Shades Turn the Town Into a Changing Room

Cosmetics are the right content when Pokopia is expected to sit alongside other Switch 2 quick-play habits. The bow, sunglasses, ribbon and tie items are immediate, satisfying rewards you can apply in one visit before suspending the console. And the detachable wings shown in promo materials hint that the final item list is bigger than the trailer let on. The Squirtle sunglasses are fan service, but they also signal a wave built around expression, not exploration.

The confirmed additions — Doduo, Skitty and Braixen — aren’t a long list of new ecosystems to search. That’s fine. The trailer’s narrator teases still-unannounced Pokémon, which gives collectors an ongoing reason to peek back into the game without a huge new map to clear. For a title that plays best in short bursts on a handheld, a fashion-forward update can extend the routine further than a one-and-done zone ever would.

The 2027 Town Delay Is the Expansion Pass’s Real Bet

Let’s do the math on this roadmap. The pass costs $34.99, covers Bubbly Basin, adds a Ditto block print recipe and 30 Pokémetal ingots, and sends wave two out sometime in late 2026. The real destination is 2027. That’s a long runway, and it makes the cosmetic wave the honest test of whether Pokopia can function as a Switch 2 daily companion rather than a one-time cozy tour.

The most reasonable read is that Koei Tecmo and Game Freak are treating Pokopia as a long-term portable project. If dressing up Pokémon becomes a reason to reopen the console between sessions, the 2027 town wait will feel like pacing. If it falls flat, the Expansion Pass starts looking like a very long teaser campaign.