Pokémon Pokopia launches in March 2026, and it seems like it'll be the first Nintendo-published Switch 2 game to release on a Game-Key Card

• Pokémon Pokopia is launching on March 5, 2026, for Nintendo Switch 2
• The game will be the first Nintendo-published title to be released on a Game-Key Card
• A new instructional video about Game-Key Cards has also been released

Nintendo has announced the release date for its Animal Crossing-like sandbox game, Pokémon Pokopia.

In a new social media post today, it was confirmed that Pokémon Pokopia will launch on March 5, 2026, for Nintendo Switch 2.

It also appears that the game will be released on a Game-Key Card, making it the first Nintendo-published game to launch in this format.

The company shared a new instructional video today titled 'Using Game-Key Cards on the Nintendo Switch 2' wherein footage showed a sample cartridge and game box for Pokémon Pokopia.

The Pokémon Company has now confirmed (via VGC) that the game will be released as a Game Key Card.

If you're unfamiliar, Game-Key Cards are a new, divisive form of physical Switch 2 games that contain a download key but don't include any game data like other physical editions.

The cards are only available for a selection of games, such as Bravely Default, Street Fighter 6: Year 1-2 Fighters Edition, and other third-party titles, while newer games like Mario Kart World and Donkey Kong Bananza offer standard physical game cards like those of the original Switch.

Now, with Pokémon Pokopia confirmed to be a Game-Key Card title, it looks like Nintendo is broadening its reach to include first-party titles as well.

Using Game-Key Cards on Nintendo Switch 2 - YouTube

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The Pokémon game was announced during September's Nintendo Direct and features Minecraft-esque building and foraging mechanics with a playstyle similar to Animal Crossing.

"Play as a Ditto to shape an empty land into a beautiful home for a variety of Pokémon," the game description reads. "There’s so much to do, including collecting berries, rocks and wood, building furniture, growing vegetables in fields you’ve tilled, creating homes for Pokémon you meet, and more."

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