Pokémon Pokopia Hides a Secret Reward After Completing All 300 Pokémon

Pokémon Pokopia launched on March 5 for Nintendo Switch 2, and many players are still working through its story and systems weeks after release. The building simulation spin-off contains far more monsters than many expected, and finishing its Pokédex requires locating 300 Pokémon. The total excludes event-only Pokémon such as Hoppip but still includes several hard-to-find legendary creatures. The scale of the task means many players have not yet completed the game’s collection challenge.

Players who finish the entire Pokédex unlock a hidden reward connected to a concealed location in the Shimmering Skylands, also referred to as the Sparkling Skylands. Exploration of the area can reveal part of the secret early. The clue sits on the island where players encounter Gyarados for the first time. Deep inside the island is a hidden cave that requires careful searching.

The cave can be located by finding a room with a broken ladder that leads to dead ends on both sides. A black-and-yellow stripe WARNING panel lies on the floor in that room. Breaking through the panel beneath where the ladder would descend opens a path downward. Continuing to break through the floor eventually drops the player into a small cavern.

Inside the cavern sits an Area Gate that scans the Pokédex. The gate only opens after the player completes the entire Pokédex. Activation requires collecting all 300 Pokémon entries, excluding event-only creatures such as Hoppip.

Players who register the 300th Pokémon receive the recipe for the Neo Dowsing Machine. Professor Tangrowth directs players to take the item to the Shimmering Skylands. A Pokémon with the Search ability can guide players to the Area Gate if they have not already located the cave.

Scanning a completed Pokédex at the gate unlocks the hidden area. Inside, players receive new recipes connected to Pokopia’s building systems. The rewards include a printer similar to the one found in the Pokémon Center, which can create any item that a player has a picture of. The rewards also include a shutter and a card reader. The shutter and card reader let players create their own Area Gates.

Completing the Pokédex also grants a certificate that can be displayed on a wall. The diploma reads: “We hereby certify your achievement of completing the Pokédex. May this great feat be celebrated by all!”

More than 2.2 million players, often referred to jokingly as “Dittos,” have purchased the game or are working toward Pokédex completion. Many players are currently participating in the Hoppip event, an activity that has drawn attention across the community.

Pokémon Pokopia’s launch coincides with increased activity around Nintendo’s newest console. Nintendo Switch 2 has been available for less than a year, and the system recently received its largest update so far. The update introduced several quality-of-life improvements, including color-coded storage breakdowns and new menu animations for digital games.

The update also added a feature called boost mode. Boost mode runs original Nintendo Switch games on Switch 2 as if they were in TV mode. Standard handheld play runs those games at 720p resolution. Boost mode upgrades the resolution to 1080p. Not every game supports the feature, and in certain cases, the setting can drain the Switch 2 battery faster than usual.

Handheld play remains popular with many players, and many of the console’s most-played titles are enhanced versions of earlier Switch releases. Players had requested a feature like boost mode since the system’s launch. The feature appears despite Nintendo’s use of Switch 2 Editions of older games, where visual upgrades form part of the product.

Pokémon Pokopia has become one of the console’s best-selling games within weeks of release. Social media posts show players building large structures inside the game’s sandbox environment. Viewers frequently discover through those posts that the spin-off is exclusive to Nintendo Switch 2. The concept combines the open building systems associated with Minecraft with the popularity of the Pokémon franchise.

The game has drawn attention from several types of players. Pokémon fans encounter lore tied to the series. Simulation fans explore furniture placement and terraforming systems. Players who previously spent hundreds of hours in Animal Crossing: New Horizons have moved to Pokopia in search of new activities.

Nintendo released an updated version of Animal Crossing: New Horizons for Switch 2 with improved performance and controls. The experience in New Horizons remains largely unchanged, and long-time players have already completed many of its activities. Pokopia includes Pokémon characters that players recognize from previous games, creating a different type of connection compared with Animal Crossing villagers that often repeat similar dialogue. The game also launched with a larger event schedule.

Retail employees at GameStop have reported rapid sales of Nintendo Switch 2 consoles. Online discussions about missing out on Pokopia have become a meme among players.

Another game contributing to the console’s activity is Resident Evil Requiem. The title has reached a level of mainstream popularity that the series has not experienced in a long time. Resident Evil Requiem launched on multiple platforms at the same time, including Nintendo Switch 2, becoming the first large third-party game to do so for the console.

Earlier releases on the system consisted largely of older titles. Ports sometimes require changes to operate on the platform. The Switch 2 version of Resident Evil Requiem is not as technically advanced as the versions released on PlayStation 5 or Xbox consoles. The performance remains close to those versions.

Future releases such as Pragmata are scheduled for the platform. The arrival of new titles comes during a period when Microsoft and Sony are preparing for their next generation of hardware and waiting for Grand Theft Auto 6. A looming RAM crisis has increased technology prices. Consumers have reacted cautiously to the possibility of paying $1,000 or more for a future Xbox or PlayStation 6.

Nintendo Switch 2 continues to operate without mainline entries from franchises such as Super Mario or Pokémon. The system remains less than a year old while new updates, third-party releases, and exclusive games continue to appear.