Is it worth buying a Nintendo Switch 2 for 'Pokémon Pokopia'?
Pokémon Pokopia isn't the first big hit for Nintendo Switch 2, but it's arguably the first one to make a lot of people online feel left out about not owning the console.
With tons of people sharing wild builds on social media, Pokopia is pretty hard to resist for lovers of Animal Crossing, Minecraft, and any of the game's other big influences. Unfortunately, the Nintendo Switch 2 costs money, and we live in uncertain economic times. All of this raises the question: Should you buy a Switch 2 for Pokopia?
Why you should buy a Switch 2 for Pokopia
The arguments for getting a Switch 2 just for Pokopia are pretty straightforward: It's a great game, and the Switch 2 is a great console.
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At this point, you already know if Pokopia is your cup of tea or not. I don't need to explain to you why it is or isn't. All I can say is that I'm super not into life sim games generally, but Pokopia got its hooks in me pretty good for a couple of weeks. The developers at Nintendo, Koei Tecmo, and Game Freak have delivered the best Pokémon game in years, full of whimsy and personality, and you can potentially play it forever if you want.
But the nice thing about a Switch 2 is that it can play other games, too. Games like Mario Kart World, Donkey Kong Bananza, Pokémon Legends: Z-A, and any number of visually enhanced Switch 1 games. That doesn't even get into the massive treasure trove of third-party games, big and small, that you can get on the eShop. Heck, you can even play Virtual Boy games on it, if that's your thing. The Switch 2 might not get every big, hyped up AAA blockbuster (don't count on it getting GTA6), but just about everything else that's worth playing will eventually make its way onto Nintendo's console in due time.
Heck, there are even rumors of a brand new Star Fox game and a full remake of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time coming in 2026. The Switch 2's lineup could very well be pretty stacked by the end of this year.
Why you shouldn't buy a Switch 2 for Pokopia
The argument against buying a Switch 2 for Pokopia is also easy to lay out: It costs a lot of money that you could spend elsewhere, especially in these economic conditions.
Considering that a Switch 2 on its own is $450 and Pokopia is $70 on top of that, it's hard to blame anyone who would rather hold onto their $520 for the time being, especially if the person reading this is really only interested in Pokopia and wouldn't want to play the other games I listed above.
In the end, there is more to life than video games. But video games are also pretty damn cool, so there's no wrong decision here.
Topics Nintendo Nintendo Switch Pokemon
Alex Perry is a tech reporter at Mashable who primarily covers video games and consumer tech. Alex has spent most of the last decade reviewing games, smartphones, headphones, and laptops, and he doesn’t plan on stopping anytime soon. He is also a Pisces, a cat lover, and a Kansas City sports fan. Alex can be found on Bluesky at yelix.bsky.social.
