Pokémon Pokopia DLC 1: How to Access Bubbly Basin, Requirements and Steps

The first part of the paid Expansion Pass for Pokémon Pokopia is called Bubbly Basin. Among many other additions, this DLC includes a new underwater town to explore, new Pokémon to befriend, more themed furniture, outfits, and much more... If you'd like to enjoy all this content but aren't sure what you need to do in your game to access it or how to visit the new area, keep reading. In this entry of our guide, we'll explain everything you need to know and answer any questions you may have.

Price and How to Buy the Pokémon Pokopia Expansion Pass

To access the content included in Pokémon Pokopia DLC 1, you'll naturally need to purchase the paid downloadable content called the Pokémon Pokopia Expansion Pass. You can find it on the Nintendo Switch 2 Nintendo eShop for €34.99, including VAT.

This Expansion Pass is actually divided into three different parts. The first is DLC 1: Bubbly Basin, which has been available worldwide since August 5, 2026. Part 2 is scheduled to arrive in late 2026, while Part 3 will be released in 2027.

In any case, as mentioned above, if you want to play any of these DLCs—including Bubbly Basin—you'll have to purchase the entire Expansion Pass. The DLC parts aren't sold separately. You'll also need a copy of the Pokémon Pokopia base game, as the Expansion Pass cannot be played on its own.

To learn more about DLC 1 and the Pokémon Pokopia Expansion Pass in general, you can watch the following video summarizing many of its main features:

Requirements to Unlock Bubbly Basin

Once you've purchased the Pokémon Pokopia Expansion Pass as explained above and updated the game to the latest available version on your Switch 2, you'll be able to visit the new DLC 1 area, Bubbly Basin. However, you can only do so after meeting certain requirements in your game.

These are the requirements you must first complete before you can access Bubbly Basin:

• You must have completed the "Raise the environment level!" request in Bleak Beach.
• This means you first need to complete the Important Request "Brighten Things Up!" and raise Bleak Beach's Environment Level to 5.
• You must also have learned the new Dive move.
• Manaphy can teach you this move after you complete the "Raise the environment level!" request in Bleak Beach, but only if you've also learned the Surf transformation, which Lapras teaches you when it appears in this area.

After completing all of the steps above, Popplio will appear in front of the Bleak Beach Pokémon Center. Talk to it to hear about the town it comes from and begin the "Find the Gate" request. Popplio will ask you to follow it to Bubbly Basin and point you toward the entrance to this new area, so it shouldn't be difficult to find.

The gate leading to Bubbly Basin is submerged underwater on the western side of Bleak Beach, exactly where you can see it in the following screenshot:

Simply enter the water and Dive toward the gate to unlock it. You'll then be able to visit Bubbly Basin and begin your adventures in this new underwater town. Plenty of surprises and new friends await you!