Pokémon Pokopia’s Aug. 5 Update: What Dive Is Free—and What Bubbly Basin Adds
The useful distinction is simple: underwater exploration is not the thing players need to buy. Version 2.0.0 gives every Pokémon Pokopia owner Ditto’s Dive ability, opening submerged exploration and construction on August 5. Expansion Pass Part 1, Bubbly Basin, is the paid layer built around that new system.
Dive is the launch-day priority regardless of whether you own the pass. Ditto learns the move through Manaphy, and it extends the sandbox below the surface rather than adding a separate side activity. Water Pokémon can support underwater building, while new swimming blocks allow structures to float at different depths. Players should first confirm that Version 2.0.0 has installed, then follow the game’s Dive introduction before committing materials to a new build.
What Bubbly Basin adds
The paid content centers on Bubbly Basin, an abandoned underwater town to explore and rebuild. It adds new Pokémon, furniture, Ditto outfits, construction options, smoothies, melon farming supported by Watering abilities, and expanded uses for Pokémon skills. Electrifying, for example, can power streetlights and bubble machines. The expansion also includes a Sharpedo-themed submarine whose interior can be customized, plus a darker deep-sea area reached through a hole in the seabed and navigated with glowing coral.
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Pass owners should prepare before launch: Bubbly Basin access requires Environment Level 5 at Bleak Beach. Clear outstanding objectives there first, free inventory space for town materials, and leave room for underwater connections in existing layouts. That avoids turning the first session into a progression grind after the DLC becomes available.
The Expansion Pass is planned as a three-part track, with Part 2 due later in 2026 and Part 3 in 2027; August 5 will show how much the free Dive system changes everyday building before those later additions arrive.