Pokémon Pokopia Bubbly Basin Guide: Everything New in Update 2.0.0
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Pokémon Pokopia has gone underwater. Update 2.0.0 introduces the new Dive move, underwater building, new items, emotes, hair colors and several quality-of-life improvements, while Expansion Pass Part 1: Bubbly Basin adds an entirely new underwater town to explore and rebuild.
The two launched together in August 2026, but there is an important difference: Pokémon Pokopia Update 2.0.0 is a free update, while Bubbly Basin is paid Expansion Pass DLC.
This complete guide covers everything new in Pokémon Pokopia Update 2.0.0 and Bubbly Basin, including how to learn Dive, how to unlock Bubbly Basin, underwater building, buoyant blocks, new Pokémon and furniture, the new Dream Island, customization additions and every major quality-of-life change.
New to the game? Start with our Pokémon Pokopia Complete Guide (2026) for an overview of the entire game.
When Did Pokémon Pokopia Update 2.0.0 Release?
Pokémon Pokopia Version 2.0.0 and Expansion Pass Part 1: Bubbly Basin released in August 2026.
The free update expands the base game with underwater exploration and building alongside new items, customization options and quality-of-life improvements.
Bubbly Basin builds on those new mechanics by adding a dedicated underwater town through the paid Pokémon Pokopia Expansion Pass.
Is Pokémon Pokopia Update 2.0.0 Free?
Yes. Update 2.0.0 is free for everyone who owns Pokémon Pokopia.
You do not need the Expansion Pass simply to receive the core 2.0.0 improvements.
The free update includes:
- The new Dive move
- Underwater movement
- Underwater house building
- New items
- A new dynamic Ditto print pattern
- Two new emotes
- Five new hair colors
- Bulk item transfers between storage and your bag
- Improved item deletion
- More precise placement controls
- An additional Magnet Rise setting
Bubbly Basin itself is not part of the free update. Access to the new town requires the Pokémon Pokopia Expansion Pass.
What Is Bubbly Basin?
Bubbly Basin is a new underwater town introduced in Part 1 of the Pokémon Pokopia Expansion Pass.
After reaching it, Ditto can explore a submerged environment, meet additional Pokémon and rebuild the town into an underwater Pokémon community.
The expansion includes new Pokémon, furniture, outfits, building materials and activities designed specifically around its aquatic setting.
Rather than simply adding another land area, Bubbly Basin takes advantage of Update 2.0.0's new underwater systems to make building three-dimensional.
How to Unlock Bubbly Basin in Pokémon Pokopia
Buying the Expansion Pass alone does not immediately place you inside Bubbly Basin.
To access Bubbly Basin, you need:
- Pokémon Pokopia
- Pokémon Pokopia Update 2.0.0 installed
- The Pokémon Pokopia Expansion Pass
- To learn Dive
- To complete the important request “Raise the environment level!” in Bleak Beach
- To find Popplio in Bleak Beach
Once those requirements are fulfilled, you can head toward the underwater gate and begin your journey into Bubbly Basin.
How to Learn Dive in Pokémon Pokopia
Dive is one of the most important additions in Update 2.0.0 because it allows Ditto to move freely underwater.
To learn Dive, you need to progress sufficiently through Bleak Beach.
Before Dive becomes available, you need to:
- Complete the important request “Raise the environment level!” in Bleak Beach
- Know Surf
- Know how to jump
Once the requirements are met, Manaphy teaches Ditto Dive.
This is part of the free Update 2.0.0, so you do not need to buy Bubbly Basin simply to learn and use Dive.
What Does Dive Do?
Dive allows Ditto to travel freely beneath the water rather than remaining limited to the surface.
This opens an entirely new layer of Pokopia's world-building mechanics.
With Dive, you can:
- Swim freely underwater
- Explore submerged environments
- Build underwater
- Create places for Pokémon beneath the surface
- Develop underwater crop areas
- Travel alongside Water-type Pokémon
You can even extend railway tracks from land into the water and ride a handcar along the route.
That makes Dive more than a simple movement ability: it changes where players are able to build.
Can You Build Underwater in Pokémon Pokopia?
Yes. Update 2.0.0 allows the Build specialty to be used for constructing houses underwater.
This feature is part of the free update rather than being exclusive to Bubbly Basin.
That means existing areas can benefit from the expanded building possibilities even if you do not own the Expansion Pass.
Bubbly Basin then takes the mechanic significantly further through new aquatic building options.
What Are Buoyant Blocks?
Buoyant blocks are one of Bubbly Basin's most interesting new construction mechanics.
These blocks can float at different levels underwater, allowing structures to be positioned vertically instead of being limited to the sea floor.
You can therefore build upward and downward through the water and create genuinely three-dimensional underwater settlements.
For creative builders, this may be one of the biggest additions in the entire first Expansion Pass release.
What Pokémon Are in Bubbly Basin?
Bubbly Basin introduces additional Pokémon suited to its underwater environment.
Popplio plays an important role in reaching and restoring Bubbly Basin, while other Water-type Pokémon can help develop the town.
Some Pokémon also interact with the new underwater machinery.
Pokémon with the Generate specialty, such as Chinchou, can provide power to underwater devices.
This can be used to activate things such as streetlights and bubble machines, giving the underwater town more life as you develop it.
Surf Gets an Upgrade
Bubbly Basin also introduces a power-up for Surf.
This complements Dive and the broader underwater focus of the expansion.
Together, the expanded water-based abilities make movement and development beneath the surface a much larger part of Pokopia than it was at launch.
New Furniture and Outfits in Bubbly Basin
Bubbly Basin adds new furniture and outfits designed around the expansion's underwater theme.
New ocean-themed furniture can be used to make the submerged town feel distinct from Pokopia's land-based communities.
Ditto also receives additional outfit options, giving players more ways to customize their appearance while exploring the new area.
You Can Grow Watermelons
Yes — Bubbly Basin adds watermelons.
The expansion introduces new gardening possibilities suited to the underwater town, including the ability to grow watermelons.
It's a relatively small addition compared with Dive or underwater construction, but it fits naturally into Pokopia's farming and life-simulation systems.
Smoothies Are New Too
Bubbly Basin also introduces smoothies as a new type of prepared food.
Combined with watermelons and the other aquatic additions, the expansion adds more activities beyond simply constructing the new town.
The New Starmie Doll and Dream Island
While exploring Bubbly Basin, you can find a Starmie doll.
The Starmie doll allows you to travel to a new Dream Island.
This new island contains resources that can help you continue developing Bubbly Basin.
It is therefore worth exploring rather than treating it as a purely optional visual area.
Can You Play Bubbly Basin With Friends?
Yes. Bubbly Basin's new Dream Island supports multiplayer.
You can visit it with friends and swim and play together underwater.
That makes the new underwater systems relevant to Pokopia's social side as well as its single-player building experience.
New Items in Pokémon Pokopia Update 2.0.0
Update 2.0.0 also introduces additional items outside the paid Bubbly Basin content.
Among the new items are:
- Portal Pod
- Safe
The recipes for these items become available for purchase after increasing Palette Town's environment level.
Because these are part of Update 2.0.0, they should not be confused with Bubbly Basin-exclusive furniture.
New Dynamic Ditto Print
Update 2.0.0 adds a new dynamic Ditto print pattern.
To obtain it, talk to Smearguru after acquiring the diploma.
This gives builders another Ditto-themed customization option for their creations.
New Emotes in Update 2.0.0
Two additional emotes were added:
- Lie Down
- Ready, Set, Go!
These can be obtained in Bleak Beach and on Dream Islands.
The additions are particularly useful for players who enjoy Pokopia's multiplayer and social elements.
Five New Hair Colors
Update 2.0.0 expands Ditto's appearance customization with five new hair colors:
- Orange
- Light pink
- Yellow-green
- Blue-green
- Brown
These options are part of the free update rather than requiring the Bubbly Basin DLC.
Bulk Storage Transfers
One of the most useful quality-of-life improvements in Update 2.0.0 is the ability to move items in bulk between your storage box and bag.
Previously, inventory management could require more individual item handling.
The new bulk-transfer option makes managing large collections of resources considerably faster, which is especially helpful for players who spend a lot of time building and crafting.
Improved Item Deletion
Update 2.0.0 also adds the ability to delete items that have been placed inside certain objects, such as a garbage bin.
It's another small quality-of-life improvement, but one that gives players better control over unwanted items.
More Precise Window and Door Placement
Creative builders receive another useful improvement: fine-tuned depth placement.
When placing windows, doors and similar items, you can now adjust their depth more precisely.
For players creating detailed buildings, this provides greater control over how objects line up with walls and other structures.
New Magnet Rise Setting
Version 2.0.0 also adds a new setting related to Magnet Rise.
Players can choose to hide the confirmation message that normally appears when canceling Magnet Rise.
This is a minor change, but it can make repeated use of the ability smoother.
Free Update 2.0.0 vs Paid Bubbly Basin DLC
Because both launched together, it is easy to confuse what you receive for free with what requires the Expansion Pass.
| Feature | Free Update 2.0.0 | Bubbly Basin DLC |
|---|---|---|
| Dive | Yes | Uses the feature |
| Underwater movement | Yes | Central mechanic |
| Underwater house building | Yes | Expanded further |
| Bubbly Basin town | No | Yes |
| Buoyant blocks | No | Yes |
| New Bubbly Basin Pokémon | No | Yes |
| New Dream Island | No | Yes |
| Watermelons | No | Yes |
| New Bubbly Basin furniture/outfits | No | Yes |
| New hair colors | Yes | Not required |
| New emotes | Yes | Not required |
| Bulk inventory transfer | Yes | Not required |
What Do You Get for Buying the Expansion Pass?
The Pokémon Pokopia Expansion Pass contains three DLC parts, with Bubbly Basin being Part 1.
Expansion Pass owners also receive recipes for dynamic Ditto print blocks and wallpaper.
There is also a limited purchase bonus: qualifying purchases made by the announced deadline receive a serial code for 30 rare Pokémetal ingots.
The later Expansion Pass content means buying the pass is not only purchasing Bubbly Basin — it also provides access to Parts 2 and 3 as they become available.
What's Coming in Expansion Pass Part 2?
Pokémon Pokopia Expansion Pass Part 2 is planned for late 2026.
One of its major new features will be accessories.
Players will be able to enjoy dressing up alongside Pokémon, with numerous accessories being introduced.
Part 2 is also planned to add:
- Additional Pokémon
- Additional furniture
- Accessories
- Other new content
Unlike Bubbly Basin, Part 2 will not add another new town.
What's Coming in Expansion Pass Part 3?
Part 3 is planned for 2027.
Unlike Part 2, the third expansion is expected to introduce another new town, alongside additional Pokémon, furniture and other content.
More information is expected closer to release.
Is Bubbly Basin Worth Playing?
If you already enjoy Pokopia's creative building systems, Bubbly Basin expands them in a meaningful way rather than simply providing another map.
The combination of Dive, underwater construction and buoyant blocks changes the physical space in which you can build.
The additional Pokémon, Dream Island, furniture, outfits and activities then give players more reasons to develop that space.
However, remember that many of the most important mechanical improvements — including Dive and basic underwater building — are already available through the free Update 2.0.0.
If you are unsure about purchasing the Expansion Pass, trying the free underwater systems first is therefore a sensible way to see whether you enjoy this new style of building.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Pokémon Pokopia Update 2.0.0 free?
Yes. Version 2.0.0 is a free software update for Pokémon Pokopia owners. Bubbly Basin itself requires the paid Expansion Pass.
How do you unlock Dive in Pokémon Pokopia?
You need to progress through Bleak Beach, complete the important “Raise the environment level!” request and know Surf and how to jump. Manaphy can then teach Ditto Dive.
Do you need Bubbly Basin to use Dive?
No. Dive is part of the free Update 2.0.0.
Can you build underwater without the Expansion Pass?
Yes. Update 2.0.0 allows the Build specialty to construct houses underwater. Bubbly Basin expands those mechanics with its dedicated underwater town and DLC-specific content.
How do you unlock Bubbly Basin?
You need Pokémon Pokopia, Update 2.0.0 and the Expansion Pass. You must also learn Dive, complete “Raise the environment level!” in Bleak Beach and find Popplio in Bleak Beach.
What are buoyant blocks?
Buoyant blocks are Bubbly Basin building materials that allow structures to float at different heights underwater, making more three-dimensional construction possible.
What new hair colors were added in Update 2.0.0?
Orange, light pink, yellow-green, blue-green and brown.
What new emotes were added?
Update 2.0.0 adds Lie Down and Ready, Set, Go! These can be obtained in Bleak Beach and on Dream Islands.
Does Bubbly Basin have multiplayer?
The new Dream Island associated with Bubbly Basin can be visited with friends, allowing players to swim and play underwater together.
Is Bubbly Basin Expansion Pass Part 1?
Yes. Bubbly Basin is Part 1 of the three-part Pokémon Pokopia Expansion Pass.
Pokopia's Biggest Update Yet Goes Beneath the Surface
Update 2.0.0 changes Pokémon Pokopia in a meaningful way by opening the underwater world to exploration and construction.
Even without buying the Expansion Pass, players gain Dive, underwater building, new customization options and useful quality-of-life improvements.
Bubbly Basin then turns those mechanics into an entire underwater adventure, with a submerged town, new Pokémon, buoyant construction, a Dream Island, new furniture, outfits and activities.
If you want to learn more about the rest of the game, read our Pokémon Pokopia Complete Guide (2026).
We will update this guide if additional changes are made to Update 2.0.0 or Bubbly Basin.