Pikmin 4 Switch 2 Edition Out 12 November: Free Demo, Dandori Academy and a $9.99 Upgrade
Pikmin 4's Switch 2 Edition arrives 12 November with voice commands for Oatchi, 72 Dandori Academy stages and a $9.99 upgrade. A free demo is out now.
Nintendo used its first Pikmin Day Direct on Sunday 1 November to show more of Pikmin 4 – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Dandori Academy, which comes out on Thursday 12 November for Nintendo Switch 2 only. A free demo lands on the Nintendo eShop on 2 November, and anyone who already owns Pikmin 4 on the original Switch can upgrade for $9.99.
Update, 12 November: Pikmin 4 – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Dandori Academy is out now. Nintendo's US store lists the download at 12.8 GB on Switch 2 (11.2 GB for the Switch version) and says the 72 Dandori Academy stages will be released over time rather than all at launch. The store still doesn't show a digital price for the full edition.
Nintendo said before the show that it would have no new game announcements. Alongside the Switch 2 Edition, it brought a winter update for the Pikmin Bloom phone app, a new series of short films and an official reason why 1 November is now Pikmin Day.
At a glance
- Release date: Thursday 12 November 2026
- Platform: Nintendo Switch 2 only
- Price (US, Nintendo's store): $69.99 for the physical edition
- Upgrade pack: $9.99 if you already own Pikmin 4 on Switch (the full Switch game is required)
- Free demo: on the Nintendo eShop from 2 November, with the Sun-Speckled Terrace opening area of the story and two Dandori Academy stages
If you own the Switch version, Nintendo's suggestion is to start playing it now and pre-order the upgrade pack, so you can carry on in the Switch 2 Edition on launch day.
What the Switch 2 Edition adds
- Sharper visuals: high-resolution graphics built for Switch 2
- Voice commands for Oatchi: say "Rush!" or "Go to work!" and the Switch 2's built-in microphone picks it up. The game understands nine different commands for your space dog
- Dandori Academy: a new set of exams where you race to collect treasures such as fruit and vegetables within a time limit. There will be 72 stages in total, released over time and ranging in difficulty
- Weekend exams: special exams run every Friday, Saturday and Sunday and earn in-game medals. With a Nintendo Switch Online membership you can compare your high scores with players around the world
- Dandori Battles with friends who don't own the game: challenge them through GameShare, either on the same console or online via GameChat (online play needs Nintendo Switch Online)
Dandori is the series' word for commanding your Pikmin efficiently: who carries what, in which order, with nothing wasted. Dandori Academy turns that into a score attack.
It's the second Switch 2 game this month that listens through the console's microphone: in the Ocarina of Time remake, out on 5 November, you can hum Link's songs instead of pressing buttons.
Pikmin Bloom gets Secret Caves this winter
The free Pikmin Bloom app for phones is getting a new adventure this winter. Your Pikmin can bring back cave maps with some of the postcards they find, and a map lets you send a large group of Pikmin into a Secret Cave to explore, fight creatures and collect treasures.
The app also links with the Switch 2 Edition: if you take Dandori Academy exams in the game and send your results to Pikmin Bloom, you get special in-app rewards, including a cave map.
Why 1 November, and the new short films
Pikmin creator Shigeru Miyamoto opened the show by explaining the date. 11.1 is a tribute to the original red, blue and yellow Pikmin: written that way, the date looks like the three of them standing in a line.
Nintendo also started "Hello! Pikmin", an ongoing series of short films made by Nintendo Pictures with Miyamoto, in the style of last year's Pikmin Close to you video. The first episodes are on the Nintendo Today! app and Nintendo's other channels, with more to come.
Actress Fuka Koshiba, known for the Pikmin-inspired hats she knits and shares on Instagram, joined Miyamoto during the presentation. And for fans in the US, a new Pikmin Ability Collection of merchandise, based on each Pikmin type's abilities, went on sale on Pikmin Day at Nintendo NEW YORK, Nintendo SAN FRANCISCO and the online Nintendo Store.
