This means it could cost $79.99 in the United States. Why? It’s the physical version, which Nintendo began pricing differently from digital releases of its first-party Switch 2 titles. Yoshi and the Mysterious Book, for example, costs $60 digitally and $70 physically, while the upcoming Star Fox retails for $50 digitally and $60 physically.

Since Pokémon Winds and Waves will follow the same pattern (unless something drastic changes), physical collectors are back to paying $80 for a first-party Switch 2 title. It’s 2025 all over again, with Mario Kart World serving as the first game in history to demand $80, although that was in both formats.

Again, we’ll have to wait for an official announcement from Nintendo, but the fact that retail listings have gone live could also indicate something at the next Nintendo Direct. It’s allegedly taking place in mid-June, around or after the Summer Game Fest showcase. Perhaps this is further evidence that it will be a general Direct and not a Partner Showcase? Stay tuned in the meantime.

The song was performed for the recording by the NHK Symphony Orchestra, and features a wide variety of instruments used in the process, from pianos to violins, and quite a few wind instruments as well, including flutes and trombones.

Pokémon Winds and Waves will make up the 10th generation for the franchise, and will bring players to a brand new region that seems to be quite watery. The trailers have indicated a large variety of environments for players to explore, from underwater zones to forests and beaches, and many small towns. The titles will also include three new starter Pokémon: the Grass-type Browt, the Fire-type Pompon, and the Water-type Gecqua.

Alongside a host of new Pokémon to capture and battle against, players will also find several returning from previous generations, like Tangela, Krabby, Wailord, and even the series mascot, Pikachu.

Not too many details about Pokémon Winds and Waves have been revealed yet. However, we did get a small idea of what we can expect when the games come out next year from the official website, which confirms that this generation of games will be open-world. Among other things, players will get to explore “beautiful windswept islands and a vast ocean with glittering waves that ebb and flow,” and meet Pokémon that “live in harmony with this region’s lush environment and have developed their own unique ecosystems.”

In the meantime, the most recent release in the franchise on Nintendo Switch 2 was Pokémon Pokopia from back in March. The title was released to widespread acclaim and has gone on to become incredibly successful. Nintendo had announced shortly after its release that it had sold more than 2.2 million copies in its first four days, with around 1 million of the sales coming from Japan alone. The commercial performance of Pokémon Pokopia even went as far as affecting Nintendo’s share prices for a time.

Koei Tecmo, which helped in the planning and development of Pokémon Pokopia, also ended up revising its revenue and profit forecast for the fiscal year ending in March 2026 to account for the title’s success. The company reported that it had performed “better than expected,” and that the company as a whole has “significantly exceeded” previous projections as a result.

Pokémon Pokopia is available on the Nintendo Switch 2. For more details, check out our review, where we gave it a score of 9 out of 10 thanks to its surprisingly engaging premise, sense of charm and personality, and addictive construction mechanics. Our only complaints with the game were its frustrating storage restrictions and long waiting times during its early hours. Despite this, however, we found Pokémon Pokopia to be “the best Pokémon spin-off of all time.”

Players will explore “beautiful windswept islands and a vast ocean with glittering waves that ebb and flow.” Furthermore, you’ll encounter Pokémon that “live in harmony with this region’s lush environment and have developed their own unique ecosystems.” Interestingly, it seems you’ll be teaming with all kinds of them to “overcome both the difficult road ahead and even the forces of nature that block your path at times.”

Besides the fact that each version’s set of protagonists has slightly different hats, backpacks and what appear to be hoverboards (all the better for exploration), you’ll also encounter new Special Pikachu – Mr Windychu and Ms Wavychu. While their unique looks are quite cute, they also seem to have some significant story involvement, with Nintendo teasing more details in “future announcements.”

The open-world structure could be a source of concern for some, especially since the last such titles, Scarlet and Violet, were plagued with performance issues. Nevertheless, that was on the original Switch, so maybe being exclusive to the Switch 2 won’t result in the same.

Pokémon Winds and Waves will launch in 2027. In the meantime, Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen, Game Boy Advance remakes of Red and Green, are available now for Switch players. Unfortunately, they cost $20 each, don’t support multiple languages, and won’t be coming to Nintendo Switch Online anytime soon.