Pikmin 4 – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Dandori Academy launches on Nintendo Switch 2 on November 12, 2026, according to Nintendo’s store listing. The original Pikmin 4 is $59.99 on the eShop and the Upgrade Pack is $9.99 for players who already own it. Nintendo has not published a price for the complete Switch 2 Edition.
Nintendo publishes the date with no launch hour, so the eShop rolls the download out at midnight local time on November 12: 12:00 a.m. ET in the US, or 9 p.m. PT on November 11 out west. A free demo of the Switch 2 Edition arrives on November 2.
Key dates
| Event | Date |
|---|---|
| Free demo on the eShop | November 2, 2026 |
| Pikmin 4 – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Dandori Academy launches | November 12, 2026 |
What you get, and what it costs
| Product | Price | Download size |
|---|---|---|
| Pikmin 4 (Nintendo Switch) | $59.99 | 11.3 GB |
| Upgrade Pack (Nintendo Switch 2) | $9.99 | 1.2 GB |
| Switch 2 Edition + Dandori Academy | Not published yet | 12.8 GB |
Which one should you buy?
- You already own Pikmin 4 on Switch: the $9.99 Upgrade Pack.
- You are starting from scratch: wait for the Switch 2 Edition price, or take the $59.99 Switch game now and add the Upgrade Pack for $9.99.
The Upgrade Pack needs a copy of Pikmin 4 on Nintendo Switch. Nintendo’s own wording on the Upgrade Pack listing says you can “be ready to play the Nintendo Switch 2 Edition at launch” by pre-ordering it, and warns that information “may not be finalized at time of preorder”.
What the Switch 2 Edition adds
- Dandori Academy, a new exam mode with 72 stages released over time across three difficulty levels, where you send Pikmin out to collect treasure as fast as you can. Exams are held every Friday, Saturday and Sunday, you get one attempt each, and you earn medals for your scores.
- Voice commands for Oatchi, the space dog, through the Nintendo Switch 2 system microphone.
- Dandori Battles against a friend on the same system, or against someone who does not own the game through GameShare locally or GameChat online. GameShare means a friend can receive the software from your system during the session, and GameChat refers to Nintendo’s online version of the same thing.
- Higher-resolution visuals in both TV and handheld modes.
Nintendo lists the game for Nintendo Switch 2 only, with supported play modes of single system (1-2), local wireless (2), online (2) and GameShare. Online features, GameChat included, need an internet connection, a Nintendo Switch Online membership and a Nintendo Account, and GameShare needs a Nintendo Switch 2 to start the session.
What this means for you
Consider the free demo before you spend anything. If you already own Pikmin 4 on Switch, the $9.99 Upgrade Pack is the cheap way in. If you are starting from scratch, Nintendo has not published the bundle price, so the total is still unknown. Try the free demo from November 2 first: it carries the opening area, Sun-Speckled Terrace, plus two Dandori Academy stages, which is enough to see whether the exam mode is for you. Whatever you buy, clear the space before launch night.
The numbers that decide this purchase are all on Nintendo’s own pages: the Switch game at $59.99 and 11.3 GB, the Upgrade Pack at $9.99 and 1.2 GB, and the Switch 2 Edition download at 12.8 GB with no price attached. Two prices are fixed and one is not, so the open question for a new player is whether the bundle price lands below $69.98 before November 12. For an owner of the Switch game, the question is only whether the new mode and the higher-resolution visuals are worth $9.99, and the free demo answers that before launch night.
Our coverage
- Pikmin 4 Switch 2 Edition Release Time: When It Unlocks on November 12 – the unlock time in every time zone.
- Pikmin 4 Switch 2 Edition: Upgrade Pack Price, Demo and What’s New – the upgrade path, what it adds and what happens to your save data.
- Pikmin 4: Nintendo’s second Hello! Pikmin short lands November 1 – the short film series that runs alongside the launch.
- The Pikmin 4 game page and the Release Calendar.
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