The release date for Pokémon Pokopia has finally been revealed, alongside new details about the new life-sim project. However, many players were outraged after discovering the Pokémon game is a Switch 2 Game Key Card, making it Nintendo’s first published title to not have a proper physical release.

Pokémon Pokopia Is a Switch 2 Game-Key Card Despite Being Only 10GB

Ever since the Nintendo Switch 2 launched in June, players have not been happy with the system’s Game Key Card feature. With the format, Switch 2 titles essentially ship with a cartridge that doesn’t actually have the game on it. Up to this point, though, the divisive format has only really been used by third-party developers such as Ubisoft and Square Enix. However, that is finally set to change with the release of Pokémon Pokopia.

In a new update today, it was announced that Pokémon Pokopia will be the first Nintendo-published game to use the Switch 2 Game Key Card format. Interestingly, the update also revealed that Pokopia is only a 10 GB game. However, it’s unclear if that’s just the file size before post-launch updates. Of course, the game’s small size immediately raised eyebrows. One of the main justifications for Game Key Cards is memory limitations.

In fairness, it should be pointed out that memory size isn’t the only reason some studios are using the digital format. Recently, developers such as Ubisoft have explained that Game Key Cards are also used because of load times and data-streaming issues. So perhaps Pokémon Pokopia’s Ditto-cloning feature is memory-intensive? Regardless, many Switch 2 owners immediately reacted to the news with anger.

Pokémon Pokopia Physical Edition Controversy — Fans Slam Nintendo Over Game Key Card Release

Players immediately took to social media to voice their frustrations over Pokémon Pokopia being a Game Key Card. However, it wasn’t just Game Freak fans who were upset, as many Switch 2 collectors were also angry that a Nintendo-published game had finally decided to adopt the format for the very first time.

“Mario Kart World is 20–25 GB and it’s not Game-Key Card. But Pokopia is 10 GB and it’s Game-Key Card?!?” a player wrote on X, for example. Another user exclaimed, “PlayStation is the only place for physical games now. Sad.” One frustrated user simply commented, “Pokémon, you can afford real game cards.”

However, Pokopia also caused panic with Switch 2 owners who worried that future Nintendo titles would also use the unpopular digital format. “Nintendo, can you please confirm if you’re making this game and other future game releases a Game Key Card instead of a physical purchase?”

Pokémon Pokopia Release Date Revealed — Game Freak Confirms March 2026 Launch

While not everyone was thrilled with the update, we finally have launch details for the new Pokémon spinoff title. According to Nintendo, the Pokémon Pokopia release date is set for Thursday, March 5, 2026, on Switch 2.

As a Pokémon fan, this is pretty exciting news. After all, it’s essentially only five months after the launch of Pokémon Legends Z-A. With rumors of Pokémon Gen 10 launching at the end of 2026 as well, the next year could be a very busy one for the Poké-fandom. Not that any of us are complaining!