Pikmin 4 Switch 2 Edition Arrives on 12 November
Nintendo has set 12 November 2026 as the release date for Pikmin 4 Nintendo Switch 2 Edition. The version adds a new mode called Dandori Academy, and Nintendo confirmed the date during its Pikmin Day Direct, a video presentation about the series.
A free demo arrives on the Nintendo eShop, the company's digital store, on 2 November 2026. Progress players make in the demo will carry over to the full game, so time spent in the demo is not lost when the full version launches.
Dandori Academy is a timed exam mode. Its first challenge, Gargantuan Garden, asks players to collect gold nuggets before the clock runs out. Nintendo describes the mode more broadly as a race to collect treasure across a variety of stages. The opening area of the edition, which Nintendo calls Sun-Speckled Terrace, is also part of the package.
The Switch 2 Edition includes improved visuals for the Nintendo Switch 2, the company's newer console. It also lets players give voice commands to Oatchi, the robotic dog-like companion first introduced in the original game. Eurogamer reported the release date, the demo and the new mode.
Pikmin 4 first launched on the original Switch in July 2023. Owners of that version do not have to buy the game again. They can buy an upgrade pack from the eShop instead. Nintendo's US store lists the full Switch 2 Edition with Dandori Academy at US$59.99.
The same week brought a new date on the calendar. Nintendo confirmed that 1 November is now Pikmin Day. Shigeru Miyamoto, the designer who created the series, made the proclamation, according to Game Informer. Miyamoto also introduced Fuka Koshiba, a Japanese actor, as a new ambassador for the series.
Nintendo is hosting a Nintendo Treehouse Plays session on Sunday 1 November 2026 at 9am Pacific Time. The broadcast is a chance to watch the game being played before the demo opens.
For players who have been waiting, the sequence is simple. Pick up the demo on 2 November, then the full edition on 12 November. Anyone who already owns the Switch version can use the upgrade pack instead of starting over.
