Jordan Middler, from Video Games Chronicle, said Pokopia is “an excellent life simulation game that takes the best bits from the champions of the genre” in his five-star review, external.
Eurogamer’s Lottie Lynn described it as “one of the best Pokémon spin-offs ever” in a four-star review, external – praising the decision to focus on the lesser-known Ditto, and the way the game reveals its “complex mechanics” for managing its world.
IGN’s Rebekah Valentine also gave a thumbs-up to the main character, arguably one the more obscure Pokémon – “I love this little weirdo!” she wrote in her nine out of 10 review, external.
News site Mashable said the game could also quieten critics of Nintendo’s Switch 2, external, which has faced accusations of a lack of must-buy exclusives since its launch last year.
But Stacy Henley, from TheGamer, was less impressed, taking issue with the repetitive aspects of the game in her three-star review, external.
She suggested it did a “good enough” job of mixing its various inspirations without surpassing any of them.
Pokopia currently has an overall rating of 88 out of 100 on review aggregator site Metacritic, external, making it the best-reviewed title of 2026 so far, alongside horror game Resident Evil and off-the-wall indie game Mewgenics.