TL;DR: Pikmin 4 – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Dandori Academy came out on November 12, 2026. The full edition costs $69.99, and the upgrade pack for current owners costs $9.99. The game now runs in 4K when docked but stays at 30 fps, and there is no Mouse Mode. The new parts are Dandori Academy (72 time-trial stages, six released each month), voice commands for Oatchi and GameShare for Dandori Battles. New players should buy the Switch 2 Edition. Current owners should pay the $9.99 only if they enjoyed the Dandori Challenges.
Pikmin 4 is the best-selling game in the Pikmin series, and it is now the latest Nintendo first-party game to get a paid Switch 2 Edition. Nintendo's store pages for the full edition and the upgrade pack list four additions: sharper visuals, the Dandori Academy mode, voice commands for Oatchi and GameShare for Dandori Battles. They don't mention a frame rate upgrade, and reviewers have confirmed there isn't one.
This page covers what each version costs, what changed from the Switch 1 version, how Dandori Academy's monthly rollout works and who should buy the upgrade. Data as of November 12, 2026, launch day.
Pikmin 4 Switch 2 Edition release date and price
Both versions came out on November 12, 2026, digitally and at retail. The upgrade is a separate purchase. Unlike the free resolution patch Pikmin 3 Deluxe received on Switch 2 in September, Pikmin 4 has no free Switch 2 update.
| Option | US price | UK price | Download size | Who it's for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Dandori Academy (full game) | $69.99 | £58.99 | 12.8 GB | Players who don't own Pikmin 4, or want the full version on a Switch 2 cartridge |
| Switch 2 Edition + Dandori Academy Upgrade Pack | $9.99 | £7.99 | 1.2 GB (on top of the base game) | Owners of Pikmin 4 on Switch, physical or digital |
| Free demo | $0 | £0 | Not listed | Anyone deciding between the two options above |
The US prices and both file sizes come from Nintendo's US store. The UK figures are Nintendo's RRP as reported by Nintendo Life. Some retailers already sell the physical edition below RRP, around £53.
The physical copy is a full game card, not a download key. According to the Nintendo UK page, if you put that card in an original Switch, it runs the regular Switch version without the Switch 2 features. The Switch 2 Edition extras only work on Switch 2.
What's new in Pikmin 4 Switch 2 Edition
Pikmin 4 gets a smaller upgrade than most Switch 2 Editions. The resolution goes up, but nothing else about the presentation changes. Nintendo saved its new effort for one new mode and a microphone feature.
| Feature | Pikmin 4 on Switch | Switch 2 Edition |
|---|---|---|
| TV resolution | Original Switch output | Native 4K docked (needs a 4K TV) |
| Handheld resolution | Capped by the 720p Switch screen | "Improved high-resolution" per Nintendo; 1080p per CGMagazine |
| Frame rate | 30 fps | 30 fps, no 60 fps option |
| Mouse Mode (Joy-Con 2) | N/A | Not supported |
| Voice commands for Oatchi | No | Yes, via the Switch 2 microphone |
| Dandori Academy | No | 72 stages, 6 per month |
| Dandori Battles | Local, same system | Same system, plus GameShare locally or online via GameChat |
| Story, areas, Night Expeditions, Olimar's Shipwreck Tale | Included | Included, unchanged |
The story campaign itself has no new content. If you finished Pikmin 4 in 2023, the only new things to play are the Academy stages and the GameShare battles.
Dandori Academy explained
Dandori Academy is a time-trial mode built from the Dandori Challenges in the base game. Each stage gives you a fixed set of Pikmin, Oatchi, a map full of treasure and a timer. You need to collect everything faster than everyone else. Some stages have bosses. In Nintendo Treehouse's showcase, the hardest-difficulty exam features an Empress Bulblax.
The schedule matters more than the stages:
- 72 stages in total, released over time. Six arrive each month from launch, according to the Nintendo UK page. At that rate the full set takes twelve months, which means late 2027.
- Two stages per difficulty level each month. There are easy, medium and hard stages, so each monthly batch has something for beginners and for experts, per Nintendo Insider.
- Practice any day, exams on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. You can replay the current stages as often as you like during the week. The exam is the attempt that counts. Press Start reports one exam attempt per stage, ranked against everyone who took it that weekend.
- Medals unlock rewards. Exam results earn medals, and you spend them on rewards such as user icons. Both Nintendo Insider and Nintendo Life call the rewards underwhelming.
- Old months stay available. Earlier stages remain playable after a new batch arrives, so you can't miss a stage for good.
- Online leaderboards need a Nintendo Switch Online membership, like all of the game's online features.
Nearly every review complains about the drip-feed. Six stages is a small batch, and a strong player can get platinum on all of them during the first exam weekend. After that, the rest of the month is spent improving scores. Nintendo Insider had already earned platinum on all six launch stages by the time its review went up. If you want to play all 72 stages back to back, you'll have to wait a year.
Does Pikmin 4 run at 60 FPS on Switch 2?
No. Pikmin 4 runs at 30 fps on Switch 2, as it did on Switch. Nintendo Life, Nintendo Insider and Press Start all confirm the 30 fps cap, and none of them found a performance mode. CGMagazine is the only outlet that describes a 60 fps bump, and three other reviews contradict it, so the 60 fps claim looks like an error.
| Mode | Resolution | Frame rate | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| TV (docked) | Native 4K | 30 fps | Nintendo Life, Press Start, Nintendo Insider |
| Handheld | 1080p (reported) | 30 fps | CGMagazine (resolution); Nintendo says only "improved" |
| Performance / 60 fps mode | Not available | Nintendo Life, Press Start | |
Nintendo chose resolution over frame rate. Pikmin 4's treasures are photorealistic everyday objects, and they benefit from 4K more than most game art. The image is clearly sharper. The motion is the same as before. Several reviewers and many players expected 60 fps in a paid Switch 2 Edition, and it's the most common complaint.
For comparison, Xenoblade 3's Switch 2 Edition costs the same $9.99 and targets 60 fps.
Mouse controls and voice commands
Pikmin 4 Switch 2 Edition does not support Mouse Mode. Many Switch 2 Editions let you turn a Joy-Con 2 on its side and use it as a mouse, but Pikmin 4 does not. Its throwing cursor and the co-op Pebble Pitcher pointer are still controlled with the analog stick. Nintendo Life said the omission "downright confuses me", since a pointer-driven game is the obvious use for the feature.
Because your aim still depends on the left stick, a drifting Joy-Con will pull the throw cursor sideways. In a timed Academy exam, that costs you seconds. If your cursor wanders when you aren't touching the stick, run the Switch 2 Joy-Con drift check before exam weekend.
The microphone feature is called Howl-Out. You say commands out loud and Oatchi follows them, and you can also praise him. Reviewers say it works but is less reliable than buttons. Every voice command is also mapped to a button, so you can ignore it. CGMagazine notes that it hears you more reliably in handheld mode than docked across a room. It's a similar small extra to the humming in the Zelda: Ocarina of Time remake. You can turn it off.
How the Pikmin 4 upgrade pack works
The $9.99 upgrade pack is a 1.2 GB download that turns your existing copy of Pikmin 4 into the Switch 2 Edition. Things to know before you buy:
- You need the base game. The pack works with a physical Switch cartridge or a digital copy. With a cartridge, the card has to be in the system when you play.
- Your save carries over. The upgrade runs on the same game, so your existing file loads as normal. Game Informer moved its Switch save over before reviewing.
- Without the pack, Pikmin 4 still runs on Switch 2 through backward compatibility, but as the original Switch version, without 4K or Dandori Academy.
- GameShare works for the receiving player without the game. A friend with a Switch 2 can join Dandori Battles through GameShare without buying anything. For online GameShare, both players need GameChat and Nintendo Switch Online.
Is there a Pikmin 4 Switch 2 demo?
Yes. A free demo is on the Nintendo eShop for Switch 2. It includes Sun-Speckled Terrace, the first main area of the story, and two Dandori Academy stages. Save data from the demo carries over to the full game. If you decide to buy, you won't have to replay the opening.
The demo shows you the 4K image and two Academy stages. Try both of them before you decide whether the weekly exam format is something you'll keep coming back to.
Is the Pikmin 4 Switch 2 upgrade worth it?
For new players, yes. The Switch 2 Edition is clearly the best way to play Pikmin 4. For owners who have already finished it, the $9.99 upgrade is worth it only if you liked the Dandori Challenges.
| You are… | Buy? | Why |
|---|---|---|
| New to Pikmin 4, own a Switch 2 | Yes, full edition ($69.99) | Best version: 4K, all story content, a year of Academy stages |
| Own Pikmin 4, loved the Dandori Challenges | Yes, upgrade ($9.99) | 72 new time-trial stages and weekend leaderboards for less than a dollar a month |
| Own Pikmin 4, mainly played the story | Wait | No new story content, still 30 fps; buy later when more stages are out or on sale |
| Want 60 fps or Mouse Mode | No | Neither is in this edition |
Scores reflect the same split. My Nintendo News gave it 8/10 and Vooks 4.5/5, and both praised the 4K image and the long tail of new stages. Nintendo Life (7/10) and Nintendo Insider (6/10) objected to the monthly drip-feed and the missing 60 fps and Mouse Mode. Every review agrees the base game is still one of the best on Switch. For new players the $69.99 edition is easy to recommend. For existing owners the $9.99 pack is a fair price for content that arrives over the next year.
If you're setting up a new Switch 2 for the holidays, our Switch 2 controller guide covers which pads support which features. You can check your Joy-Con sticks and buttons in the online gamepad tester before an Academy exam weekend.