The Nintendo Switch 2 Edition of Pikmin 4, bundled with Dandori Academy, arrives on November 12, 2026. It is listed at $69.99 physical and £58.99 UK digital, with a separate Upgrade Pack at $9.99 / £7.99 for owners of the Switch version. The file size for the Switch 2 build is roughly 12.7 GB. As of this writing the edition has not shipped, so it has no review scores and no measured performance data.
The headline feature is real-time voice control for Oatchi using the Switch 2's built-in microphone - the first time Nintendo has put its microphone to work this way in a core IP. There are nine commands, covering actions such as jump, rush, go to work, and gathering Pikmin, and the game also responds with spoken praise ("Good pup!"). Button controls remain fully supported, so the voice layer is additive rather than a replacement.
Dandori Academy is a new mode built around timed treasure-collection exams. It has three difficulty tiers - Relaxed, Official and Extreme, localised in English as Elementary, Advanced and Graduate - and exams run Friday to Sunday with one attempt per week. Success awards medals and icon rewards, and there are online leaderboards, which require a paid Nintendo Switch Online subscription. 72 stages are being released gradually at roughly six per month, so the mode is designed to keep growing rather than to be finished on day one.
Dandori Battles support GameShare, so friends who do not own the game can join in - locally, or online via GameChat. GameChat online play requires both players to be on Switch 2 with Nintendo Switch Online and a Nintendo Account. The Switch 2 build supports one to two players on a single system, two players via local wireless, and two over the network.
Visually the edition supports up to 4K output in TV mode with improved handheld resolution. Nintendo's own wording is "up to 4K" - it is dynamic resolution rather than native 4K. The build is also still reported to run at 30fps, with 60fps not promised, and there are no third-party performance tests yet. Community reaction to the announcement was mixed, and reviewers have advised waiting for real frame-rate measurements. The demo shipped on November 2, 2026 with Sun-Speckled Terrace and two Dandori Academy stages - "Giant Mushroom Challenge" and "Snack Delivery" - carries your save forward, and does not support the voice commands.
If you own a Switch and have no specific interest in voice commands or the online leaderboards, the Upgrade Pack is a small purchase for the new content but the base game remains complete. If you are starting fresh and want Dandori Academy from day one, the full Switch 2 Edition is the complete package. Note that the Upgrade Pack is not included free with a Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack subscription.