Pikmin 4 – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Dandori Academy

Pikmin 4 – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Dandori Academy
North American box art
Japanese name	ピクミン4 Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + だれでもチャレンジ! ダンドリ検定?
Console	Nintendo Switch 2
Developer
Publisher	Nintendo
Genre	Real-time strategy
Rating(s)	ESRB - Everyone 10+ PEGI - 3+ years CERO - All ages USK - 6+ years ClassInd - General audience SMECCV - 12+ years GSRR - 6+ years ACB - Parental guidance
Players	1-2
Worldwide release date	November 12th, 2026
Related games
Predecessor	Pikmin 3
Re-release of	Pikmin 4

This article or section is about an upcoming or recently released game. The content here is subject to change as more information is discovered. All information added here must be verifiable and not speculative.

Pikmin 4 – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Dandori Academy is an enhanced rerelease of Pikmin 4 for the Nintendo Switch 2. It was released on November 12^th, 2026, and features a new game mode called Dandori Academy. It additionally features higher-resolution graphics, a way to command Oatchi with voice commands, and the ability to play Dandori Battles online via GameChat and GameShare.

As it is a Nintendo Switch 2 Edition upgrade, players with a copy of Pikmin 4 and a Nintendo Switch 2 can simply buy the upgrade as a form of paid downloadable content. Otherwise, players can buy the game bundled with the upgrade directly, as a copy that works both on a Nintendo Switch (without the upgrade) as well as on a Nintendo Switch 2.

Differences from Pikmin 4

Dandori Academy

Main article: Dandori Academy.

Dandori Academy is a game mode in which the player can play Dandori Challenge stages. 6 new stages are added on the first Monday of each month until the total number of stages reaches 72. Every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, there is an "exam period" in which it is possible to play a stage to submit a score to the leaderboard.

Voice commands

Main article: Howl-Out.

By using the Nintendo Switch 2's microphone, built-in at the top of the console, players can speak certain phrases into it in order to command Oatchi to do something in-game. These are called Howl-Outs in-game, and there are a total of nine commands:

• “Go to Work”: Orders Oatchi to work on the task the player is pointing towards, in the same way as if the player had pressed the throw button with Oatchi in standby, such as attacking or transporting.
• “Rush”: Makes Oatchi Rush without needing to hold down a button or fill in the gauge, though the cool down bar will still appear.
• “Come Back”: Calls Oatchi back to the rookie Rescue Officer, or vice versa.
• “Ride”: Makes the rookie Rescue Officer start riding Oatchi when close enough.
• “Dismount”: Makes the rookie Rescue Officer jump off Oatchi's back.
• “Jump”: Makes Oatchi jump.
• “Gather Pikmin”: Makes Oatchi, or the rookie Rescue Officer, gather nearby idle Pikmin and bring them to the character being controlled, the same as the menu command of the same name.
• “Disband”: Disbands the squad, except for the Pikmin type selected, or Oatchi if selected.
• “Good pup”: Makes Oatchi close his eyes, wag his tail, and pant proudly. If the rookie Rescue Officer is riding Oatchi, they will also pet him.

GameShare

See more: Nintendo Switch 2#GameShare.

When picking the P1 vs. P2 option in the main menu's Dandori Battle game mode, a dialog appears asking the player if they wish to play normally, using GameShare locally, or using GameShare online via GameChat. With this, a player's friend can act as player 2 while playing remotely on their own console. Regardless of the option chosen, only the hosting player needs a copy of the game. Although it is a Nintendo Switch 2 game, a Nintendo Switch console can also play this game via GameShare, provided they are joining and not hosting. If the session is ended mid-game, the match will be aborted, and the game will return to the title screen.

Other changes

• The game's graphics are output at a higher resolution. In docked mode, they are output at 4K resolution.
• Enemies are always active, instead of staying inanimate after a certain distance.
• The title screen contains the "Nintendo Switch 2 Edition" subtitle
• Various menus contain items for the new changes, like the main menu containing an option for Dandori Academy, or the Gameplay Guide having sections for Dandori Academy and Howl-Outs.

Other information

• Game size: 12.8 GB for the full bundle, 1.2 GB for the Nintendo Switch 2 Edition upgrade.
• Supported play modes: TV (1 or 2 players), tabletop (1 or 2 players), and handheld (1 player).
• Supported controllers: two Joy-Con 2 controllers, one sideways Joy-Con 2 (only when playing in multiplayer), and Nintendo Switch 2 Pro Controller.
• Supports cloud save data.
• Supported languages: Dutch, English, French, Canadian French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Brazilian Portuguese, Simplified Chinese, Spanish, Latin American Spanish, Traditional Chinese
• A Nintendo Switch Online subscription is necessary in order to submit high scores in Dandori Academy.

History

Pre-release

Pikmin 4 – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Dandori Academy was announced during the September 2026 Nintendo Direct. The trailer in the Direct was roughly 3 minutes long, making it the longest trailer in the Direct aside from Kirby and the World Beyond, which was the final trailer of the Direct. It showcased the new voice commands for Oatchi, before showing the new Dandori Academy game mode. The section ended with Yoshiaki Koizumi playing in the Serene Shores and using some voice commands. A standalone trailer was published not long after.

On October 31^st, 2026, a Pikmin Day Direct was announced and released. This Direct announced new things for the Pikmin series, with one of them being a demo for the game. The Direct showed more gameplay footage for Dandori Academy, but towards the end of the section is where the demo was announced.

Demo

The demo for the game was released on November 2^nd, 2026. The demo features the same content as the Pikmin 4 demo, that being Story Mode and the Sun-Speckled Terrace, but it also includes a couple of Dandori Academy stages. Like its Nintendo Switch version, the title screen includes the word "Demo" at the top right of the logo, and the screen has an extra option, "Nintendo eShop", that can take the player to the game's eShop page when selected.

The Dandori Academy game mode lets players play the three training stages, and two of the exam stages: Mushroom Mash and Treat Transport. The other four exam stages for November are shown, they are just unplayable.

Progress made in this demo can be brought over to the full release whenever the player boots up the full version. Progress from Dandori Academy can be passed over separately from progress in Story Mode. Like Pikmin 4, the same bonuses are present, but it also features a new bonus linked with Dandori Academy. If an exam stage is taken in the demo, a reward will be given for Pikmin Bloom.

Voice commands for Oatchi are not available in the demo. Because the title screen's Dandori Battle mode is not accessible in the demo, neither are the newly-introduced GameShare features. While the first two Dandori Academy exam stages are available, and an official score can even be submitted, rewards cannot be obtained other than the one marked specifically as a demo-exclusive reward.

Gallery

Logos

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  Horizontal English logo.
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  Vertical English logo.
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  Japanese logo.
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  Korean logo.

Artwork

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  English key art.
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  Japanese key art.
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  Korean key art.
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  Chinese key art.
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  Square English key art.

Box art

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  American/Latin American box art.
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  Canadian box art.
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  Mexican box art.
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  Brazilian box art.
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  UK/Pan-European box art.
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  French box art.
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  Italian box art.
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  Spanish box art.
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  Swiss box art.
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  Dutch box art.
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  German box art.
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  Australian box art.
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  South African box art.
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  Saudi Arabian box art.
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  Southeast Asian box art.
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  Japanese box art.
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  Korean box art.
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  Hong Kong box art.
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  Taiwanese box art.

Names in other languages

Language	Name	Meaning
Japanese	ピクミン4 Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + だれでもチャレンジ! ダンドリ検定? Pikumin 4 Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Dare Demo Charenji! Dandori Kentei	Pikmin 4 Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Anyone Can Challenge! Dandori Certification Exam
Chinese (traditional)	皮克敏4 Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + 大家來挑戰! 當多慮檢定 Píkèmǐn 4 Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Dàjiā Lái Tiǎozhàn! Dāngduōlǜ Jiǎndìng	Pikmin 4 Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Everyone Come Challenge! Dandori Certification
Dutch	Pikmin 4 – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Dandori-academie	Pikmin 4 – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Dandori academy
French	Pikmin 4 – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Académie Dandori	Pikmin 4 – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Dandori Academy
German	Pikmin 4 – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Dandori-Akademie	Pikmin 4 – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Dandori Academy
Italian	Pikmin 4 – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Accademia Dandori	Pikmin 4 – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Dandori Academy
Korean	피크민 4 Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + 누구나 도전! 계획력 테스트 Pikeumin 4 Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Nuguna Dojeon! Gyehoeglyeog Teseuteu	Pikmin 4 Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Anyone Can Challenge! Planning Test
Portuguese (NoA)	Pikmin 4 – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Academia Dandori	Pikmin 4 – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Dandori Academy
Portuguese (NoE)	Pikmin 4 – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Dandori Academy	–
Spanish	Pikmin 4 – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Academia Dandori	Pikmin 4 – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Dandori Academy

See also

• Pikmin 3 Deluxe

External links

• North American game page
• United Kingdom game page
• Japanese game page