Nintendohas a habit of announcing a highly-anticipated sequel and then neglecting to mention anything more about that sequel for years afterward. It has officially been more than six years sinceMetroid Prime 4was announced and Nintendo hasn’t mentioned anything about it for a very long time. What might give all you Samus fans hope that the project isn’t dead isDetective Pikachu Returnsgot treated the same way, andthat sequel now has a release date.
Officially getting its first trailer and a release date of July 25, 2025, during this year’s jam-packedNintendo Direct, the long-awaitedDetective Pikachusequel is already available to pre-order. An opportunity many of you will likely grab with both hands after waiting for a follow-up to thePokemonspinoff for so long that the last installment was released on an entirely different console.
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The bad news is there’s just one edition of the game, and also no pre-order bonus, at least not yet. It’s entirely possible Nintendo conjures up some sort of pre-order bonus closer to the release date. For now, all you’ll get for placing your pre-order is the assurance your copy will arrive as soon as possible on release day, or as the clock hits midnight on October 6 if you order a digital copy.
Get That Pikachu A Coffee
WHERE TO PLAY
Detective Pikachu really is back via the Nintendo Switch exclusive, Detective Pikachu Returns. At least he will be when the game launches on October 6. Thankfully, you don’t need to wait that long to secure your copy as you can pre-order right now.
Other than not having to worry about it again until the game is released, another good reason to pre-order Detective Pikachu Returns now rather than wait for release day is the schedule facing us this October. WithAlan Wake 2, Super Mario Wonder, andMarvel’s Spider-Man 2all launching during the same eight-day period, any games you can pay for now will prevent you from bankrupting yourself once October is here.StarfieldandMortal Kombat 1will also be here a few weeks before that which is why I’ve desperately been trying to space out my own pre-orders throughout the year.
If you’re unfamiliar with Detective Pikachu but anything onSwitchlinked to Pokemon has your attention, brace yourself for an unfamiliar adventure, and I mean that in the best possible way. Pikachu can talk in this particular Pokemon universe, and that’s not even close to the weirdest thing about it. The wise-cracking Pokemon also has a penchant for coffee that effectively drives him, so yeah, not much like the little yellow mascot best known for following Ash around.
If you like Pokemon spinoffs, odds are Detective Pikachu Returns is going to be your thing. Solving crimes with a talking Pikachu? That alone should be incentive enough to give it a whirl. Unfortunately, the original game onNintendo 3DSisn’t currently available on Switch.
