‘Detective Pikachu Returns’ on the Nintendo Switch!

The wait is finally over. Detective Pikachu is coming back with a sequel to the iconic 2018 Nintendo 3DS game, aptly titled Detective Pikachu Returns. Recently announced during the latest Nintendo Direct, this gruff-talking, coffee-addicted version of Pikachu will once again don his iconic cap and solve various crimes and mysteries in Ryme City with his buddy Tim Goodman by his side.

Here’s everything you need to know about the upcoming Detective Pikachu Returns game.

When will Detective Pikachu Returns be released?

Detective Pikachu Returns will release on October 6, 2023, and is available for pre-order now through the Nintendo eShop and at select retailers. In the U.S. the game will cost $49.99, in the U.K. it will cost £39.99, and in the EU it will cost €49.99. This release date means that there’s plenty of Pokémon fun to be had this fall—the first installment of the Pokémon Scarlet and Violet DLC will be released around the same time.

Is there a trailer for Detective Pikachu Returns?

Thankfully, yes! A full trailer was released for Detective Pikachu Returns during a Pokémon Presents presentation on August 8, 2023. It reveals plenty of new characters and Pokémon for Pikachu and Tim to interact with, some of Ryme City’s hidden gems, and the beginnings of a new mystery, too. Watch it here:

Do we know anything about the story or gameplay of Detective Pikachu Returns?

Detective Pikachu Returns will function similarly to the original game, having Pikachu and Tim travel around Ryme City, looking for clues and talking to different characters and Pokémon to unravel the narrative’s core mystery. Other Pokémon will be able to help Pikachu and Tim, too—Growlithe, for instance, can track suspects with its superior sense of smell, and Galarian Darmanitan lends the duo its pulverizing strength. Unlike the mainline Pokémon games like Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, battling isn’t a core facet of Detective Pikachu‘s story.

Detective Pikachu Returns will pick up where the first game left off, with Pikachu and Tim looking for Tim’s father, Harry Goodman. The game’s latest trailer, however, also confirms another big mystery will need to be unraveled: a malicious Corviknight is shown to be attacking the city. Mewtwo, who had a major role in the first Detective Pikachu game, was shown in the first teaser trailer, but we can’t confirm whether the Legendary Pokémon will have the same impact on the new Nintendo Switch game just yet. Plenty of other fun Pokémon can be seen in the trailers, too, including Ludicolo, Milcery, Slowpoke, Lickitung, Intelion, Rockruff, Manectric, and many more.

Detective Pikachu Returns looks like another fun and hilarious buddy-cop romp. And who knows? If this game does well enough, perhaps that might help the movie adaptation of Detective Pikachu finally get a sequel as well. One can dream, at least.

Happy sleuthing!

(featured image: Nintendo / The Pokémon Company)