Nintendo has officially declared November 1 as Pikmin Day. The announcement came in a surprise Pikmin Day Direct posted to Nintendo’s YouTube channel on October 31, 2026, a roughly nine-and-a-half-minute presentation that was uploaded rather than streamed live and opened by Pikmin creator Shigeru Miyamoto.
The reasoning is as charming as the series itself. Standing side by side, the original Red, Blue, and Yellow Pikmin resemble the numbers 11/1, so November 1 becomes Pikmin Day starting in 2026. Miyamoto made the date official at the top of the Direct, and Nintendo says the day will serve as a launching point for yearly Pikmin announcements.
There was one thing the Direct did not include: a new game announcement. Miyamoto said so upfront, and Nintendo repeated the note on the video itself. What it did include was a full rundown of what Pikmin fans can play next, headlined by the Switch 2 edition of Pikmin 4.
Free Pikmin 4 Switch 2 demo arrives November 2
A free demo of Pikmin 4: Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Dandori Academy launches on November 2. It covers the game’s opening area, Sunspeckled Terrace, plus two stages from the new Dandori Academy mode, and save data from the demo carries over to the full game.
The full game launches on November 12, 2026. The physical edition costs $69.99, and existing Switch owners can pick up a $9.99 Upgrade Pack, though the eShop price for the upgrade had not been published at the time of the Direct.
Dandori Academy builds on Pikmin 4’s Dandori Battles, challenging players to collect treasure as quickly as possible across 72 stages. Exams run every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday with online leaderboards, medals to earn, and three difficulty levels to master, and players get only one attempt at each exam. The Switch 2 edition also lets players direct Oatchi with voice commands through the system’s built-in microphone, including commands like rush and go to work, plus a little well-earned praise. Nintendo also confirmed that all four mainline Pikmin games are playable on Nintendo Switch 2 and Nintendo Switch.
Pikmin Bloom and a new animated short series
The Direct also covered the mobile side of the series. Pikmin Bloom gets a Secret Caves feature in winter 2026, adding cave maps, underground treasure hunts, and touchscreen battles against familiar enemies.
And there is a new animated project: Hello! Pikmin, a short series made with Nintendo Pictures. The first short debuted during the Direct, a second arrives on November 1, and monthly episodes follow from December through the Nintendo Today! app. Actress Fuka Koshiba joined Miyamoto as a guest near the end of the presentation.
The Pikmin Day celebrations continue on November 1 itself with Nintendo Treehouse Plays: Pikmin 4, streaming at 9:00 AM PT / 12:00 PM ET for another look at the Switch 2 edition before its November 12 launch. You can watch the full Pikmin Day Direct on Nintendo’s YouTube channel.
