Oh Snap!

Everything you need to know about New Pokémon Snap

The wait is almost over.

by Tomas Franzese
Updated: 
Originally Published: 
Phil from New Pokémon Snap standing

Pokémon Snap returns for the series' 25th anniversary! Fans have demanded a follow-up to this classic Nintendo 64 game for year because it broke the mold of what we expect from the traditional Pokémon experience.

Interest in a remake or sequel has been high ever since it was re-released for the Wii U in 2017. We've rounded up everything we know about the New Pokémon Snap so far. That includes the release date, developer, improvements, pre-orders, and more.

When is the New Pokémon Snap release date?

New Pokémon Snap will be released on April 30, 2021. This year also marks the 25th anniversary of the Pokémon franchise. February 27 is the exact anniversary, but The Pokémon Company plans to celebrate this occasion throughout 2021 with new announcements and events.

Is there a New Pokémon Snap trailer?

The most recent trailer debuted on April 15, a couple weeks out from the game’s debut. Check it out below:

This trailer is the most robust introduction to the game we’ve seen yet. It details how to operate the camera in your all-terrain submersible, the Neo-1. You’ll visit deserts, islands, snowscapes and more. It also runs down an assortment of items you can use to get the best photos, like Flufffruit and Illumina Orbs. Some Pokémon will respond best to a melody or a scan, which can also help you uncover new paths for exploration.

Each area will have its own corresponding research level. The more time you spend in a given area and the better your photos, that level will increase, giving you access to new events and new nuances to each zone.

If you want to see a more atmospheric trailer or just want to know how the game was unveiled, you can also check out the announcement trailer for the game as well as the second trailer that gives more insight into the game.

Are New Pokémon Snap pre-orders live yet?

New Pokémon Snap is now available for pre-order, both on the Nintendo eShop and at retailers. The game does cost a full $59.99 and doesn't have any major pre-order bonuses, which might be a little expensive if the sequel is as short as the original.

You can pre-order the game on the Nintendo eShop and at retailers like GameStop, Best Buy, and Amazon.

Is New Pokémon Snap a Nintendo Switch exclusive?

New Pokémon Snap will be exclusive to the Nintendo Switch. The concept does seem one that could work well on the likes of Wii U and 3DS, but Nintendo hasn't been developing games for those systems over the past couple of years.

The concept of New Pokémon Snap also would have potential as a mobile game, but there aren't plans for a mobile Pokémon Snap just yet. For those of you playing Pokémon games on mobile devices, there are plenty of options. Pokémon GO is still super popular, Pokémon Smile can teach kids how to brush their teeth, and Pokémon Cafe Mix is a laid back puzzle game. In 2021, we have Pokémon Sleep and the MOBA Pokémon Unite to look forward to.

Who is developing New Pokémon Snap?

The original Pokémon Snap wasn't created by the main series developer Game Freak; instead, Kirby developer Hal Laboratories and a more obscure developer Pax Softnica worked on the Nintendo 64 game. Neither of those teams is involved with the development of New Pokémon Snap though, according to the credits of the presentation that revealed the game.

The credits confirm that New Pokémon Snap is "developed by Bandai Namco Studios Inc." While it may seem surprising that this new Pokémon Snap isn't made in-house, Nintendo and Bandai Namco have a long history of working together on major titles like Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, so New Pokémon Snap is in good hands.

What improvements will New Pokémon Snap have?

While New Pokémon Snap certainly has a lot of common with the N64 original, like the game being on-rails, there are also some differences. First, it has a different premise that isn't as tied to the anime. Players control a young photograph as they do an ecological survey of the region with Professor Mirror and his assistant Rita in a vehicle called the NEO-ONE.

As players go through each level, they'll encounter various Pokémon living in each area and interacting with each other in dynamic ways. Part of the fun is looking for the hidden Pokémon, but you'll have to attract some of them to get the best pictures.

Players do this by throwing Fluffruit for the Pokémon to eat, playing melodies for Pokémon, and Illumina orbs that make Pokémon glow. After you get through a level, Professor Mirror will rate your pictures and determine your score, just like Oak did in the original. Players can then edit the brightness, zoom, and blur these photos and can choose to share them online with others.

New Pokémon Snap is poised to be a bit more dynamic than the original, as Pokémon will start to behave differently the more players progress and fill out their Photodex. New Pokémon Snap also features a mysterious force called the "Illumina Phenomenon" that appears to cause Pokémon to Dynamax out of nowhere. It's briefly teased at the end of the trailer.

Overall, New Pokémon Snap seems to be both a reimagining of the original that also tries some new things, as New Super Mario Bros. did for that series on Nintendo DS.

Pokemon from all eight generations will be in New Pokemon Snap for Nintendo Switch.

The Pokemon Company

What Pokémon will be in New Pokémon Snap?

While no comprehensive list of the Pokémon in New Pokémon Snap exists yet, the reveal trailer and second trailer showed an impressive mix of Pokémon. Unlike the first Pokémon Snap game, this Nintendo Switch title won't be limited to the first generation Pokémon Red and Blue games. All eight mainline Pokémon generations are fair game in New Pokémon Snap.

As for we ones we can take photos of in the game, Inverse spotted the following 73 Pokémon :

  1. Buffolant
  2. Vivillon
  3. Swanna
  4. Pelliper
  5. Wailord
  6. Crabbrawler
  7. Pikachu
  8. Zangoose
  9. Driftblim
  10. Lapras
  11. Primarina
  12. Sharpedo
  13. Emolga
  14. Dodrio
  15. Grookey
  16. Pichu
  17. Scorbunny
  18. Squirtle
  19. Pyukumuku
  20. Mantyke
  21. Mantine
  22. Blastoise
  23. Magikarp
  24. Pidgeot
  25. Torterra
  26. Bidoof
  27. Wurmple
  28. Hoothoot
  29. Bellossom
  30. Starly
  31. Beautifly
  32. Pikipek
  33. Toucannon
  34. Wooper
  35. Bounsweet
  36. Aipom
  37. Deerling
  38. Sawsbuck
  39. Liepard
  40. Shiftry
  41. Skorupi
  42. Mandibuzz
  43. Hippowdon
  44. Torchic
  45. Heracross
  46. Pinsir
  47. Meganium
  48. Machamp
  49. Stoutland
  50. Eevee
  51. Venasaur
  52. Quagsire
  53. Finneon
  54. Luvdisc
  55. Alomomola
  56. Alolan Raichu
  57. Vaporeon
  58. Tyranitar
  59. Murkrow
  60. Ducklett
  61. Cradily
  62. Sobble
  63. Aipom
  64. Lumineon
  65. Sudowoodo
  66. Trapinch
  67. Sandygast
  68. Lycanroc
  69. Frillish
  70. Inkay
  71. Chinchou
  72. Metapod
  73. Celebi

There are certainly even more that weren't featured in either trailer, so the amount of Pokémon in New Pokémon Snap should easily meet and surpass that of the original.

New Pokémon Snap will be released on Nintendo Switch on April 30, 2021.

This article was originally published on

Related Tags