Pikmin 4 gets free update adding Photo Mode, but no Switch 2 upgrade

Nintendo has announced a free update to Pikmin 4 coming next month, but it doesn’t include a Switch 2 upgrade.

The update will add a Photo Mode using the new field camera item, with players able to adjust angles and customise images with various decorations.

Decor Pikmin will also be added. Originally seen in mobile game Pikmin Bloom, these Pikmin are hidden around levels to be discovered and transferred to your squad – they can also be transferred to the mobile game.

Lastly, new Creature Activity levels will be added. In Relaxed mode, enemies won’t attack unless you attack first, allowing for a breezier challenge, while in Fierce mode they’ll be more aggressive.

Though there’s no date, the update will arrive in November along with a new demo to try out.

The news follows a mysterious animated short shared earlier this month called Close to You, which showed a baby being (somewhat) terrorised by invisible creatures. Fans rightly guessed these were Pikmin, and a revised version including the plant critters was published the following day.

As such, some form of Pikmin news has been expected. But most fans had anticipated an upgraded version of Pikmin 4 for Switch 2 – something Nintendo has released for many of its games, including the two open-world Zelda games, Kirby and the Forgotten Land, and Super Mario Party Jamboree. Super Mario Bros. Wonder is also getting an expanded version next year.

But not so Pikmin 4. While the game is playable on the Switch 2, there’s no specific upgrade.

Still, it remains a brilliant game on the system. “The Pikmin series blossoms anew, in a bouquet of fresh gameplay and the best bits from its roots,” reads our five star review of Pikmin 4.