Pokemon Legends Z-A has barely been out for a month, and Game Freak is already asking fans to shell out another $30 for DLC. The Mega Dimension expansion drops on December 10, 2025, less than two months after the base game’s October 16 release. What makes this even more controversial is that the DLC was announced on September 12, before the game had even launched. Fans are not happy, and it’s easy to see why.
The DLC That Got Announced Before the Game
During a Nintendo Direct on September 12, 2025, Game Freak shocked everyone by revealing Pokemon Legends: Z-A – Mega Dimension, a paid expansion featuring the Mythical Pokemon Hoopa and two new Mega Evolutions for Raichu. The problem? Pokemon Legends: Z-A wasn’t even out yet. The game wouldn’t release for another month, on October 16.
This broke an unwritten rule that Game Freak had always followed. Pokemon Sword and Shield’s Expansion Pass was announced months after the base game launched. Pokemon Scarlet and Violet’s The Hidden Treasure of Area Zero DLC followed the same pattern. Never before had Game Freak announced paid DLC for a mainline Pokemon game before players could even buy the base game.
The Price Tag That Made It Worse
The Mega Dimension DLC costs $30. For context, Pokemon Legends: Z-A itself retails for $60. That means the DLC costs half as much as the entire base game. When you announce something that expensive before the game is even available, it sends a very specific message to consumers: this content was probably developed alongside the main game and deliberately held back to sell separately.
The DLC is being sold in two parts. The first part, which launched with the base game on October 16, includes two cosmetic apparel items called Holo-X and Holo-Y. That’s it. Just cosmetics. The actual story content, featuring Hoopa and the Hyperspace Lumiose dimension, doesn’t unlock until December 10. So you’re being asked to pay $30 more than a month before you can actually play the content you’re buying.
What You Actually Get in Mega Dimension
The DLC centers around Hoopa, the Mischief Pokemon, who opens portals to a mysterious dimension called Hyperspace Lumiose. You’ll meet a mysterious girl named Ansha who’s accompanied by Hoopa, and you’ll work with Team MZ to investigate distortions appearing across Lumiose City. The expansion features two new Mega Evolutions for Raichu – Mega Raichu X and Mega Raichu Y.
According to leaked information and preview coverage, the DLC will allow Pokemon to temporarily exceed level 100 through special items that only work in Hyperspace. There are also hints that several Legendary Pokemon missing from the base game will be included in Mega Dimension. If that’s true, it means Game Freak deliberately held back Legendary Pokemon from the main game to sell in DLC.
The Fan Backlash Was Immediate
When the DLC was announced in September, the community erupted. The official announcement trailer on YouTube currently sits at around 15,000 dislikes compared to just 10,000 likes. That’s a terrible ratio for an official Pokemon reveal. Reddit threads filled with fans calling the announcement a scumbag move and accusing Game Freak of deliberately cutting content from the base game.
One highly upvoted comment summed up the frustration perfectly: Game Freak is finally admitting their DLC is deliberately cut content. Another popular sentiment compared modern Pokemon games to older titles that included substantial post-game stories as part of the base experience, not as paid add-ons.
The Base Game Has Its Own Problems
Reviews for Pokemon Legends: Z-A have been mixed, which doesn’t help the DLC controversy. Critics praised the new positioning-based battle system and the return of Mega Evolution, but many found the exclusive focus on Lumiose City to be visually restrictive. Kotaku’s review called it an enjoyable identity crisis, pointing out that the game’s heavy emphasis on Mega Evolution creates an imbalanced roster.
The review noted that non-Mega Pokemon fall inherently behind because they can’t access the powerful transformations that define the combat system. Many of the new Mega forms were criticized as duds, with Mega Starmie’s human-like arms and legs called an abomination and Mega Feraligatr’s toilet-seat-like helmet looking goofy rather than intimidating.
The Game Just Isn’t Finished Feeling
Multiple players have commented that Pokemon Legends: Z-A feels rushed and incomplete, similar to how Pokemon Scarlet and Violet launched with performance issues and missing features. When a game already feels unfinished and then you’re immediately asked to pay half the game’s price for additional content, it reinforces the perception that you bought an incomplete product.
The fact that Legendary Pokemon are reportedly locked behind the DLC paywall is particularly frustrating. Catching Legendary Pokemon has always been a core part of the Pokemon experience. Gating them behind a $30 expansion less than two months after launch feels aggressively monetized.
Why This Feels Different From Past DLC
Pokemon DLC isn’t new. The Expansion Passes for Sword and Shield and Scarlet and Violet were generally well-received because they were announced months after launch, added substantial new areas and storylines, and felt like genuine expansions rather than cut content. Those DLCs cost $30 too, but the timing and presentation made them feel like bonus content developed after the main game shipped.
Mega Dimension doesn’t have that benefit. By announcing it before launch and releasing it less than two months after the game comes out, Game Freak created the impression that this content was always part of the development cycle and was deliberately carved out to sell separately. Whether that’s actually true or not almost doesn’t matter at this point. The perception is the problem.
The Pre-Order Incentive Makes It Weirder
If you pre-order the Mega Dimension DLC before February 28, 2026, you get an email with a code for a Luxurious Poke Ball Set to use in the game. This is standard practice for DLC, but combined with everything else, it adds to the aggressive monetization vibe. You’re being asked to commit $30 to content you can’t play yet for a game that might not even be out when you make the purchase decision.
The pre-order window extending all the way to February 28, 2026, suggests Game Freak knows this is a hard sell. They’re giving people months to decide whether to buy in, probably because the initial reaction was so negative.
FAQs
When did Pokemon Legends: Z-A release?
Pokemon Legends: Z-A launched on October 16, 2025, for Nintendo Switch and Switch 2. The game is set entirely within Lumiose City and brings back the Mega Evolution mechanic from Pokemon X and Y.
When was the Mega Dimension DLC announced?
The DLC was announced on September 12, 2025, during a Nintendo Direct presentation. This was more than a month before Pokemon Legends: Z-A actually released, which sparked major controversy.
How much does the Mega Dimension DLC cost?
The DLC costs $30, which is half the price of the base game. It’s available for pre-order now on the Nintendo eShop, with the story content unlocking on December 10, 2025.
What’s included in the Mega Dimension DLC?
The expansion features a post-game story centered around Hoopa and a mysterious dimension called Hyperspace Lumiose. It includes two new Mega Evolutions for Raichu (Mega Raichu X and Y), new characters like Ansha, and reportedly several Legendary Pokemon missing from the base game.
Why are fans upset about the DLC?
Fans are angry because the DLC was announced before the game even released, costs half the price of the base game, and releases less than two months after launch. Many believe this indicates the content was cut from the main game to be sold separately.
Do I need to finish the base game to play the DLC?
Yes. You must complete the main story of Pokemon Legends: Z-A before you can access the Mega Dimension DLC story content on December 10, 2025.
Is this the first time Pokemon has done pre-release DLC announcements?
Yes. This is the first time Game Freak has announced paid DLC for a mainline Pokemon game before the base game released. Previous expansions for Sword/Shield and Scarlet/Violet were announced months after their respective launches.
Conclusion
Pokemon Legends: Z-A released on October 16, 2025, and within weeks, fans are being asked to drop another $30 on DLC that unlocks December 10. The timing is aggressive, the price is steep, and the pre-release announcement was a terrible look. Whether the Mega Dimension expansion turns out to be worth the money won’t matter much if players feel like they’re being nickeled and dimed for content that should have been in the base game. Game Freak has built up a lot of goodwill over the decades, but this kind of monetization strategy tests that goodwill in ways that might not be sustainable. The community has spoken pretty clearly: this doesn’t feel right, and no amount of Mega Raichu variants will change that.