Series guide
All Pikmin games in order
Pikmin is Shigeru Miyamoto’s garden strategy series: a tiny captain, a crowd of plant creatures, and a clock. It is short — four main games in twenty-two years — but the re-releases make it look longer than it is. Below are all nine releases in order, with the platforms linked — the GameCube and 3DS copies are the ones we stock and test — and buying notes that tell the versions apart.
The short answer
Pikmin (2001, GameCube) → Pikmin 2 (2004, GameCube) → both again on Wii (2008–09) → Pikmin 3 (2013, Wii U) → Hey! Pikmin (2017, 3DS, spin-off) → Pikmin 3 Deluxe (2020, Switch) → Pikmin 1+2 (2023, Switch) → Pikmin 4 (2023, Switch). Four main games; start with Pikmin 4.
Every Pikmin game in order
- Pikmin · 2001 · GameCube — the original — thirty days to rebuild Olimar’s ship; Europe got it in June 2002
- Pikmin 2 · 2004 · GameCube — no day limit, two captains, caves — many fans’ favourite
- New Play Control! Pikmin · 2008 · Wii — the first game with Wii Remote pointing; Europe in February 2009
- New Play Control! Pikmin 2 · 2009 · Wii — the second game the same way; North America only in 2012
- Pikmin 3 · 2013 · Wii U — three captains, Rock and Winged Pikmin, GamePad map
- Hey! Pikmin · 2017 · Nintendo 3DS — the side-scrolling handheld spin-off — not a strategy game
- Pikmin 3 Deluxe · 2020 · Nintendo Switch — the Wii U game with all DLC, co-op story and new side missions
- Pikmin 1+2 · 2023 · Nintendo Switch — HD ports of the two GameCube games, released the same summer as Pikmin 4
- Pikmin 4 · 2023 · Nintendo Switch — the newest main game — Oatchi the dog, Ice Pikmin, night expeditions
Do you have to play them in order?
No. Every game opens with a crash landing and a fresh start, and the story between them is a few sentences. What order does explain is the design: Pikmin 1 has a thirty-day limit, Pikmin 2 removes it and adds caves, Pikmin 3 adds a third captain, and Pikmin 4 adds a dog and lets you rewind time. The newer the game, the gentler it is — which is why the newest one is the best first one.
Which Pikmin should you buy now?
- Playing, today: Pikmin 4 (Switch) — the biggest and the easiest to get into.
- The originals on a Switch: Pikmin 1+2 — both GameCube games in HD on one cartridge.
- The originals on the original hardware: the GameCube discs — also on an early Wii.
- Co-op on the sofa: Pikmin 3 Deluxe — the whole story for two players.
Buying Pikmin second-hand
Four games, nine boxes
Pikmin 1 and 2 exist three times each — GameCube, Wii (New Play Control!) and Switch (Pikmin 1+2) — and Pikmin 3 twice (Wii U and Deluxe). Buy the version for the console you own; the Switch versions are the most complete.
GameCube discs play on an early Wii
The 2001 and 2004 originals run on any GameCube and on the first Wii models with GameCube ports. Mini-discs: check the underside for scratches; we test every disc for loading. Region-locked — a European Wii or GameCube needs a PAL disc.
Hey! Pikmin is a different kind of game
The 3DS game is a 2D platformer with Pikmin as tools, made by Arzest rather than Nintendo’s own team. Fine for younger players, but not the strategy of the main series. The cartridge is region-locked, so match your 3DS.
Switch cartridges are region-free and run on Switch 2
Pikmin 3 Deluxe, Pikmin 1+2 and Pikmin 4 all play on Switch 2 as well. Note that Pikmin 1+2 shipped physically only later in 2023 — the first months were download-only — so a boxed copy is a real cartridge.
Every copy tested before it is listed
Booting, gameplay, saving, disc and label condition — checked on real hardware. We have been doing this since 2019, with 1400+ verified reviews at 5.0★, and we ship tracked to all 27 EU countries. Originals only; if something ever turns out not to be genuine, you get your money back.
Browse tested Nintendo gamesQuestions we get asked
Do I need to play the Pikmin games in order?
No. Each game is a new expedition with a short set-up; Pikmin 4 is the friendliest starting point and the most recent. Play 1 and 2 afterwards for the tighter, harder originals.
How many Pikmin games are there?
Four main games — Pikmin (2001), Pikmin 2 (2004), Pikmin 3 (2013) and Pikmin 4 (2023) — plus the 3DS spin-off Hey! Pikmin. With the Wii and Switch re-releases the count reaches nine boxes; Pikmin Bloom (2021) is a mobile walking game.
What is the newest Pikmin game?
Pikmin 4 on Nintendo Switch, released in July 2023 — a month after Pikmin 1+2, the HD ports of the GameCube games. Both run on Switch 2.
Is Pikmin 3 Deluxe the same as Pikmin 3?
It is the Wii U game with everything added: all the downloadable missions, a two-player story mode, new side stories with Olimar and Louie, and difficulty options. If you have a Switch, Deluxe is the version to buy.
Which Pikmin should I start with?
Pikmin 4 — the largest and most forgiving. If you want the classic thirty-day pressure, the original Pikmin (GameCube, or in Pikmin 1+2 on Switch).
Do you ship outside the Netherlands?
We ship to all 27 EU countries with track & trace. Parcels leave from the Netherlands, there are no customs charges within the EU, and your country’s exact rate appears at checkout before you pay.
Years given are the first release; European dates were sometimes a few months later. Onze GameCube-collectie in het Nederlands.