Pokémon Legends Z-A has just received an exciting expansion that brings fresh content to trainers exploring Lumiose City. The game is getting new side quests and a major DLC called Mega Dimension that will launch on December 10, 2025, for both Nintendo Switch 2 and the original Nintendo Switch systems.
The heart of this expansion centers around a mysterious new area called Hyperspace Lumiose. This isn’t your ordinary version of the city you’ve explored before. Instead, it’s a warped dimension where spatial distortions have created portals to an entirely different realm. The game introduces players to Ansha, a donut chef who becomes your guide through this strange new world alongside the Mythical Pokémon Hoopa.
What makes Hyperspace Lumiose particularly interesting is how it functions mechanically. Ansha creates special donuts using Berries, and when Hoopa consumes these donuts, its powers awaken. This awakening transforms the spatial distortions scattered around the city into portals that lead into hyperspace itself. Different types of donuts grant different effects when you’re exploring hyperspace, such as powering up your Pokémon to help them battle stronger opponents. Ansha can also craft more potent Hyperspace Berries that create even more powerful donuts, which become essential when you’re facing the high-level Pokémon that inhabit Hyperspace Lumiose.
One of the most striking features of this new dimension is that Pokémon here can actually exceed the normal level 100 cap through something called hyperspace levels. This means you’ll encounter Pokémon that are significantly stronger than anything you’ve faced in the regular game. The dimension is also home to newly discovered Mega-Evolved Pokémon and other creatures that don’t typically appear in regular Lumiose City, making exploration feel fresh and rewarding.
The expansion also brings new side missions to the game. One particularly notable side mission is called “Shine Bright like a Gemstone,” which became available starting November 6, 2025. This mission is special because you don’t need to purchase the Mega Dimension DLC to access it. The mission ties into obtaining Diancie and a Diancite Stone through the Mystery Gift feature. Once you have the Diancite Stone, you can use it to Mega Evolve Diancie into Mega Diancie, adding a powerful new form to your team.
The side mission system in Pokémon Legends Z-A already contained 120 optional missions before this expansion, and these new additions expand that roster further. Side missions in this game serve as small tasks you can complete while progressing through the story. They’re not required to finish the main narrative, but they help you complete your Pokédex and reward you with various items, currency, and special abilities. Some missions unlock specific features like Holovators or special moves, while others provide you with berries, Poké Balls, and experience candies that help your team grow stronger.
The timing of this expansion is interesting because it comes just as the game has been available to players for a while, giving the developers time to understand what trainers want and need. By introducing Hyperspace Lumiose as a completely separate dimension with its own rules and mechanics, the game essentially offers a brand new area to explore without replacing any existing content. Everything you’ve already discovered in regular Lumiose City remains unchanged, but now you have this additional realm to venture into.
The Mega Dimension DLC represents a significant content drop for the game. Rather than just adding a few new Pokémon or items, it introduces an entirely new location with unique mechanics, new Mega Evolutions, and fresh challenges. The fact that Pokémon can exceed level 100 in this dimension suggests that the difficulty scaling here is meant to challenge even experienced trainers who have already completed the main story and leveled up their teams significantly.
For trainers who enjoy collecting Pokémon, Hyperspace Lumiose offers the chance to find creatures that don’t normally appear in the regular game world. This encourages exploration and gives players a reason to venture back into Lumiose City even after they’ve finished the main campaign. The new Mega Evolutions discovered in this dimension add to the strategic depth of battles, as Mega Evolution has always been a key mechanic in Pokémon games for turning the tide of difficult encounters.
The involvement of Hoopa, a Mythical Pokémon, adds lore significance to this expansion. Mythical Pokémon are typically rare and special in the Pokémon universe, so having Hoopa play a central role in unlocking Hyperspace Lumiose makes the dimension feel important to the overall story of the game. The mechanics of using donuts to awaken Hoopa’s powers and create portals is a creative gameplay element that ties the narrative and mechanics together in an interesting way.
Trainers who haven’t yet experienced Pokémon Legends Z-A should know that this expansion gives them even more reason to pick up the game. The base game already offers a substantial experience with its 120 side missions and main story, but the Mega Dimension DLC adds another layer of content that extends the playtime considerably. For those already invested in the game, the December 10 release date gives them something to look forward to and a reason to return to Lumiose City.
The free side mission “Shine Bright like a Gemstone” that’s already available serves as a nice preview of what’s coming. By making this mission accessible without requiring the DLC purchase, the developers are giving all players a taste of the new content and the chance to obtain Mega Diancie, which is a powerful addition to any team. This approach helps build excitement for the full DLC release while rewarding the entire player base.
The expansion also demonstrates how Pokémon Legends Z-A continues to evolve after its initial release. Rather than abandoning the game after launch, the developers are actively creating new content that gives players reasons to keep playing. The December 10 release date means trainers have about a month from the current date to prepare their teams and complete any remaining side missions in the base game before diving into Hyperspace Lumiose.
For competitive players and those who enjoy challenging battles, the high-level Pokémon in Hyperspace Lumiose and the new Mega Evolutions offer fresh strategic opportunities. Building teams specifically designed to handle these challenges becomes a new goal for dedicated trainers. The hyperspace levels mechanic suggests that the developers have thought carefully about how to make this new area feel genuinely different from the rest of the game rather than just being a reskin of existing content.
The expansion also highlights how important Mega Evolution remains to the Pokémon franchise. By introducing newly discovered Mega
