Can you change difficulty in Pikmin 4?

The player character and Pikmin stood around Oatchi in Pikmin 4.

The player character and Pikmin stood around Oatchi in Pikmin 4.

Finding out if you can change difficulty in Pikmin 4 can make or break someone's intention of buying it. After all, who wants to get stuck with a game that's either too easy or maybe too hard to enjoy? Previously, only one game has featured a way to set your difficulty, and that's the Pikmin 3 Deluxe edition re-release that came out in 2020.

In that game, players could choose Normal or Hard modes to begin with. An additional difficulty, Ultra-Spicy, was unlocked after beating the story on Hard or by porting your saved data from the Pikmin 3 demo. So will Pikmin 4 come with a difficulty toggle? Let's find out.

Pikmin 4 gameplay
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Credit: Nintendo
Pikmin 4 does not have difficulty settings

Can you change difficulty in Pikmin 4?

Pikmin 4 follows the original trilogy by not having a difficulty toggle, meaning that no, you don't have the option to change the difficulty in the game.

That said, it doesn't mean Pikmin 4 lacks accessibility features. Those are a much-welcomed addition for those new to the franchise, but the lack of difficulty toggles is a disappointing decision for those looking to add a bit more challenge to their adventure.

The biggest one is undoubtedly the rewind mechanic. This new feature allows you to load a previous save state, in case you want to redo a certain section, like a boss fight. You can even re-do an entire day if you want to.

There are no limits to how many times you can use the rewind feature, although there are some compromises you need to make. For instance, you'll have to reobtain all treasures or items you've acquired during the time you decided to revert.

Sadly, since there are no difficulty settings in Pikmin 4, you'll have to make up challenges for yourself to add that extra bit of spice to your playthrough. Perhaps a no rewind run?

And that's it! We have even more Pikmin 2 guides for you to enjoy. Check out all items in Pikmin 4 if you want to stay on top of things, as well as the best Oatchi abilities.