Dandori Academy is a new mode in Pikmin 4 Nintendo Switch 2 Edition where you clear timed stages by collecting treasure as quickly as possible. You can practice any stage as often as you like, but each official exam can be taken only once per week, and exams are open on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. Your results earn medals that unlock rewards such as user icons, and your scores go on online leaderboards.
The mode came out on November 12, 2026 as part of the Switch 2 Edition, or through the $9.99 upgrade pack if you already own Pikmin 4, which our guide to what the Switch 2 Edition upgrade adds covers. Here is how the exams, tiers, medals and leaderboards work, from Nintendo’s listings and its trailer.
What Dandori Academy Is
Dandori is Pikmin’s word for planning: deciding which Pikmin go where, in what order, so nothing sits idle. Nintendo’s product page calls the Academy “an extensive series of Dandori exam stages for you to test your skill and earn in-game medals.”
It is a solo, score-attack mode. That makes it different from the two Dandori modes already in Pikmin 4:
- Dandori Challenges in the base game are one-off timed caves you clear during the story.
- Dandori Battles are head-to-head races against a rival or a second player.
- Dandori Academy is a growing set of graded exam stages with a weekly schedule, medals and leaderboards.
How Exams Work
Nintendo’s UK listing explains the core rule: “Exams are held each week on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. You can practise each stage as much as you want, but you can only attempt the exam once per week.”
The trailer shows what a stage looks like. The example, Gargantuan Garden, opens on a title card with its goal and limit: “Collect all the treasure and gold nuggets! Time Limit 05:30.” During the run:
- A countdown timer sits at the top center of the screen.
- Your score builds in the top left as treasure reaches the ship.
- Each treasure shows how many Pikmin it needs, as in the main game.
When you finish, a “Finish!” screen shows your time, then a results screen lists every treasure with its point value. In the example, gold nuggets, grapes, a potato, a sweet potato, an eggplant, green grapes, a pumpkin and a watermelon are all tallied, the watermelon alone worth 100. The total is marked “New Official Score!” with a medal beside it. Going by the labels, exam runs set your official score, and practice runs are for learning the route.
Nintendo has not said which time zone the weekend window follows, or whether it resets at midnight local time. Check the in-game schedule before leaving an exam until late Sunday.
Difficulty Tiers and How Many Stages
The trailer shows three tiers, each marked with flames:
| Tier | Flames |
|---|---|
| Elementary | 1 |
| Advanced | 2 |
| Graduate | 3 |
Each tier has its own report card. On the Elementary card in the trailer, exams are numbered Exam 1 to Exam 12, and each exam has two slots, A and B. Three tiers of 12 exams with two stages each works out to 72, which matches Nintendo’s promise that “72 Dandori Academy stages will be released over time.”
They were not all there on day one. Nintendo says there will be “six stages available each month,” so if that pace holds, the full set takes about a year to roll out. Nintendo also says “there will be easier stages for beginners to try out,” which is what the Elementary tier is for.
Medals, Points and Rewards
“You’ll earn medals based on how well you do in the exams, which you can use to unlock rewards, such as user icons,” per Nintendo’s UK listing.
The trailer’s report card shows how that is tracked. Next to your explorer’s portrait it lists your name, a Dandori Status (the example reads “Whiz Kid”) and your Dandori Points (300 in the example). Each exam slot fills with the medal you earned, and the trailer shows at least three different medal designs: silver, gold, and a blue ribboned one. Nintendo has not named the medal tiers or published the score needed for each, and it has not listed the rewards beyond user icons.
Leaderboards
Scores go on online leaderboards. The trailer shows a screen called the Master Board, with a Scoreboard on the L button, a Friend Board on R, and Update on X, so you can compare against everyone or just friends.
Online features need a Nintendo Switch Online membership and a Nintendo Account, per Nintendo’s fine print. Nintendo has not said whether the exams themselves need a membership, only the online parts.
Tips for Better Exam Scores
The mode is not out yet, so these come from how Dandori works in the base game and from what the trailer shows of exam scoring.
- Use your practice runs. You get unlimited practice and one exam a week, so learn the route first.
- Go for value early. The results screen shows treasures are worth very different amounts. Send big groups to the high-value items first.
- Never leave Pikmin idle. The core of Dandori is overlap: start one group carrying while another breaks a wall.
- Use Oatchi. He smashes obstacles and carries you and your Pikmin, and in the Switch 2 Edition you can also give him voice commands like “Rush!” and “Go to work!”
- Start on Elementary. Clearing the easy stages builds your Dandori Points and gets you used to the scoring before the Graduate stages.
If you enjoy timed challenges, our lists of the best GameCube games and best Wii U games cover the earlier Pikmin games that built this style of play, and our best Switch 2 games list has more for the console.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Dandori Academy in Pikmin 4? A new Switch 2 Edition mode of timed exam stages where you collect treasure as fast as possible, earning medals and leaderboard scores.
When can you take Dandori Academy exams? Every Friday, Saturday and Sunday. You can practice any stage at other times.
How many times can you take an exam? Once per week. Practice is unlimited.
How many Dandori Academy stages are there? Nintendo says 72 will be released over time, six per month, across the Elementary, Advanced and Graduate tiers.
Is Dandori Academy free? No. It comes with Pikmin 4 Nintendo Switch 2 Edition, or with the $9.99 upgrade pack if you own the Switch version.
Do you need Nintendo Switch Online for Dandori Academy? For the online leaderboards, yes. Nintendo has not said the exams themselves need a membership.