How to unlock new regions faster

Regions unlock sequentially once the current one hits roughly 40% restoration, which is driven by habitats built, Pokémon befriended, and requests completed — so spread effort across activities rather than perfecting one corner.

Withered Wasteland is the only region open at the very start; finishing its "Yawn Up a Storm" request opens Bleak Beach and Rocky Ridges simultaneously, and pushing through the main story in both of those then opens Sparkling Skylands. You can't skip ahead — each region's exit only opens once the current one crosses its restoration threshold, reported at around 40%.

That restoration percentage is a blend of habitats built, Pokémon befriended, land cleared, and structures placed, rather than any single quest checkbox, so the fastest way to hit it is to keep doing a bit of everything (build a habitat here, befriend a wandering Pokémon there, clear some terrain) instead of grinding one activity to completion. Reaching that 40% mark typically takes somewhere around 6-8 hours of regular play per region.

Regions: Withered Wasteland, Bleak Beach, Rocky Ridges, Sparkling Skylands

The 40% threshold and 6-8 hour estimate come from a single guide and aren't independently cross-verified against a second source.