Pokémon Champions
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Pokémon Champions is a strategy video game developed by The Pokémon Works and published by Nintendo and The Pokémon Company for the Nintendo Switch, Android and iOS. It is a spin-off of the Pokémon video game series focused on multiplayer gameplay. It was announced on February 27, 2025 during a Pokémon Presents livestream, alongside the gameplay reveal of Pokémon Legends: Z-A. The game was released on Nintendo Switch on April 8, 2026, with a port to iOS and Android to follow later the same year.
This is the first game from The Pokémon Works, a joint venture between The Pokémon Company and ILCA. As a turn-based strategy game, it is similar in gameplay to the Pokémon Stadium series of video games, and features compatibility with Pokémon Home, which allows it to connect with Pokémon Scarlet and Violet and other games on the Nintendo Switch, as well as cross-platform play between mobile platforms and Nintendo Switch. It supports Mega Evolution, and is expected to also feature other battle mechanics in future, including Terastallization. The game will also be used in place of the latest game in the mainline series at VGC events organized by Play! Pokémon, including the Pokémon World Championships. This will start with the Malaysia Master Ball League and the Indianapolis Regional Championships, scheduled for May 9–10 and May 29–31, respectively.
Gameplay
While mainline Pokémon video games up until Pokémon Scarlet and Violet are turn-based role-playing games that are also used for competitive tournaments like the Pokémon World Championships, Pokémon Champions is a concerted effort to separate the competitive battling aspect. Pokémon Champions primarily offers an experience centered around battling. There are ranked battles, casual battles, and an online tournament. Players can recruit Pokémon to their team by using VP, which can be gained through battling.
Reception
| Aggregator | Score |
|---|---|
| Metacritic | 68/100 |
| OpenCritic | 44% recommend |
Pokémon Champions received "mixed or average" reviews according to the review aggregator website Metacritic. On OpenCritic, 44% of critics recommended the game. Kallie Plagge of The Verge wrote that the game was "not newcomer-friendly" but also "frustrating for experienced players" and was "plagued with bugs". Lowell Bell of Nintendo Life called it "simultaneously the most accessible and flawed competitive Pokémon has ever been".