In a surprise overview trailer released in the official Nintendo YouTube channels, many things have been confirmed regarding the upcoming game, Pokémon Champions, including a finalized release date. Pokémon Champions is an upcoming PvP oriented Pokémon game coming to Mobile and the Nintendo Switch. Players will be able to enjoy turn-based battles similar to those seen in main line Pokémon games.
As such, many, including those interested in competitive Pokémon have been excited to receive any news regarding this upcoming title. Here is the trailer:
Release Date
Let’s get the most exciting news out of the way first. During this year’s Pokémon Day we received an approximate release window of the game releasing some time in April. Well as it turns out this “some time” is actually rather soon as the game will be releasing April 8th, 2026. Meaning there’s only about 2 week’s left from the release of this article to the game’s release!
However, that does not mean everyone will be able to jump into the game right away. As announced previously this April release is for the Nintendo Switch line-up of systems only. Tainers who are keen to play Pokémon Champions on their mobile devices will not be able to do so until later in the year. Now onto other news!
Collecting Pokémon To Use
Pokémon that you want to use in battle in Pokémon Champions can be collected via two unique methods:
- Pokémon Home: Pokémon that you’ve encountered in the Pokémon RPG games as well as Pokémon GO can be transferred to the storage app Pokémon Home. This app can then be connected to Pokémon Champions. This will allow you to use Pokémon you have previously captured and bonded with in those Pokémon games.
- Recruitment: Pokémon can also be “recruited” in the Pokémon Champions game itself. A Pokémon can be recruited once per day and initially, each Pokémon can be recruited a limited number of times. There are some caveats to this which will be discussed later below.
Team Building And Battle Formats
Each trainer will be required to build a team of six Pokémon at the start of battle. Trainers can see their opponent’s team of six Pokémon before the start of battle as they select which Pokémon to use each round. Not only that, there also seems to be an “Auto Team Build” button to quickly build a team of six from your existing Pokémon.
As for battle formats, both Double Battles and Single Battles will be available in the game from the start.
New Abilities
A news that is sure to excite those who have played Pokémon Legends: Z-A, we now have confirmation regarding what Mega Meganium, Mega Emboar, and Mega Feraligatr’s abilites are. Previously trainers could only speculate, as Legends: Z-A lacked abilities entirely. To add to the surprise, Mega Meganium and Mega Feraligatr are getting abilities completely new to the game: Mega Sol and Dragonize. Mega Emboar on the other hand, has the ability: Mold Breaker. As per Bulbapedia, ‘When a Pokémon with Mold Breaker uses a move, the effects of all Pokémon’s ignorable Abilities are ignored for the execution of that move. (Ignorable Abilities are most Abilities that could potentially negatively affect the success, damage, or effects of a move if possessed by the target of a move or its allies.) For example, a Pokémon with Mold Breaker that uses Earthquake can hit opponents that have Levitate.’
In terms of the new abilities, here is what we know:
- Mega Feraligatr gains Dragonize, which causes all Normal-type moves used by the Pokémon to become Dragon-type and receive a 20% power boost.
- Mega Meganium gains Mega Sol, which causes all moves used by the Pokémon to behave as if it were under the effects of harsh sunlight.
Battle Mode
Three battle modes had been announced previously and have been reiterated on in the trailer. These are:
- Ranked Battles: Battle against evenly matched trainers in an effort to achieve the highest rank possible.
- Casual Battles: Battle without having to worry about any win/loss records.
- Private Battles: Create a room or join a room someone you know have created via a Room ID and battle privately with your friends and family.
Along with these, another mode has been confirmed:
- Online Competitions: In-game competitions with specific rulesets that change each in-game season.
Collecting And Using VP
VP or Victory Points are the main currency in the game. You can collect VP by engaging in battles. Earned VP can be used in the following ways:
- Training: Train your Pokémon to customize their moveset, their nature and abilities, and their stat spreads. VP must be used separately for each customization.
- Recruitment: Typically you can only recruit once per day and recruited Pokémon must be returned after a 7 day period. However, with VP you can recruit multiple times during the day and even permanently recruit Pokémon that you like.
- Shop: You can access the in-game shop to purchase items that affect gameplay such as Held Items and Mega Stones. Or you can spend your VP to purchase cosmetic items and poses for your trainer or to purchase different in-game music tracks.
Packs and Pricing
While Pokémon Champions is a “Free-to-Start” game, it will release with a starter pack which will provide you with the following benefits:
- Increased Pokémon box size for a total of 80.
- Trainer Battle Track from the games Pokémon Let’s GO: Pikachu and Pokémon Let’s GO: Eevee.
- 30 Teammate tickets.
- 50 Training tickets.
An official international pricing for the starter pack has not been announced we do have the pricing of the starter pack and others via Japanese sources:
- Battle Pass: 1400 Yen (approx 8.81 USD) a season
- Starter Pack: 980 Yen (approx 6.17 USD)
- Membership: 700 Yen (approx 4.41 USD) a month or 7000 Yen (approx 44.06 USD) a year
While these might not necessarily reflect international prices, it does give a rough idea. We would anticipate the prices being slightly higher than the actual conversions due to taxes etc.
