Pokemon Champions is officially arriving this year, with a release set for April. In fact, it's only a few days away. While the release date just got confirmed, we've been anxiously waiting for news about it since its reveal came alongside Pokemon Winds and Waves. Currently, Pokemon Champions is slated to launch on the Switch 1, with a mobile release to follow later this year, with no Switch 2 upgrade confirmed so far.
The upcoming Switch game was first announced a year ago, and promises to let trainers get competitive as a battle-focused experience. The game is really for big Pokemon fans as it offers up the ability to fight with Pokemon from your collection across console generations using Pokemon HOME. So, if the concept of bringing all your favourite partners to the arena sounds like a dream scenario, then you're in the right place. Here is our helpful overview of everything you need to know about Pokemon Champions ahead of launch.
Pokemon Champions release date
The Pokemon Champions release date has been revealed as April 8, 2026. That's right, after the cryptic April launch window shown during the Pokémon Day 2026 stream for the series 30th anniversary, Nintendo finally has a firm date locked in the calendar.
The game is free to play, but there will be a starter pack available with it that includes the following:
- 50 more Pokemon in your storage box
- The Battle! (Trainer Battle) song from Pokemon: Let's Go, Pikachu! and Pokemon: Let's Go, Eevee!
- 30 Teammate Tickets
- 50 Training Tickets
You will have to purchase this starter pack, and there is also going to be a Premium Battle Pass and Membership option for you to buy in-game once it releases.
Pokemon Champions platforms
Pokemon Champions will launch on "the Nintendo Switch family of systems" as well as iOS and Android smartphones. It was also recently confirmed that it'll be heading to our list of upcoming Nintendo Switch 2 games as a "free-to-start" game that will also have a digital paid version.
We're still waiting for details on this paid version. However, we do know that cross-play support between Switch and mobile devices has been confirmed, and that Pokemon can be bought from Pokemon HOME in Champions as you work to assemble your dream team. We'll keep you posted as more information heads our way soon.
Pokemon Champions trailer
The first Pokemon Champions trailer shows off the overall vibe and aesthetic we might expect from the game. It begins with a blast from the nostalgic past, charting the best Pokemon games progression across console generations as players of all ages get in on the fun.
We see its humble origins on Game Boy, the Wii, Nintendo DS, and finally, a shot of a woman gazing in awe at a mobile device. The shot then changes to show a man sitting on his couch at home playing on the Nintendo Switch, and it's revealed that the two are locked into a real-time Pokemon Champions battle from across the globe.
Below is the most recent overview trailer as well, just in case you want to see some more gameplay depth ahead of the release date. Be warned, it is six minutes long, though.
Pokemon Champions gameplay
Pokemon Champions is a PvP game that is mainly centred around battling in turn-based matches. You'll have to use a team of six Pokemon that will be slimmed down to four after you pick and examine your opponent's selection and vice versa.
Just like in the RPG series, players take turns during battles, and will need to try to get their opponents' team down to zero HP in order to win. It's the classic formula; however, Mega Evolutions are confirmed to be in the game, so that should spice things up for veterans.
Champions also has different battle formats for players. Single battles are one-on-one showdowns. Double battles have teams of two Pokémon fighting against each other. Then there are also three online battle modes to keep in mind as well: Ranked battles, Casual battles, and Private battles
In Ranked battles, you'll be matched with trainers at a similar level to you to try and work your way up the ranks. Casual battles don't record wins or loses, so if you aren't super competitive or want to practice your stuff, you have a safe space to do so. Finally, Private battles lets you create a private room where your friends can play against each other once you share the ID with them.
On top of all these modes, Champions will have online competitions that feature different rules each season, keeping things fresh and exciting for players. The more you battle in general, the more VP (Victory Points) you earn, which is essentially a currency to train up your Pokemon as well as swap out any moves from their arsenal.
VP can also be used to Recruit more than once per day, buy Mega stones, and a whole bunch of other useful bits. So there is a very big incentive to start raking those up.
How to recruit Pokemon in Pokemon Champions?
From the most recent trailer, we now know that there are two main ways to obtain "battle-ready" Pokemon. The first is via the Pokemon HOME app where you can transfer your pokemon from past games as well as Pokemon Go. You'll have to link the Pokemon HOME app to Pokemon Champions, but after doing so, all your past friends should be there waiting to brawl.
The second way to get Pokemon is via the "Recruit" feature. Once per day, you'll be able to pick a Pokemon from your team to recruit a random Pokemon that appears in Champions. However, recruited Pokemon can only be used for seven days. So, I'd personally suggest going down the Pokemon HOME route.
By using VP, you can permanently recruit a Pokemon if you really want to stick with the recruit function, but I'm guessing that will be pretty pricey, so keep that in mind as well.
Pokemon Champions developer
Pokemon Champions is being developed by The Pokemon Works, which also developed Pokemon Sleep and is tasked with maintaining Pokemon HOME. It makes Pokemon Champions' built-in synergy with the cloud service make that much more sense, but the studio isn't going it alone.
Mainline franchise developer Game Freak is supporting The Pokemon Works by "carrying out the planning for this project," teaming up to deliver a confluent PvP online experience that still feels part of the broader Pokemon universe.
Check out our roundup of all of the new games for 2026 (and beyond) on the way.
