Pokemon Champions Launch Guide: Release Times, Price, and Everything You Need to Know
- Sagar Mankar
- 2 days ago
- 3 min read
Pokémon Champions, the new free-to-play competitive battling game from The Pokémon Company and ILCA, launches on Nintendo Switch and Switch 2 on April 8, 2026.
It is also coming to iOS and Android later this year.
The game is built specifically around the competitive Pokémon Video Game Championships (VGC) format, and the developers intend to keep it running for the long haul.
Here is everything you need to know before jumping in.
What Exactly Is Pokémon Champions?
This is not your typical mainline Pokémon game. There is no catching, no exploring, and no story campaign to work through. Pokemon Champions is a pure competitive battler, designed from the ground up for ranked PVP play. Think Pokémon Stadium meets Pokémon Showdown, but with a modern live-service structure behind it.
The game is developed by The Pokémon Works, a joint venture between The Pokemon Company and ILCA, and published by Nintendo. Masaaki Hoshino, who previously worked on Pokken Tournament and Pokemon Unite, is the producer and development director driving the project.
As per Hoshino, "Pokemon Champions was created because we want to keep Pokemon battles around forever. I enjoy them myself and want everyone else to enjoy them, too."
Release Time by Region
Pokémon Champions goes live globally at 3:00 AM UTC on April 8. Here is a breakdown of release times by region:
US West: April 7, 8:00 PM PT
US East: April 7, 11:00 PM ET
Mexico: April 7, 9:00 PM CT
Brazil: April 8, 12:00 AM BRT
UK: April 8, 4:00 AM BST
Europe: April 8, 5:00 AM CEST
Japan: April 8, 12:00 PM JST
Australia: April 8, 1:00 PM AEDT
Since the game is free-to-start, there is no preload required. You can wishlist it on the Nintendo eShop to get notified the moment it goes live.
Pricing and What You Get
The base game is completely free. However, there is an optional Starter Pack bundle available at launch.
Starter Pack — $9.99
Box storage upgrade (30 → 80)
Exclusive Let's Go Pikachu/Eevee trainer battle music
50 Training Tickets + 30 Quick Tickets
Available anytime
Battle Pass
Free ($0): End-of-season rewards via ranked points
Premium ($6.99): Extra rewards + exclusive outfits
12-Month Subscription — $49.99
More Pokémon storage
More active battle teams
Exclusive member missions
Exclusive battle music
In-game purchases will also be available for cosmetics and convenience items. Hoshino has acknowledged that full monetization details are still being finalized, but there has been no confirmed pay-to-win element so far.
The first season of Pokemon Champions launches with Mega Evolution as its featured battle mechanic. Mega Stones can be earned through Victory Points gained from battles and events, so there is no hard paywall blocking access to them.
The team has also confirmed that past mechanics like Z-Moves will be reintroduced down the line.
As for the roster, only fully evolved Pokémon will be available at launch, in line with current VGC regulation sets.
The available Pokemon pool will rotate over time, similar to how VGC regulation sets have historically worked. The long-term goal, per Hoshino, is ambitious: "We want to include as many Pokemon as possible in the game. That's our goal," with a future pool potentially reaching anywhere from 2,000 to 10,000 Pokémon.
New Pokemon from upcoming mainline titles, including the recently announced Pokemon Winds and Waves, will be added to the game over time.
The game will also serve as the official platform for the 2026 Pokemon World Championships.
Platform Availability
Here is a quick rundown of where you can play:
Nintendo Switch: Available at launch
Nintendo Switch 2: Available at launch, with a free visual enhancement update
iOS and Android: Coming later in 2026 with full cross-play and cross-progression
No PlayStation, Xbox, or PC versions have been announced. An active Nintendo Switch Online subscription is required for online multiplayer.