Pokemon Champions is the next big Pokemon game on the horizon that might well be able to distract everyone from Pokopia, if that’s even possible. Turns out the title that might well change competitive Pokemon gaming forever will be here sooner than you thought, as Nintendo has now confirmed Pokemon Champions will launch on April 8, 2026.
Pokemon Champions Releases On Nintendo Switch And Switch 2 On April 8
As Nintendo is prone to do, it dropped confirmation of Pokemon Champions’ release date out of nowhere on a random Tuesday afternoon. The new Pokemon game, which will let trainers engage in battles in a similar way to the Pokemon Stadium games, will be available on Switch – and hence Switch 2 – in a little over two weeks on April 8, with a mobile version launching later this year.
Along with a release date drop out of nowhere, Nintendo has also shared its most in-depth look yet at Pokemon Champions via a new six-minute video showcasing gameplay and detailing some of its features. Best of all, even though there won’t technically be a Switch 2 version of the game, the video confirms Pokemon Champions will be getting an update on launch day that enhances its visuals when played on the current-gen Nintendo console.
As is tradition in the Pokemon world, trainers will be tasked with assembling a team of six Pokemon to battle with in Champions. These Pokemon can be obtained in one of two ways – either through transferring compatible Pokemon to Champions after importing them from other games into Pokemon Home, or by recruiting one new Pokemon each day in-game which will then be available for you to battle with in-game for the following week.
Pokemon Champions Is Free With A Lot Of Paid Elements
Pokemon Champions will be a free-to-start game which, understandably, has some people worried. It seems like, if you’re only interested in playing casually, you won’t encounter many roadblocks playing Champions for free. However, if you want additional storage for your Pokemon, access to the game’s battle pass, and Champions’ membership, you will have to pay.
As noted above, there will eventually be a time when you don’t need to own Nintendo hardware to play Pokemon Champions. The Pokemon battler is coming to mobile, too, just not at the same time as it launches on Switch. Still no firm release date for the mobile version, but The Pokemon Company has promised it will be here before the end of 2026.
- Released
-
April, 2026
- Publisher(s)
-
Nintendo
- Multiplayer
-
Online Multiplayer
