Pokémon Champions launches in two weeks with day-one Switch 2 upgrade

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Published Mar 24, 2026, 10:54 AM EDT

A Starter Pack will give you 50 battle-ready monsters right off the bat

Pokémon Champions, the monster-collecting series' new competitive battle game, will launch on April 8 for Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch 2 with graphical enhancements. It will release as a free-to-start game with a Premium Battle Pass, though players can spend money to buy a Starter Pack that gives them 50 Pokémon instantly.

Revealed last February, Pokémon Champions is set to change the series' competitive scene in a big way. It will replace the mainline Pokémon games at events like Pokémon World Championships, making it the go-to game for those looking to battle. Ahead of its release in two weeks, we now know exactly how the game will work.

Pokémon Champions will feature both online one-on-one and double battles where trainers bring in a traditional team of six monsters. Mega Evolutions can be used in battle as well. The game will launch with both a Ranked Mode and a Casual Mode. The game will feature Online Competitions with preset rules on a seasonal basis, too.

Players can add Pokémon to the game through the Pokémon Home app, which allows them to transfer their favorites from the RPGs (including Pokémon Legends: Z-A) and Pokémon Go. New monsters can also be recruited once a day in Pokémon Champions itself. They'll come with random stats and movesets and can only be used temporarily. A currency called Victory Points (VP), which is earned from battles, can be used to recruit more in a day or keep monsters permanently. VP can also be used to adjust monster stats, buy Mega Stones, get customization items like ball-throwing animations, and more.

While Pokémon Champions is free-to-start, it's optional in-game purchases are still a bit hazy. Players can buy a Starter Pack that gives them 50 Pokémon, extra music tracks, 30 Teammate Tickets, and 50 Training Tickets. The price for that has yet to be revealed. The cost of the game's Premium Battle Pass and Membership option are still a mystery, too.

Pokémon Champions launches on April 8 for Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch 2. The Nintendo Switch 2 version will feature enhanced visual performance at launch. There's still no news on when the game's mobile version is launching.

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