Pokémon Champions: New details revealed for Switch and mobile battling game

Pokémon’s Nintendo Switch and mobile battling game, Pokémon Champions, has been given a 2026 release date.

During a livestream on Tuesday, The Pokémon Company debuted a new look at the battle-focused game and revealed details on its gameplay.

There will be three different battle modes available in Pokémon Champions, playable in both Single Battle and Double Battle formats, it said.

Ranked Battles allow players to test their skills against other Trainers online, based on their skill level. Meanwhile, Casual Battles remove the skill element, and Private Battles are for playing against friends.

“In Pokémon Champions, Trainers can recruit Pokémon to join their teams and battle other Trainers,” TPC said. “Trial Recruitment allows Pokémon to join the player’s team for a limited time—letting them try out a Pokémon in battle straight away and test strategies.

“Permanent Recruitment uses Victory Points (VP)—which are gained from various methods such as Ranked Battles—to add Pokémon to the player’s team permanently. Players can also use VP to train Pokémon according to their own preferences, including altering their stats and Abilities.”

When Pokémon Champions was announced earlier this year, TPC said players will be able to transfer their Pokémon from Pokémon Home.

While a complete list of compatible games wasn’t announced, both console games such as Pokémon Scarlet and Violet and mobile games like Pokémon Home were referenced, suggesting the vast majority of currently available Pokémon will be usable in the game.