Today's Pokemon Presents livestream kicked off Pokemon Day and the franchise's 30th anniversary celebrations with a packed lineup of announcements across the entire Pokemon ecosystem. During the presentation, fans got new deatils on Pokemon Pokopia, a cozy life simulation game set to launch on March 5, and the highly anticipated first look at Pokemon Winds and Pokemon Waves, the tenth-generation mainline RPGs coming to Nintendo Switch 2 in 2027. In addition to those major announcements was a release window reveal for yet another upcoming Pokemon game, the competitive turn-based battle title Pokemon Champions, now confirmed to launch on the Nintendo Switch in April 2026.
Officially announced during last year's Pokemon Presents event, Pokemon Champions is a competitive battle-focused spin-off developed by The Pokemon Works and published by The Pokemon Company for Nintendo Switch, iOS, and Android. Designed as a turn-based strategy experience, Pokemon Champions channels the spirit of classic Pokemon Stadium-style matchups while introducing modern competitive mechanics and online matchmaking.
Pokémon Champions Could Change Pokémon Forever
The upcoming game, Pokémon Champions, may open the door to the competitive side of Pokémon for many people.
Pokemon Champions Brings Competitive Play to the Switch in April 2026
The biggest difference between Pokemon Champions and the mainline Pokemon games is simple in that it exists for the sole purpose of competition. There's no long story campaign to clear before ranked play opens up, and no gym badge checklist standing between players and some of the more serious battles. Pokemon Champions is structured around one-on-one and two-on-two matchups from the outset, with an emphasis on team building, type synergy, move selection, and strategy.
Who’s That Character?
Identify the silhouettes before time runs out.
Identify the silhouettes before time runs out.
Pokemon Champions' Core Features
- TURN-BASED STRATEGY: Built around classic turn-based Pokemon battles with strategic depth.
- COMPETITIVE FOCUS: Set as the official platform for major tournaments like the 2026 Pokemon World Championships.
- POKEMON HOME SUPPORT: Allows players to import Pokemon from PokEmon HOME into Champions.
- MULTIPLE FORMATS: Includes single and double battle formats like traditional competitive play.
- VARIED MODES: Offers different battle modes including ranked, casual, and private matches.
- MULTIPLATFORM PLAY: Available on Nintendo Switch, iOS, and Android with shared cross-platform features.
Traditionally (but not completely), competitive Pokemon has existed in whatever the latest mainline RPG happens to be, meaning players often have to grind through dozens of hours before properly engaging with tournament-level play. Pokemon Champions trims all that fat down and isolates the part of Pokemon that so many players care about the most—that being the battles themselves. Of course, the creature-collecting side of Pokemon will always be one of the franchise's most enduring characteristics, but sometimes players just want to see how their Pokemon fare against others.
Pokemon Champions Will Also Launch on Mobile Devices Later This Year
The April 2026 release window for Pokemon Champions applies to the Nintendo Switch version alone, making it one of the franchise's first major console launches of the year. However, mobile versions of the game for iOS and Android are expected later in 2026, which should significantly broaden the competitive player base.
Pokemon Champions is also expected to play a central role in organized competitive Pokemon moving forward. Rather than tying official tournaments to the mainline RPG, The Pokemon Company is essentially creating a dedicated platform for competitive play in Champions, giving it its own foundation separate from the story-driven mainline games.
Pokemon HOME integration has been confirmed as well, allowing players to bring over select Pokemon from other games.
So, yes, Pokemon Pokopia launches March 5. And yes, Pokemon Winds and Pokemon Waves mark the highly anticipated arrival of Gen 10 in 2027 on Nintendo Switch 2. Both are major announcements worth celebrating. Even so, Pokemon Champions' time to shine is now just around the corner with an April 2026 release window, and it's a pretty big deal for fans of competitive Pokemon. At the very least, it gives that crowd something to look forward to that is made especially for them.
- Released
- April, 2026
- Developer(s)
- The Pokémon Works, Game Freak
- Publisher(s)
- Nintendo
- Multiplayer
- Online Multiplayer
- Franchise
- Pokemon
WHERE TO PLAY
- Genre(s)
- Action, Fighting
