Pokémon Champions launched on Nintendo Switch on April 8, 2026, and is also supported on Nintendo Switch 2. It is a free-to-start game built around Pokémon battles, with Ranked, Casual, and Private options. You can recruit Pokémon in the game or bring eligible Pokémon in from Pokémon HOME, but Pokémon obtained in Champions cannot be transferred back to HOME.
Release date and supported systems
Pokémon Champions is available as a Nintendo Switch download. Nintendo’s product listing gives its release date as April 8, 2026, and its May 2026 investor presentation confirms that the game was released that day. Nintendo’s product listing also marks it as supported on Nintendo Switch 2, with behavior consistent with the Switch version. Nintendo Singapore says a free Switch 2 update provides clearer graphics. Nintendo Singapore’s launch announcement
Nintendo lists TV, tabletop, and handheld play. It notes that software compatibility and play experience may differ on Nintendo Switch Lite. The listing gives download sizes of 2.3 GB on Switch and 2.6 GB on Switch 2; these can change, so check the current store listing before downloading.
What kind of game is Pokémon Champions?
Champions centers on Pokémon battles rather than a traditional journey through a region. Nintendo describes Single Battle and Double Battle formats, and offers three ways to play:
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- Pokémon Champions + Starter Pack
- Ranked Battles: compete against other players and earn in-game Victory Points (VP) based on results.
- Casual Battles: try strategies without affecting your rank.
- Private Battles: play with friends or family online or through local wireless.
Battle mechanics draw on Pokémon types, Abilities, and moves from earlier games, including Mega Evolution. Nintendo lists Champions among the games to be used for the 2026 Pokémon World Championships; event rules and formats can change by season.
How to get Pokémon for your team
Recruit Pokémon in Champions
You can recruit Pokémon from a random lineup. VP lets you add Pokémon permanently, while a limited trial option lets you recruit one Pokémon per day temporarily. VP can also be used to train permanent team members by adjusting their stats, Abilities, and moves.
Rank #2
- Play as a Pokémon as you talk to, befriend and fight alongside your favourite characters
- Revisit the classic in this beautiful watercolour remake of the first Mystery Dungeon - on Nintendo Switch for the very first time
- Your personality decides who you are. Answer questions about yourself to see which of the 16 Pokémon starters you will become
- Meet over 386 Pokémon and go on adventures with your handpicked rescue team to save the world from natural disasters
- Explore Mystery dungeons that change terrain, enemies and rewards every time you enter?
Bring eligible Pokémon from Pokémon HOME
Pokémon HOME works with Champions on console and mobile, but transfers are selective and one-way in an important respect: only Pokémon that appear in Champions can visit from HOME, and Pokémon originally obtained in Champions cannot be sent to HOME. A visiting Pokémon may need its moves changed if it knows moves unavailable in Champions. Training done in Champions is not retained in HOME; when the Pokémon visits Champions again, its Champions training returns, subject to a form-change caveat. The Pokémon Company’s announcement describes these transfer limits.
Nintendo says HOME’s free Basic Plan supports transfers between compatible games. A paid HOME Premium Plan and Nintendo Switch Online subscription are not required for the Switch-version transfer use described in Nintendo’s FAQ. Read Nintendo’s Pokémon HOME FAQ
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- Revisit the Sinnoh region from the original Pokémon Pearl Version game and set off to try and become the Champion of the Pokémon League
- The Pokémon Shining Pearl game brings new life to this remade classic with added features
- Explore the Grand Underground to dig up items and Pokémon Fossils, build a Secret Base, and more.
- Test your style and rhythm in a Super Contest Show
- A reimagined adventure, now for the Nintendo Switch system
Is Pokémon Champions free?
The base game is free-to-start, with optional in-game purchases. Nintendo also lists a Champions + Starter Pack bundle, which includes 50 additional Pokémon storage spaces, 30 Teammate Tickets, 50 Training Tickets, and a “Battle! (Trainer Battle)” song featured in Pokémon: Let’s Go, Pikachu! and Pokémon: Let’s Go, Eevee!. The bundle is limited to one purchase per Nintendo Account, tied to that account, and not sold separately. Nintendo’s listing does not establish a current US price; check your regional store for current price and availability. See the Nintendo listing for current details
Do you need an extra controller?
Nintendo lists handheld, tabletop, and TV modes, but does not say that a separate controller is required. A compatible controller is optional if you prefer using one in a setup where the system is not being played handheld. Private Battles also support local wireless play. Nintendo’s product listing has the play-mode details
Rank #4
- Don the role of a Pokémon Trainer as you travel through Kanto
- Discover a new species of Pokémon with the Pokémon Lets Go series
- Catch Pokémon in the wild using a gentle throwing motion with either a Joy-Con controller or a Poké Ball Plus accessory, which will light up, vibrate, and make sounds to bring your adventure to life
- See the world in style by customizing Pikachu and your Trainer with a selection of outfits
- Connect to Pokémon GO* to transfer caught Kanto-region Pokémon, including Alolan and Shiny forms, as well as the newly discovered Pokémon, Meltan, from that game to this one!
Is the Dragonite launch bonus still available?
The Pokémon Company’s announcement offered a Dragonite claim to players who played before August 31, 2026. That early-play deadline has passed. The announcement says Dragonite can also be obtained by other methods, so the expired window was not its only route.
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