Nintendo Switch players will have a new dedicated platform for Pokémon battles when Pokémon Champions launches in April 2026. Designed specifically around competitive and casual gameplay, the title will allow you to engage in Pokémon battles, in a style aligned to the mainline RPGs, with the last time something similar was offered being Pokémon Battle Revolution on the Nintendo Wii.
Players will have access to three different gameplay modes: Ranked Battles, Casual Battles and Private Battles. These modes can be played in both Single Battle and Double Battle formats. To assemble a roster, trainers can recruit new Pokémon directly within the game itself or import past partners using the Pokémon HOME service.
The integration with Pokémon HOME allows specific Pokémon to enter Pokémon Champions as visitors. If a transferred Pokémon possesses moves that are incompatible with the new game, it must undergo training to learn usable moves. These training results are retained if the Pokémon is sent back to Pokémon HOME and subsequently returned to Pokémon Champions, provided it does not change forms in the process.
Several promotional bonuses will be available around the game’s launch. Early adopters who download Pokémon Champions before a yet to be specified date will receive a Dragonite via their in-game mailbox.
Furthermore, an integration campaign with Pokémon Legends: Z-A will allow players to obtain Mega Stones for select Pokémon. By transferring a Chesnaught, Delphox, Greninja or Eternal Flower Floette befriended in Pokémon Legends: Z-A into Pokémon HOME, and then bringing them into Pokémon Champions as visitors, players will be rewarded with Chesnaughtite, Delphoxite, Greninjite and Floettite in their in-game mailbox.
