Some Fans Will Get to Play Pokemon Champions Before Others

Pokemon Champions is coming to Nintendo Switch 2 and the original Switch in April, but PAX East 2026 attendees will get a chance to play the game a little bit early. Pokemon Champions will essentially act like the Pokemon Stadium games on Nintendo 64, allowing players to participate in battles using their Pokemon from past games, but this time through the use of Pokemon Home. However, the game will still allow new players to recruit Pokemon on either a trial or permanent basis. Battles will be in the classic turn-based style, as opposed to the real-time battle system seen in Pokemon Legends: Z-A.

Pokemon Scarlet and Violet are the two games currently used at competitive Pokemon events, but that will change starting this year. Pokemon Champions will be taking the place of mainline games at VGC events, such as the Pokemon World Championships. In a first for the series, Pokemon Champions will bring in multiple battle gimmicks from previous Pokemon generations; the first trailer showed a Mega Charizard X in battle against a Terastallized Dondozo. It seems that Mega Evolution will be getting the primary focus when the game launches, though. Pokemon Champions will be free-to-start, but players can expect that some paid transactions will appear in the game.

Pokemon Legends: Z-A Gets New Update for March 2026

A new update is available now for Pokemon Legends: Z-A on Nintendo Switch 1 and 2, apparently resolving a number of issues in the game.

Pokemon Champions at PAX East 2026

Nintendo has confirmed that Pokemon Champions will be one of multiple games playable at PAX East 2026, which runs from March 26 to 29. In addition to Pokemon Champions, Pokemon Pokopia and Super Mario Bros. Wonder — Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Meetup in Bellabel Park will also be playable at the event. That happens to be the same day that the latter game is released on Nintendo Switch 2, so this should be the perfect opportunity to test out some of the new features that are being added to Super Mario Bros. Wonder. Pokemon Champions and Pokemon Pokopia will both be located at booth 18031 at the event, while Super Mario Bros. Wonder — Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Meetup in Bellabel Park will be found at booth 18019.

Who’s That Character?

Identify the silhouettes before time runs out.

Who’s That Character?

Identify the silhouettes before time runs out.

Easy (7.5s)Medium (5.0s)Hard (2.5s)Permadeath (2.5s)

Pokemon Champions is slated to arrive on Nintendo Switch 2 and the original Switch in April, but an actual release date has not been announced. In addition to Nintendo’s platforms, the game will be coming to iOS and Android devices sometime later this year. The prospect of participating in classic Pokemon battles on a mobile device could be a very big deal. Since Pokemon can be transferred from Pokemon Go to Pokemon Home, and then used in Pokemon Champions, this might even open the doors to players who have never tried the classic turn-based battles that the series is known for. Having the game on mobile will also make it easier for players to casually participate in ranked, casual, and private battles when it’s less convenient to do so on Switch.

With April quickly approaching, a release date for Pokemon Champions should be announced fairly soon. It’s possible the game could get a surprise drop on the Nintendo Switch eShop, but hopefully, fans are given some notice ahead of time. At this time, Pokemon Champions is the only remaining Pokemon game set to be released before the end of the year, following Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen, as well as Pokemon Pokopia. Pokemon Pokopia has already sold more than 2.2 million copies, and Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen continue to dominate the Switch eShop charts. It will be interesting to see if Pokemon Champions is received as warmly, but all of this Pokemon content has helped fans celebrate the franchise’s 30th anniversary in a big way.