SummaryPokémon Champions is coming to Nintendo Switch and compatible smart devices! Enjoy traditional Pokémon battles using familiar mechanics such as Pokémon Types, abilities, and moves, enabling rich and varied battle strategies that Trainers know and love. Pokémon Champions also supports cross-platform battles between Nintendo Switch and compatibl... Read More
Rated Efor Everyone
Developer:The Pokemon Works, Game Freak
Pokemon Champions
Released On:
Apr 8, 2026
Metascore
Mixed or Average
67
User score
Mixed or Average
5.0
My Score
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Metascore
Mixed or Average
67
23% Positive
7 Reviews
7 Reviews
74% Mixed
23 Reviews
23 Reviews
3% Negative
1 Review
1 Review
Apr 16, 2026
90
Pokémon Champions is the perfect starting point for anyone who wants to be the very best, making competitive Pokémon so much more accessible.
May 29, 2026
75
Pokémon Champions is a battle arena for those who like Pokémon but want to skip the main RPGs and dive straight into battling. Despite missing features and existing bugs, the game fulfills its premise and has real potential to become the definitive Pokémon battling experience.
User score
Mixed or Average
5.0
34% Positive
82 Ratings
82 Ratings
24% Mixed
57 Ratings
57 Ratings
43% Negative
103 Ratings
103 Ratings
Jul 22, 2026
10
Ignore the reviews from seething babies who have a sum total of 3 braincells between them. This game is for competitive pokemon and specifically VGC. If you like VGC or want to give it a shot this game is for you. There aren’t “game breaking bugs” or “unfair ranking systems” like the reviews say. Those reviews are being written by a bunch of man-children who can’t accept that because they can beat the mainline pokemon games, which are only challenging to 7 year olds, that doesn’t make them gods at competitive pokemon. The game is ranking you against other people and some of those people are going to be better than you, that’s reality, grow up and accept that you lost with some dignity. The fun is learning from losses and getting better. You will struggle when starting out, we all did. I started playing vgc online when I was 12 and I was terrible at it but I promise you if I could figure it out at 12 you can figure it out too. I have now been playing vgc for 9 years and I still make a ton of mistakes. Competitive pokemon is about constant growth and improvement and if you find enduring and slowly watching yourself get better at something that seemed challenging at first, this is for you. This game is for a specific group of players and if you aren’t a part of that group that is fine but don’t diss a game just because some random side game that was made for a specific group isn’t what you wanted. I hope more people will give this game and competitive a chance because it is such a fun experience and playing vgc has led me to so many fun places and let me meet so many great people. Don’t listen to the babies and let the large competitive scene just enjoy our game, I hope you’ll join us because we are having a ton of fun with champions.
May 5, 2026
10
This is the best game ever.Sure it may only be available in Nintendo switch, and it may lack a story **** this game is super fun
Apr 25, 2026
70
Pokémon Champions is surprisingly accessible without spending any money if you’re a casual VGC enthusiast. Launching with a few bugs and less content than fans of the series expected, it’s clear that we’ll have to wait for future updates to know where the series is heading in this purely online competitive Pokémon game. The fact that you can play the game without importing from Home by recruiting and tweaking stats on the fly makes this game a very competitive hub for the series. We hope future monetisation plans will not eventually wring out casual players from the game’s population. A tailored selection of Pokémon and items for this first season has both casual and competitive fans creating a brand-new meta for competitive play, and while it falls short in some areas, the game has the potential to become the ultimate generation-spanning battle arena for everyone.
Apr 13, 2026
70
The intent to lower the barrier to entry is clear, and improvements to competitive Pokémon preparation and in-battle information are noticeable. However, persistent frame drops, the lack of a replay feature, and an unstable Pokémon acquisition system leave this battle-focused platform feeling unfinished.
Apr 21, 2026
60
Right now, the game is sorely lacking in content, but if they expand the number of playable monsters (its Pokédex), introduce more mechanics such as Terastallising, Gigantamax, or even the long-forgotten Z-Moves, it could offer greater variety. The question is how much of the (surely massive) player base will remain by then. Right now, it's all about the novelty and the fact it's free, but once everyone's had a go, will there be more than just the hardcore fanbase left? We'll see. For now, Pokémon Champions is a good introduction for new players, but the seasoned veterans will surely feel that something is missing.
Apr 10, 2026
60
Ultimately, Pokémon Champions is an accessible VGC simulator that could have been quite enjoyable, but is held back significantly by pay-to-win elements and technical issues.
Apr 24, 2026
40
Pokemon Champions is a disappointing, battle-focused spin-off that lacks the depth, story, and visual flair needed to justify its existence over the mainline games. Marred by a limited roster and uncharacteristic pay-to-win mechanics, it fails to recapture the magic of Pokémon Stadium for both casual and competitive players.
Apr 29, 2026
10
Pokémon Champions is the PEAK competitive VGC experience. By stripping away the single-player grind and focusing entirely on deep, tactical double battles, it finally gives competitive players the pure simulator they’ve been waiting for. The streamlined teambuilding and highly refined meta force actual strategy and positioning over luck, making every match feel intensely rewarding.
Jul 22, 2026
7
Qu'attendre de plus d'un jeu de combat pokémon ? Evidemment, c'est mieux d'y jouer avec un minimum de connaissance en stratégie pokémon sinon c'est très dûr. Ma note changera sûrement quand le jeu sera complet.
May 3, 2026
7
Core battle gameplay is GREAT; Competitive depth is GREAT; Team building and roster freedom is GOOD; Accessibility for new players is GOOD; Long-term replay value is GOOD; Single-player / story content is VERY BAD; Progression and rewards is OKAY; Presentation and audio is GOOD; Monetization and value is MIDIOCRE; Platform support and convenience is GREAT. Overall is an GOOD game.
May 11, 2026
4
The game runs horribly, there's only TWO battle backgrounds, tons of Pokemon are missing, tons of Held Items are missing, and the Pokemon that ARE available are EMBARASSINGLY unbalanced (E.G., Basculegion, Dragonite, Archaludon, most Megas, etc.) Dialogue is extremely repetitive, it's hard to get VP when you have none, and cosmetics are RIDICULOUSLY expensive. There's too much RNG, no 6v6 or Triple Battles, and game-ruining bugs and glitches (like the timer glitch in Doubles which HALVES Move Time, making it almost unplayable). The game also looks AWFUL, Pokemon and trainer animations are janky, the Title and Shiny systems are terrible, and there are way too many Shiny hackers and smurfs... Despite this, it inherits most of the fun of VGC, makes getting competitive Pokemon easy, and is all-in-all very accessible for rising VGC Trainers... if you can tolerate the jank! Also, the game is coming to Mobile soon, so that's somewhat exciting! It feels like a mobile game already, so it makes sense...
Apr 12, 2026
4
Techniquement affreux, mal peaufiné, les menus et la navigation sont lent, le manque de Pokémon est flagrant. Il manque des mods de jeux essentiels également.
