Pokémon Champions Has Finally Been Confirmed To Be A Free-To-Play Game
August 18, 2025
While Pokémon Legends: Z-A will look to redefine what the series is capable of, Pokémon Champions is ready to take the already existing competitive scene to new heights. A fully battle-focused new game, Pokémon Champions seems to be Game Freak's solution to the overloading of formats and the ever-growing roster of Pokémon across generations. Champions seems to very much be invested in streamlining the battling process, presenting itself as the definitive experience for battles going forward.
Never before has Pokémon emphasized battling this much, and now players will soon be able to take the fight to their friends even from their phones. Pokémon Champions has finally been confirmed to be a free-to-start game, and it will also support cross-platform play and cross-saving between mobile devices and Nintendo Switch systems. Champions isn't just making it mechanically easier to dive into the competitive scene; it will also make battling as accessible as possible.
With Pokémon Champions officially set to release in 2026, the wait for a generation-defining game won't be too long now.
Free-To-Play, Pay-To-Win?
Pokémon Champions will be free-to-play, but The Pokemon Company has also announced a paid digital version, Pokémon Champions + Starter Pack, that will be available for purchase on Nintendo Switch systems. This obviously raises some concerns about a potential lack of balance among players, but it's highly unlikely that a paid version will completely break the experience. At worst, it will offer a unique Pokémon for any buyers. Everything else, other than cosmetics, can be acquired by simply playing the game. An early headstart won't affect players in the long-term.
To clarify that further, Victory Points (VP) are a free currency in Pokémon Champions that players can obtain by simply getting into battles. This is what players will use to customize their Pokémon in Champions. For example, it costs 2 VP to raise one single stat point and 200 VP to switch to a different nature. VP cannot be directly purchased, so the developers do seem to want a fairly level playing field. Money will not let you bypass the core gameplay loop.
A New VGC Experience
The 2026 Pokémon World Championships will be using Pokémon Champions as the main video game for the event. This will be the first time that a non-mainline format will be used for a VGC tournament. Not much has been said about what the format will include, but Pokémon Champions does seem to support every battle mechanic that has existed to this point. Complete chaos may be in store.
