Pokémon Champions release date year confirmed as new trailer arrives online

Inspired by the Nintendo 64-era Pokémon Stadium series, Champions was first announced for Switch consoles and mobile in a Pokémon Presents earlier this year.

Until now, though, we had no idea when it was set to come out, but thanks to this new trailer, it has now been confirmed that Pokémon Champions is scheduled to release in 2026.

As well as the release date, the new trailer shared some new information about the gameplay itself.

Players will be able to battle with Pokémon obtained within Champions itself, or with Pokémon transferred over from other titles via Pokémon Home.

Players will be able to take on Ranked Battles against friends or against online opponents in both Single and Double Battle formats.

It also makes developing your Pokémon incredibly convenient, seemingly allowing players to spend in-game currency to alter a Pokémon's IVs, EVs and nature alongside their moves and ability.

It's not entirely clear yet exactly how this will work, nor how the in-game currency is earned, however.

As for battle mechanics, the game has already been confirmed to feature Terastallization, tying in with Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, but has also been confirmed to feature Mega Evolution, likely as a means of tying in with the upcoming Legends: Z-A.

Many players have already lauded the game as the future definitive way to play Pokémon competitively, with many claiming that the game is set to supersede the main series games at events such as the Pokémon World Championships.

Whether that will come to pass is sadly beyond the scope of our predictive powers. What we do know, however, is that Pokémon Champions looks to be a game for fans to get excited for.

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