Nintendo has announced that the upcoming Pokémon Champions will get a Nintendo Switch 2 edition, and will be featured as the main game at the Pokémon World Championships next year.
A press release stated that Champions will replace Pokémon Scarlet and Violet in the 2026 Championships, held in San Francisco. Changing up the usual format, this time players will also be able to use Mega Evolutions – a first for the event.
The 2026 game was also confirmed to be a “free-to-start” title, with more details on paid digital versions coming in the future.
Pokémon Champions’ official website has also revealed more details on the game, such as cross-play support between Switch and mobile devices and compatibility with Pokémon Home (allowing players to bring Pokémon from previous games into Champions).
Announced early this year, Pokémon Champions was previously confirmed for the original Nintendo Switch, as well as iOS and Android devices.
Launching in 2026, the game is focused purely on Pokémon battling – similar to Pokémon Stadium and Pokémon Battle Revolution – as opposed to the narrative-based adventures of mainline games.
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Written by Reece Heather
A lifelong Nintendo fan and a longtime editor at Zelda Universe, Reece will forever be grateful that he somehow dodged the Naughty List of Christmas 1998, when Santa delivered the life-changing gift of a Nintendo 64 with Super Mario 64, Banjo-Kazooie, and Mario Kart 64. When he's not playing games, Reece is usually reading Punisher comics, delving helplessly into the weirdest depths of anime and manga, or spending time with his cocker spaniel Gracie -- the goodest girl ever!
