Six months after its console release, and four after arriving on mobile, Pokémon Champions has found its place: the official playground for Pokémon battles. Free, accessible and deep at the same time, it is not without flaws. Here is our review.
The best place to play Pokémon battles in 2026: finally simple training, brand-new Mega Evolutions and a real competitive circuit. The pace of progression and the still-partial Pokémon roster will put some players off.
- Simple, readable training, with no breeding or grinding
- Brand-new Mega Evolutions with real battle abilities
- The official game of the Championships, with a regular online circuit
- Free, cross-platform and linked to Pokémon HOME
- Rebalanced status conditions that reduce the role of luck
- A Pokémon roster that is still partial, regulation after regulation
- VP that melt away fast if you want to test lots of teams
- Classic items missing, such as the Choice Band
- Progression that mostly rewards ranked play
The formula: battling comes first, at last
The idea behind Pokémon Champions is crystal clear: remove everything that stands between the player and the battle. No more raising Pokémon for hours to get the right nature or the right stats: the 66 stat points and the stat alignment are set in a few seconds. For competitive players it is a revolution; for everyone else, a welcome way in.
What we liked
Mega Evolution gives the game its identity. The 81 Mega Evolutions, a good number of them coming from Pokémon Legends: Z-A, completely renew the meta, and brand-new abilities like Dragonize or Piercing Drill open up new strategies. The arrival of the Mega Z forms with Regulation M-C showed that the game knows how to reinvent itself. Cross-play between console and mobile works well, and the shared account lets you switch from one to the other without friction. Regular distributions of already-trained Pokémon help newcomers put together a credible team.What convinced us less
The Pokémon roster remains partial: each regulation adds some, but a few favorites are still missing. The Recruitment Ranch, with its selection that changes every 22 hours, can be frustrating when you are looking for a specific Pokémon. Finally, the VP cost of a Pokémon that is recruited and then fully trained holds back experimentation, even if tickets and trial recruitment ease the problem.Who is it for?
Competitive players
It is now the game of the Championships: there is not really a choice anymore, and that is a good thing.
The curious
Free and easy to pick up, it is the best way to discover strategic battling without spending hours raising Pokémon.
Adventure fans
There is no story and no exploration: only battles. The main series games are still the ones made for you.
