Pokémon Champions is getting a mixed response from fans, who have criticized the newly-launched free-to-play game for its lack of features, performance issues and limited roster of creatures.
Available now on Nintendo Switch and Switch 2, Pokémon Champions is pitched as the home of the franchise’s competitive battling scene for years to come. But it’s clearly still early days, and early reaction to the game has centered on the various features that Champions currently lacks, rather than what it includes.
At launch, Champions is focused around being an online-only multiplayer game. An internet connection is always required, which was perhaps to be expected, though there’s also no local wireless play — something fans had been hoping for. You also need to add other players manually, rather than use your Switch friends list.
Other disappointments among fans include a lack of standard 6v6 battles, and the small roster of currently supported Pokémon. Fans say just 185 Pokémon species are currently available to use in the game, out of more than 1,025 total. Mega Evolutions are available for many of these, however, which does add slightly to the total.
Visually, the game (which will also launch for smartphones later this year) has also been criticized. On Switch 2, fans say the game appears to be running at 30fps even while docked, while menu navigation is slow and icons appear fuzzy.
“This really feels like a beta test,” wrote MessyLessy on video game forum ResetEra. “I like a lot of the stuff that I’m seeing, but the performance issues, the missing content, etc etc are just so odd. Starting to think mobile is the main platform for this and that’s why it’s getting more time in the oven lol.”
“I’ve played this for about 1.5 hour so far, and I like it,” countered another fan, wijuci. “The only bad surprise so far is the very limited set of items! No Assault Vest? No Life Orb? Very surprising. No Light Caly either for my Ninetale, but that’s more niche so I get it. I’m ok with the choices they made for this first release (no terrain, many staples Pokémon unavailable) as it’s clear they will complete it later, but the item choice is a little too limited for my taste.”
“Pokémon Stadium 2 ran on an N64 in the year 2000 with more Pokémon, 6v6, offline play, and local multiplayer,” wrote maxdeploy via X/Twitter. “26 years of hardware progress to ship a downgrade.”
“The fact that I can’t do 6v6 against friends is honestly crazy,” added KaneMarcus. “The one thing I was looking forward to doesn’t exist. I get not having it in ranked but cmon why take it away from CUSTOMS.”
Fans had also been holding out hope for some kind of small single-player offering, perhaps offering a training mode or practice against AI opponents, though this is non-existent.
While Champions is a free-to-play game, it has arrived with various paid options to spend money — including a 12-month membership priced $49.99 (also available monthly, with a recurring $4.99 cost). For this, players can store more Pokémon and have more Battle Teams usable at one time, as well as unlock exclusive missions and battle music. A separate, one-off $9.99 Starter Pack also increases Pokémon storage space, and there is of course a Premium Battle Pass (priced at $6.99), which adds extra rewards and exclusive clothing.
Of course, The Pokémon Company has said it will add more features to Pokémon Champions over time — potentially until there’s 10,000 Pokémon species, rather than the current 1,000-odd — but it’s a rocky start for a game that’s designed to become the main competitive platform for the franchise in just a few months, ahead of regional tournaments and this summer’s annual Pokémon World Championships.
Tom Phillips is IGN’s News Editor. You can reach Tom at [email protected] or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social
