Pokémon Champions is bringing classic multiplayer battles to mobile next year

• Pokémon Champions is coming to mobile and Switch in 2026
• It features multiplayer player battles where you can use your Pokémon from Scarlet and Violet
• Alternatively, you can recruit and train Pokémon within the game itself

During today's Pokémon Presents, we were treated to several interesting announcements. Chief among them was Pokémon Champions, an upcoming game focusing entirely on the battling aspect of the series.

Releasing for iOS, Android and Nintendo Switch in 2026, it'll feature crossplay across those platforms and boasts compatibility with Pokémon Home alongside Scarlet and Violet. That's right. All those little (or not so little) creatures you've caught and trained over the years can fight by your side on mobile for the first time. Or you can recruit Pokémon from within Champions itself, but that's hardly the big selling point here, let's be honest.

Still, however you form your party, you'll then be able to take part in ranked or private battles, depending on if you're looking to face off against strangers or simply want to lose to your younger brother six times in a row because he just makes counters to all your Pokémon. What? It's just a hypothetical situation. I'm not bitter about it or anything... Anyway, you can choose between single or double battle formats.

Pokémon Stadium Pocket?

Pokémon Champions also offers up a few different ways to train your Pokémon. With it, you can tweak their stats, teach them new moves, adjust their nature, and even, judging by the trailer, change their ability. It does appear to cost some form of in-game currency to do all of this, however, so you might want to stick to perfecting your Chandelure in Scarlet before moving it over to Champions. Unless there are restrictions on that we don't know about yet, of course.

Even with that, it's a tantalising prospect for me personally. Despite not being particularly good at it, mostly due to stubbornly using Pokémon I like rather than those that are good, I love online battling. To do that on my phone is something I've been excited about ever since we first heard of Champions earlier this year.

Pokémon Champions will launch for iOS, Android, and Nintendo Switch sometime in 2026. Sadly, we don't have a more specific release date for you yet, but we'll let you know when that changes. While you wait, why not check out some of the best Pokémon games currently available on mobile?