Pokémon Champions has faced criticism for its low frame rate, numerous bugs, and lack of content.
Pokémon Champions has launched on the Nintendo Switch to mixed reactions, with the community criticising its visual quality and questionable format. One of the most significant issues involves transferring Pokémon from other games, as players are reporting that failed transfers have left their Pokémon stuck in limbo.
Pokémon Champions
Release date: 8 April, 2026
Platforms: Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch 2, mobile platforms (planned for later this year)
Developer: The Pokémon Works
What is Pokémon Champions?
Pokémon Champions introduces a new direction for the franchise's esports scene, focusing entirely on multiplayer battles, with no storyline or exploration. The game places players directly into matchmaking with a ranked progression system, similar to other competitive titles.
It uses a turn-based format, requiring players to carefully strategise their line-ups and Pokémon combinations to defeat their opponents. Pokémon can also be imported from mainline titles such as Pokémon Scarlet and Violet via Pokémon HOME.
How the community has reacted to Pokémon Champions
Following its launch, many Pokémon fans jumped in to experience the game’s battle-focused gameplay, but were met with several issues.
Players quickly pointed out the game’s underwhelming visuals, which are locked at 30 FPS and further affected by bugs, including one that significantly reduces in-game resolution.
Matchmaking has also been a point of frustration. While slower queues are common at launch, many players reported being kicked out of matchmaking and returned to the start screen. This has forced some to troubleshoot extensively–such as by restarting the game or adjusting their internet connection–just to enter a match.
One of the most divisive aspects is the use of the official Pokémon Video Game Championships (VGC) format, which limits players to deploying only three Pokémon instead of the traditional six. This restriction reportedly applies even in private matches. While some players understand the decision due to its alignment with official competitive rules, others question why a 6v6 mode is not available as an alternative.
In addition, several major bugs have been reported. One of the most serious involves players “losing” their Pokémon during transfers from other mainline games, with both titles displaying errors and the Pokémon effectively becoming stuck in limbo. Other issues include visual glitches, incorrect turn orders, inaccurate damage calculations, and more.
Players have also raised concerns about the limited Pokémon roster, with only 186 currently available. Some in-game items are also missing; however, a number of players do not view this as a major issue, noting that it encourages experimentation with the items.
Despite these problems, the game is still in its early launch phase, and players expect the developers to address these issues promptly. On a more positive note, some fans have also expressed optimism, believing Pokémon Champions has strong potential to improve and evolve over time.
