Pokémon Champions Looks to Have a Solid Training Suite, As It Aims for a 2026 Launch

Pokémon Champions, the battle-focused Pokémon game, got a new trailer at today’s Pokémon Presents. The competitive Pokémon game is aiming to arrive in 2026, and it’s got a surprisingly solid suite of Pokémon training options packed in.

In today’s trailer, we got an overview of the main pillars of Pokémon Champions. Pokémon can either be brought in from Pokémon Home, or recruited directly in Pokémon Champions, to fill out a competitive roster for both Singles and Doubles battles.

The surprising feature shown off today was in the training section, where The Pokémon Company showed options that will let players set specific statistical parameters for their Pokémon, as well as opting for specific movesets or “stat alignments.”

These statistics, known in the Pokémon community under names like EVs and natures, are the backbone of Pokémon training for those who want to max out their potential. Having the option to set these, alongside movesets, within Pokémon Champions should hopefully make for a streamlined competitive experience. Mixed in with all this is a mysterious currency, “VP,” which looks to meter specific aspects of training, like setting new statistics.

There are both Ranked and Private Battles for facing off with other Trainers, in both Single and Double battles. And plenty of animations, too, to show off all your freshly trained Pokémon’s cool new moves.

Pokémon Champions is currently aiming for a 2026 release on both Nintendo Switch and mobile through iOS and Android.

Eric is a freelance writer for IGN.