The Pokémon Company has announced the major events where Pokémon Champions will debut ahead of Worlds 2026 in San Francisco, with major events in May outlining the transition to the new game.
Pokémon Champions was already announced as the platform that the VGC portion of the 2026 World Championships would be competed on last year, and, following the announcement of the release date, two events are confirmed to be using the game ahead of Worlds.
Pokémon Champions Debuts at Indianapolis Pokémon Regional Championships
Pokémon Champions is releasing on Nintendo Switch systems on Wednesday, April 8, and the first official Pokémon Championship Series event to use the new game will be the Indianapolis Pokémon Regional Championships.
That competition is scheduled to run from May 29 to May 31, with competitor registration opening next week, and it’s also been confirmed that the North America International Championships (NAIC) from June 12 to 14 will also have the VGC aspect take place on Pokémon Champions.
Pokémon Champions’ debut is a significant step forward for VGC in the franchise, which has previously taken place on the most recent generation of games.
Pokémon Scarlet & Violet were the most recent games used in VGC, but that comes with significant restrictions, as not every Pokémon is available in the games.
Additionally, the return of Mega Evolution to the Pokémon franchise with the release of Pokémon Legends: Z-A would not have impacted the VGC scene without the launch of Pokémon Champions, as Scarlet & Violet does not support Mega Pokémon, and Legends: Z-A uses a different battle format.
Pokémon Champions will become the mandatory platform for CP events in the 2027 season, starting September 1.
What are your thoughts on the launch of Pokémon Champions? Share your views in the Insider Gaming Discord.
For more Pokémon, read about the Mega Shine set coming to Pokémon TCG Pocket, and check out the full list of Shadow Pokémon in XD: Gale of Darkness.
Comments