Pokémon Champions, the upcoming Pokémon battling game, has been confirmed to release on April 8th. The game will also receive a free Switch 2 update at launch, offering enhanced visuals. A release date for the mobile version of the game is still yet to be confirmed.

The game primarily focuses on building Pokémon teams for competitive online battles, featuring both single and double battle formats.

Described as a “free-to-start” game, Champions will allow players to transfer Pokémon from Pokémon Home for free, albeit with limited box storage. An optional starter pack will be available to purchase at launch, granting 50 additional spaces to the storage box, as well as the “Battle! (Trainer Battle)” song from Pokémon: Let’s Go, Pikachu! and Pokémon: Let’s Go, Eevee!.

The starter pack also includes 30 Teammate Tickets and 50 Training Tickets, which allow you to recruit and train Pokémon without using VP, which is the currency you earn from battling.

A membership and premium battle pass have also been confirmed, offering additional benefits and content.

Here are more details on the game:

• Pokémon Battles – Pokémon Champions focuses on competing online against Trainers from near and far in turn-based, one-on-one Single Battles or two-on-two Double Battles. Gather a team of six Pokémon to challenge your opponents and make use of strategies like swapping Pokémon mid-battle, powering them up with Mega Evolution, making use of type advantages and more to secure victory. Decisions you make on the fly could influence the tide of battle, so choose wisely.
• Recruit Pokémon – Recruit battle-ready Pokémon in two ways: Connect to the Pokémon HOME app where certain Pokémon you’ve obtained and transferred from the Pokémon RPG series and the Pokémon GO app will be available to join your team. Or, recruit one random Pokémon per day, which will be available to you for one week and only usable in Pokémon Champions. You can also use Victory Points (VP) to recruit multiple Pokémon in a single day. Plus, spend VP to recruit Pokémon permanently.
• Online Modes – Test your skills in Ranked Battles and aim for the top spot against similarly ranked Trainers. Experiment freely in Casual Battles, where wins and losses aren’t recorded. And in Private Battles, create a room and battle against anyone with the Room ID. There will also be in-game Online Competitions, which have preset rules that change every season.
• Victory Points (VP) –Earned VP can be spent in several ways. In addition to recruiting Pokémon, you can spend VP to train Pokémon and adjust their moves, abilities, stat points, Natures and more. Head to the in-game Shop and you can also exchange VP to purchase various things such as held items, Mega Stones, battle music, and even new looks and styles for your trainer – including clothing, Poké Ball throwing styles and more.