Pokémon VGC Rebrands as Pokémon Champions for a 2026 Competitive Era

Pokémon's VGC will move to the Pokémon Champions platform in 2026, with Champions launching on Nintendo Switch (and a free Switch 2 upgrade) on April 8, 2026. The first official events are Global Challenge I (May 1–4) and the Indianapolis Regional Championships (May 29–31; registration opens April 1), with the 2026 World Championships (Aug 29–30) also using Champions as the main battle platform; a mobile release is planned later in the year with detailed regulations on the Pokémon site.