Nintendo Switch 2 Is Getting a New Pokemon Game in 2026

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Pokemon Pokopia‘s launch as a Switch 2 exclusive felt like the end of an era. But we will get at least one more Pokemon game on the original Nintendo Switch before Pokemon leaves it behind. The upcoming console and mobile hybrid battle simulator, Pokemon Champions, will launch for the Nintendo Switch on April 8th. But one detail has largely flown under the radar in conversations about the upcoming game. And that’s the fact that it will not just be backwards compatible on Switch 2, but get its own version for the console, as well. Pokemon Champions, like Legends: Z-A before it, will come to the Switch 2 with an upgraded version of the game that makes use of the console’s capabilities.

Pokemon Champions Will Have a Free Switch 2 Upgrade at Launch

Image courtesy of The Pokemon Company

Now that the game’s release is just a few weeks away, Pokemon is finally starting to share more about Pokemon Champions. But one detail has been easy to miss as promo focuses on the game’s pending arrival on Nintendo Switch. And that’s the fact that it’ll launch with a free Switch 2 upgrade available. This was news to me when I previewed the game early, and in fact, I played the Switch 2 version for my demo. Given that Pokemon Champions is headed to both Nintendo Switch and mobile, it feels like the Switch 2 of it all has gotten a bit lost in the shuffle. However, The Pokemon Company told me there will be an upgraded Switch 2 edition of its free-to-play title.

Given that Pokemon Champions is free-to-start, the upgrade to the Switch 2 version will also be free. Players who download Pokemon Champions on their Switch 2 will be able to install a free update to get the enhanced version. So far, the only difference cited in official communications is enhanced visuals that take advantage of the Switch 2’s graphical capabilities. I can’t speak to the visuals for the Switch version just yet, but the game did look pretty sharp on Switch 2.

Pokemon Champions Might Be the Last Pokemon Game to Release for the Original Switch

Image courtesy of game freak

Though it will have an improved version for Switch 2 owners, Pokemon Champions is not a Switch 2 exclusive. It will arrive on the original Nintendo Switch and, at some point in the near future, on mobile devices as well. But given that Pokopia was a Switch 2 exclusive, this may be the last time we can expect to see a brand-new Pokemon release for the Nintendo Switch.

Pokemon Winds and Waves is set to arrive sometime in 2027, and initial trailers featured only the Switch 2 logo, not the original Nintendo Switch. In fact, The Pokemon Company has already confirmed that the next main series Pokemon game will be a Switch 2 exclusive. And, barring any surprise announcements of new games dropping this year after Champions, that likely means we can expect new Pokemon titles on Switch 2 only moving forward.

That’s not exactly surprising, as newer releases often leave prior consoles behind. And the Nintendo Switch had a longer-than-usual life cycle, meaning its hardware was holding a lot of games back towards the end. Not wanting to develop games to run on Switch and Switch 2 moving forward definitely makes sense. But in a time when gaming keeps getting more expensive, it’s still tough to know that gamers will need to get ahold of a Switch 2 in the near future if they want to continue their Pokemon journey.

But for now, we’re getting at least one more new Pokemon game on Switch, and Switch 2 users can look forward to their own enhanced version of Champions, as well.

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