Pokémon Champions gets a 'terrible' launch, backlash erupts on social media

ALBAWABA - As Pokémon Champions drops on the Switch and Switch 2 for free, many fans took to social media with a lot of things to say about the game, including laying out all its cons compared to previous titles. 

Many expressed their disappointment with the battle-focused game, pointing out alleged performance issues on both Switch 1 and Switch 2. 

While Pokémon Champions is free-to-play, a $6.99 starter pack is available on launch for more serious players. According to the game's official website, "The Starter Pack will make it easier to both obtain and train Pokémon, perfect for constructing a wider variety of teams."

Nintendo's website adds that Pokémon Champions and its Starter Pack bundle will include "storage space for 50 additional Pokémon, 30 Teammate Tickets, and 50 Training Tickets."

Despite the backlash, a user responded, "The game just came out, give it time they’re going to update it over time."

Pokémon Champions gets a 'terrible' launch, backlash erupts on social media

Pokémon Champions TERRIBLE launch:

- Less Pokémon than Pokémon Stadium 2
- No 6v6 battles
- Performance issues even on Switch 2
- Slow, clunky menus
- Always online required, no more local wireless battles
- Tons of competitive items removed
- Rental Teams becoming completely… pic.twitter.com/tFfJdORX6H

— Centro LEAKS (@CentroLeaks) April 8, 2026

Pokémon Champions will also have a premium battle pass ($9.99) and a membership ($4.99 monthly/ $49.99 yearly) that will provide players with exclusive in-game rewards, similar to other live service games.

According to Centro Leaks on X (formerly Twitter), the game allegedly suffers from a wide variety of problems, including performance issues despite running at 30 FPS on both consoles, clunky menus, fewer Pokémon than in previous titles, no 6 vs 6 mode, no single-player mode, and fewer competitive items.

They added that the game will only run via an online connection, rendering the local multiplayer mode available in previous titles useless.

Centro Leaks recently added that the Switch 2 version received a free update that lets players play at 1080p and 1440p docked. However, the report adds that the game still runs at 30 FPS despite the Switch 2's specs.

While #PokemonChampions is a free-to-start game, it does include microtransactions and pricing is finally confirmed with its release 😬

Here’s a quick breakdown of the packages, plus Pokémon HOME Basic vs Premium costs and benefits! 💫 pic.twitter.com/t2vzNBUDcd

— FutureSight (@FutureSightHQ_) April 8, 2026