Pokémon Officially Confirms The End Of An Era

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The latest season of competitive battling in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet is starting, but it will be the last. This season won’t even conclude with the Pokémon Video Game Championships, as the release of Pokémon Champions will immediately become the focus for competitive players.

Season 41 started on April 1st in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, and it marks the final competitive season played within the core Pokémon games. Pokémon has announced that competitive battling will move to Pokémon Champions when it launches on Nintendo Switch on April 8, 2026. While it’s unknown exactly what multiplayer options the new game, Pokémon Winds and Waves, will offer, it seems competitive battles are no longer planned for the main Pokémon series games.

It’s The End Of An Era For Pokémon

Since 2008, the Video Game Championships (VGC) have been played using the main Pokémon video games, alongside the trading card game competition at the Pokémon World Championships. This nearly 20-year tradition will change with the release of Pokémon Champions on April 8th. This puts the current Scarlet and Violet season in a unique situation – Season 41 will continue after April 8th, but it won’t be considered the official VGC competition.

Registration for the next Pokémon Championship Series event, the Indianapolis Regional Championships, began on April 1st. This tournament, taking place May 29-31, will be the first official event to use the new Pokémon Champions platform for live competition. From now on, Pokémon Champions will be the official platform for all VGC competitions.

Pokémon Gen 10 Is Coming

When Pokémon Winds and Waves comes out in 2027, it will be the first core Pokémon game in nearly two decades not used for official Video Game Championships (VGC) battles. This new generation of games is a significant moment for the series, arriving after the 30th anniversary celebration and as the first titles designed specifically for the Switch 2. It will definitely feel different not seeing the VGC use these games, but it might actually be a good thing for Winds and Waves to focus on other aspects of gameplay.

As a VGC player, it’d be awesome if the new platform keeps some things consistent with how things work officially. Honestly, it might even take some pressure off the main game developers to constantly tweak things for competitive battling. I know changes are already happening with Pokémon Champions, and we’ll probably see even more, especially when Gen 10 Pokémon get added. But having one central place for competitive battles could be a really smart move. Pokémon Scarlet and Violet were fantastic, and I think they’ll be remembered as the games that really kicked off this new era of VGC.

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2026-04-02 19:40