Competitive Pokémon Champions still requires a Switch at the top level
Although Pokémon Champions is available on both Switch and mobile, top-tier VGC tournaments like the World Championships still require Switch hardware. As of September 1st, mobile is only allowed in certain local tournaments.
Battle simulator Pokémon Champions launched on Switch and Switch 2 in April, with a mobile version following in June. The two versions are nearly identical, and since the game is cross-platform, choosing between them mostly comes down to which devices a player owns.
However, the mobile version was not permitted at this year's World Championships. Since September 1st, some local-level tournaments allow mobile play, but regional tournaments and above still require Switch hardware.
Producer's explanation
Champions producer Masaaki Hoshino explained during Worlds that Switch is favored mainly because Switch 2 offers better graphics, and because the wide variety of mobile devices could complicate competition if players brought their own hardware. He also noted that all battle calculations happen server-side, which enables cross-platform play but was one of the trickiest parts of developing the game.
A possible gap in access
Hoshino said that combined downloads of Champions on Switch 2 and mobile reached around 25 million — more than the total number of Switch 2 units in circulation. This suggests a meaningful share of players use only the mobile version. With the recent Switch 2 price increase, some prospective competitors may simply not be able to afford a console.
That means a player could theoretically build a team and qualify for the World Championships using only a mobile device, then lack the hardware required to actually compete there. Other competitive Pokémon titles, such as Pokémon Unite, already allow mobile play at high-level competition without major issues.
