Immersive Cards: the 3D art that sets Pokémon TCG Pocket apart

One of the defining features of Pokémon TCG Pocket isn’t a rule change or a new pack type—it’s the way certain cards come to life. Immersive Cards are a special rarity (three-star) that turn your screen into a short, interactive scene: tap and hold, and the card expands to fill the display, with music and motion that pull you into the artwork.

How Immersive Cards work

When you tap and hold an Immersive Card in your collection, the card expands to fill your screen and plays an animated scene with accompanying music. The animation doesn’t just zoom in—it pans through the card’s artwork and often extends beyond the visible borders into the environment. An Immersive Pikachu card, for example, might reveal a forest scene with Ponyta and Nidoran in the background, turning a single illustration into a mini-moment.

The effect is rare by design. Immersive Cards were first introduced in the Genetic Apex expansion and have since appeared in later sets. They’re among the most sought-after pulls in the app, not only for their power or rarity tier but for the experience of watching them play.

Replaying the magic

You don’t have to pull an Immersive Card again to see the animation. You can replay it anytime: go to My Cards, select the card, tap again to fill the screen, then tap and hold for a few seconds. The scene and music play again, so you can share the moment or just enjoy it on repeat.

Who's in the club?

As the game has grown, so has the roster of Immersive Cards. Early sets featured Charizard ex, Pikachu ex, and Mewtwo ex from Genetic Apex, plus Mew as the completion reward for finishing that set. Later expansions added Celebi ex, Palkia ex, Dialga ex, Arceus ex, and Giratina ex, among others. Each one offers a unique scene and a reason to keep opening packs.

Why it matters

Immersive Cards don’t change the rules of battle—they change the feel of collecting. In a digital TCG, the “pull” moment is often a flash of rarity and a quick glance at the art. Immersive Cards extend that moment: you don’t just own the card; you step into it. That’s the 3D art that sets Pokémon TCG Pocket apart—and the reason so many trainers keep chasing that next Immersive pull.