Pokémon TCG Pocket release date announced at World Championships 2024

The 2024 Pokémon World Championships didn’t just crown new champions, it gave the world a date to circle on the calendar. During the closing ceremony at the Hawaiʻi Convention Center in Honolulu, The Pokémon Company announced that Pokémon Trading Card Game Pocket will launch globally on October 30, 2024 for iOS and Android.

A big stage for a big announcement

More than 13,000 players and fans were in the room when the news dropped. Pokémon TCG Pocket had been teased before, but this was the first time trainers got a concrete release date and a clearer picture of what to expect: a free-to-play digital reimagining of the classic card game, built for phones, with two free booster packs every day, streamlined quick battles, and a heavy focus on collecting and trading.

The closing ceremony also highlighted other upcoming content, including a returning classic mechanic for the physical Pokémon TCG and a “big and mysterious” update for Pokémon GO, but for digital TCG fans, the Pocket reveal was the headline. New Zealand players were confirmed to get early access through a soft launch ahead of the global date.

What we learned

• Launch date: October 30, 2024
• Platforms: iOS and Android
• Model: Free-to-play with two free booster packs daily
• Focus: Collecting, trading, and quick battles with immersive 3D-style card art

Developed by The Pokémon Company, Creatures, Inc., and DeNA (the studio behind Pokémon Masters EX), Pokémon TCG Pocket is positioned as a companion experience to the physical game, easy to jump into, built for short sessions, and designed to make every day feel like a new pack opening.

The road to October 30

With the World Championships announcement, the countdown to launch officially began. Pre-registration would open soon on the App Store and Google Play, and trainers in New Zealand would get a first look at the app before the rest of the world. For everyone else, October 30 became the day the pocket-sized TCG would finally go live.

Mark the date. The next chapter of Pokémon TCG was about to begin, and it was coming to your pocket.