Pokemon TCG Pocket needs to come to Nintendo Switch

Pokemon TCG Pocket has been a huge hit on mobile devices, but there’s one platform that it’s notably absent from: the Nintendo Switch.

Pokemon Pocket is available on Android and iOS devices, where it’s already seen incredible success in its first few months of release, even shattering the download and income record of Monopoly Go from the same period.

All Pokemon Pocket has done is simplify the Pokemon Trading Card Game formula, but it has captured the imagination of fans worldwide. This raises the question of why it hasn’t appeared on the platform that is the best fit for it.

The Pokemon Company

Pokemon Pocket would be a perfect Switch game

Outside of the Game Boy title, there aren’t any Pokemon Trading Card Game simulators on the Switch, not even TCG Live. This is surprising, as it’s the perfect system for such a game, especially a port of Pocket.

Pokemon Pocket can be surprisingly strict about what devices it will work on, to the point where some phones that run Pokemon Go cannot run the card game. There are over a hundred million Switches in the wild that could run the game for those currently unable to experience it.

The Pokemon Company isn’t averse to dual mobile/Nintendo Switch titles. After all, you can play Pokemon Unite, Cafe ReMix, and Home on multiple devices.

Obviously, this isn’t always feasible. Pokemon Go wouldn’t work on Nintendo Switch due to how much it relies on mobile architecture and map programs to operate. A Switch port of Pokemon Go would need to be a drastically different game.

The same isn’t true for Pokemon Pocket, which is just a basic card game simulator, of which there are many on the Switch.

The Pokemon Company

How feasible is a Pokemon Pocket Nintendo Switch port?

While Pokemon Pocket uses a touchscreen for its controls, these could easily be replicated using a controller. The extra screen space of the Switch or a TV would also make it easier to see the field and make plays without making mistakes.

The only major technical hurdle would be Pocket’s always-online functionality. The Switch doesn’t have a native Internet source like many phones, so it would need to be able to connect to Wi-Fi to open packs and battle players, but there’s no reason it can’t have an offline mode for battling the AI or testing decks.

The Switch might be nearing the end of its lifespan, but Nintendo’s next system is just around the corner, and it will likely be supported for years to come, ensuring a platform for Pocket.

With Pokemon Go shutting down support for older Android devices, there’s a chance that Pocket will do the same in the future. However, if it has a Nintendo Switch port, players will always have a means of accessing it if Pocket shifts focus to newer phones.

The question is whether The Pokemon Company will invest in a Pocket port. The game has been a huge hit already, but the mobile market is finicky, and that audience could vanish in short order.

If Pocket does come to the Nintendo Switch or its successor, we’ll likely hear on Pokemon Day 2025. This means the diehard Nintendo fans who don’t care about mobile phones will finally get their chance to start pulling cards and complaining about the meta, and what a glorious day that will be.