Pokemon TCG schedule could hint at Legends Z-A release window

Pokemon fans have endured a long wait since the initial announcement of Pokemon Legends: Z-A, with nothing but a cinematic trailer and a name to fuel speculation. Now, more information about the game in the series may be just around the corner.

At the time of writing, there is only the first reveal trailer and a vague ‘2025’ release date for Pokemon Legends: Z-A confirmed by Game Freak. The game is also described as being released “Simultaneously Worldwide” next year, but it’s unclear if this means everywhere worldwide or on Switch and Switch 2.

Well, while some have been patiently waiting for news to come to them, other members of the community have taken it upon themselves to sleuth around for answers, and some of them might be onto something.

This theory comes from the Pokemon TCG site Pokebeach, which has done plenty of digging into the card game’s release schedule for next year. Right now, evidence points towards sets confirmed all the way until Summer 2025. Ordinarily, a new Pokemon game is released in tandem with a matching card set.

If there is no gap in the release schedule for the inevitable Pokemon Legends Z-A card set until at least Summer 2025, or perhaps even Fall 2025, Pokebeach is suggesting that this may point towards this section of the year being the release window for the Pokemon Legends Z-A game.

The site also speculated that certain clues point toward the return of the Owner’s Pokemon mechanic for early next year, to hopefully tide fans over in the wait for new games and Pokemon.

Pokebeach writes that the current lineup could mean that the “TCG is “stalling” for 2025; reviving a beloved mechanic only because there isn’t new video game content to work with.”

Fans in the comments are pleased with this theory, as complaints about previous titles Pokemon Scarlet & Violet often boiled down to those titles feeling rushed. One comment says, “GOOD! The later ZA drops in 2025, the more likely it’ll fill the role of the annual Pokemon game.”

Another comment is firmly looking on the bright side, adding, “Hopefully ZA releases later in the year so they have more time to polish it. And more sets featuring the Owner’s mechanic means we’re more likely to get Lorelei content, too!”

It remains to be seen if – like a Squirtle – this theory holds some water, but hopefully, upcoming events like the Pokemon 2024 World Championships will be an opportunity for TCP and Game Freak to update patient fans of the franchise.