Pokémon UNITE now available to play

Although it received mixed reactions upon reveal, Pokémon UNITE has steadily gained fan interest through its development and test phases, and it’s finally available to play for general audiences on the Nintendo Switch! This is the franchise’s first foray into the multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) genre and offers a different take than popular games such as League of Legends.

Pokémon UNITE gameplay

The gameplay of UNITE is similar to other MOBAs in some respects, but brings its own Pokémon twists to the table. In 5-on-5 matches, teams will compete to score points which are gathered by taking down opponents and wild Pokémon, but are only tallied if players can dunk the energy into the opposing team’s goal zones.

Unlike other games in the genre, there are no minions that push lanes and no towers to attack. The latter are replaced by the goal zones which heal their team and slow opposing players and lane battles happen around spawns of wild Pokémon.

In true Pokémon fashion, players can use items they’ve chosen for battle such as Potions and they can customize their fighter with held items as well.

The first battle season starts now

Like many popular games these days, UNITE will feature a battle pass in both free and premium versions. The more matches you play, the more experience points you earn and more prizes you can receive. You can also pay to raise your level in case you don’t have time to complete it.

The first season of the battle pass is known as “Welcome to Aeos Island”. Both the Holowear Hip-Hop Style: Pikachu and Captain Style: Cinderace are part of the paid track.

Guides and information

From today, we’ll be creating new pages of UNITE content and adding links to the game’s main page on our site.

Coordinate battles with other trainers

For the best experience, play with people you know on your team! It’s the best way to secure a win. Our Discord server has plenty of people looking to play, so we recommend hopping in and introducing yourself!

Let us know what you think of Pokémon UNITE in the comments and if you’re purchasing the premium battle pass!

PSST! Time is running out to enter our July giveaway for a Pokémon plushie!