It's the end of an era for competitive Pokémon VGC, and while fans have likely been expecting the change for some time now, the switch to a new generation game is both exciting and scary. Just as the format shifted from Shield & Sword to Scarlet & Violet, it's time for a new and modernized format to take Scarlet & Violet's place.
Per GamesRadar, Pokémon Champions will be replacing Scarlet & Violet as the official competitive VGC format, marking the end of an era for the franchise. Champions was announced earlier this year and will release in 2026 on Nintendo Switch, Switch 2, and mobile.
Pokémon Champions will be the newest setting for competitive VGC once it launches in 2026, officially cycling out the current generation, Gen 9's Scarlet & Violet. VGC is the official tournament format for competitive Pokémon battling at regional, national, and world championship levels.
The format changes and updates after a while, so this shift won't be a huge surprise. For example, Scarlet & Violet is the Gen 9 format that replaced Sword & Shield (Gen 8). As such, Pokémon Champions will be the official Gen 10 iteration for VGC.
Crucially, as reported by Nintendo Life, it will become the official competitive...
