Pokémon Trading Card Game Pocket

Pokémon Trading Card Game Pocket (often abbreviated as Pokémon TCG Pocket) is a free-to-play mobile adaptation of the Pokémon Trading Card Game (TCG), developed by Creatures Inc. and DeNA, and published by The Pokémon Company. The game was revealed on February 27, 2024 during a Pokémon Presents presentation and officially released on October 30, 2024, on both iOS and Android devices. Pokémon TCG Pocket serves as a mobile adaptation of the traditional TCG, allowing players to collect cards, build decks, and engage in battles against other players. The game incorporates features designed for mobile gameplay, including daily rewards and animated cards, while maintaining the core mechanics of the original TCG.
As of December 12, 2024, Pokémon TCG Pocket surpassed 60 million downloads. The game was nominated for "Best Mobile Game" at The Game Awards 2024. It has generated approximately $3 million per day in revenue since its release. Japan accounted for 45 percent of total earnings after four days of release, while the United States followed as the second biggest market, contributing 25 percent of the app store revenue for the game. Total revenues reached $120.8 million less than a month after launch.
Pokémon TCG Pocket centers around opening digital booster packs and collecting the cards inside. Later on, the player can build decks with the cards to battle against other players.
A booster pack contains 5 cards and can be opened every 12 hours, which can be reduced by an hour with "Hourglasses". Multiple hourglasses can be used to reduce the waiting time further, but once a pack is opened, it will go back to 12 hours. A monthly "Premium Pass" subscription lets the player open an extra pack each day. In addition to opening packs, the player can use a "Wonder Pick", in which the player will get one random card out of a pack another player had opened.
The game was released with the Genetic Apex expansion, with 3 different types of booster packs and 286 cards (226 normal cards plus 59 rare variants, in addition to a Mew card obtained by collecting a card of every Kanto Pokemon). Duplicate cards can be used to obtain flair for that specific card. The player can also draw Immersive Cards, a special card type that plays an animated scene of the environment beyond the original art. Promo cards outside the expansions can be obtained through the shop, themed drop events, or the premium pass.
Players can keep track of their collection via a list of cards that can be divided into categories based on specific packs. This feature allows players to check what cards they are missing.
Battling consists of a simplifed version of the physical card game. Differences from it include a deck consisting of 20 cards instead of 60, and "energy cards" being replaced with the player getting one energy per turn. Energy is used to allow Pokémon to attack. A player wins when they get three points, which are awarded for defeating Pokémon, instead of by collecting six "prize cards."
Trading in Pokémon TCG Pocket allows players to exchange cards with friends, requiring both Trade Tokens, which can be replenished by trading in-game items, and Trade Stamina, which regenerate over time or can be replenished with trade hourglasses. However, trades are subject to several restrictions: cards must be of the same rarity, and certain high-rarity or promotional cards cannot be traded. Additionally, cards with special flair must be exchanged for others with flair, and players can only have one active trade at a time. A setting also allows players to disable incoming trade offers.
The concept for an app dedicated exclusively to digital Pokémon cards began to take shape around the time of Pokémon Go's initial release. Executive corporate officer Keita Hirobe stated that making the game more approachable and maintaining a low barrier to entry were two of The Pokémon Company's primary objectives during development.
Pokémon Trading Card Game Pocket was revealed on February 27, 2024 during a Pokémon Presents. At the closing ceremonies of the Pokémon World Championships in Hawaii, a new trailer for the game was released, revealing its official release date of October 30, 2024. In August, the Pokémon Company announced over 6 million people had pre-registered for the game.