The new competitive battler Pokémon Champions launched today to a less-than-stellar reception. Intended to be the future of official VGC tournaments, the game is already facing heavy criticism for significant technical and design flaws.

Even on the more powerful Nintendo Switch 2, the game struggles to maintain a stable 30 frames per second, with noticeable drops during simple animations. The battle roster is also surprisingly limited, featuring only around 180 Pokémon at launch, and many staple competitive items like Life Orb and Choice Specs are completely absent.

Perhaps the biggest point of contention is the lack of options. Players are forced into specific battle formats, with no ability to play a full 6v6 single battle, even in private lobbies. This, combined with clunky menus and a restrictive monetization model, has led many to call the title “critically undercooked”.