Pokémon Unite coming to Nintendo Switch and mobile devices this year

What you need to know

• Pokémon Unite is an upcoming strategic team battle game being co-developed by The Pokémon Company and TiMi Studios.
• It allows players to participate in 5-on-5 team battles and catch wild Pokémon.
• Cross-platform play and cross-progression between platforms is planned.
• It's set to release on Nintendo Switch in July and then will come to mobile this September.

Just after the craziness of E3 2021 has settled down, the Pokémon Company revealed that Pokémon Unite finally has a release date. It's free-to-start and will come to Nintendo Switch this July and then will later release on mobile devices this September. The best part is that The Pokémon Company and Tencent Games' TiMi Studios plans this upcoming title to be cross-platform and cross-progression, meaning you can play with others playing on other devices than you and can pickup your journey on whatever compatible device you currently want to play on.

The Pokémon Company is doing really well with Pokémon GO, but that hasn't stopped it from releasing several additional Pokémon apps and Pokémon games for Nintendo Switch. So what makes this one stand out from the others? It kind of follows in the vein of Valorant or League of Legends. Basically, players man a team of five Pokémon while exploring a map, capturing wild Pokémon, and taking on other Pokémon teams. Legendary Pokémon can also appear and will likely be more difficult to take down than your average encounters.

This is a strategic team battle game that will require you to rely on your Pokémon's strengths and be wary of their weaknesses. To increase your chances of success, you can prepare the Pokémon in your team ahead of time by giving them Held Items and acquiring Battle Items.

Pokémon are split into one of five battle types:

• Attacker: Have low Endurance but deal heavy ranged damage to opponents.
• Speedster: Have high mobility and Offense for making quick attacks and scoring points.
• All-Rounder: Highly tenaciious fighters with balanced Offense and Endurance.
• Defender: Have high endurance, protect allies, and hinder opponents.
• Supporter: Inflict status conditions on enemies and heal allies.

Whenever a Pokémon opponent is defeated, it drops Aeros energy orbs for you to collect. Deposit these into the enemy goal zones to score points for your team. As you play, you'll earn in-game rewards and unlock sweet outfits for your trainer and your Pokémon. These rewards are unlocked with Aeros gems or with microtransactions.