Pokémon Champions Review: Is Nintendo's Free-to-Play Battler Worth It?

Apr 27, 2026 · 55m 36s

Description

Mitch is in his element this week as Bargain Bin Gaymers dives deep into Pokémon Champions — Nintendo's brand new free-to-play competitive battler. With a lifetime of competitive Pokémon behind him, Mitch brings the expert take while Davey plays devil's advocate, putting the community's biggest criticisms to the test. They cover everything you need to know before you download:

What Pokémon Champions actually is — and why competitive Pokémon finally has a home of its own
The free vs paid breakdown — is the $10.50 AUD Starter Pack worth it, or is this secretly predatory?
The tiny Pokédex problem — only 186 out of 1,025 Pokémon available at launch
Performance issues — why is a turn-based game struggling at 30fps on Switch 2?
The identity crisis — is this game for newcomers, casual fans, or competitive veterans?
Why fan-made Pokémon Showdown still beats the official product (Mitch's controversial take)
The live service trap — will Pokémon Champions still have players in 12 months?

Plus: a roundup of every notable game releasing before the end of April 2026 — including Diablo 4's Lord of Hatred expansion, Saros on PS5, and the surprise hit Inkonbini: One Store, Many Stories.

🎮 Download Pokémon Champions free: https://champions.pokemon.com
💬 Join our Discord: https://discord.gg/fqC2FeHSUr
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Author	BQN
Organization	BQN
Website	bargainbingaymer.com
Tags	#australiangaming #competitivepokemon #diablo4 #freetoplay #gamingpodcast #gaymer #inkonbini #lgbtqgaming #lordofhatred #megaevolution #nintendoswitch #nintendoswitch2 #pokemon #pokemonhome #pokemonreview #pokemonshowdown #pokémonchampions #queergaming #saros