TL;DR
- Pokemon Champions is free to download and play — no membership needed to battle.
- The Membership costs $4.99/month or $49.99/year and expands your box from 30 to 1,000 Pokemon slots, adds 15 extra Battle Team slots, unlocks exclusive missions, and includes exclusive battle songs.
- The Starter Pack is a one-time $6.99 purchase — the best value option for most players.
- The Premium Battle Pass costs $9.99 per season (about 31 days) and unlocks Pokemon, Mega Stones, cosmetics, and more.
- None of these purchases give you a competitive advantage in battle — they mainly reduce friction.
- Free players get 30 box slots, 3 Battle Teams, and access to all game modes, training, and ranked battles.
Pokemon Champions is free. You can download it, battle in ranked matches, train Pokemon, and climb the leaderboard without spending a single dollar. But like most free-to-play games, there are paid options layered on top — and it is worth understanding exactly what you are getting before you decide whether to spend money.
This guide breaks down every paid option clearly: the Membership, the Starter Pack, and the Premium Battle Pass. Then we give you a straight answer on whether each one is actually worth it.
You can download the game on the Nintendo eShop and read about all rewards on the official Pokemon Champions website.
The Three Paid Options in Pokemon Champions
There are three separate paid options in the game. They are independent from each other — you can buy one, all three, or none.
| Purchase | Cost | Type |
|---|---|---|
| Starter Pack | $6.99 | One-time purchase |
| Membership | $4.99/month or $49.99/year | Recurring subscription |
| Premium Battle Pass | $9.99 per season | Seasonal (renews each season) |
Let’s look at each one in detail.
The Membership: What You Get
The Membership is the recurring subscription for Pokemon Champions. It is the biggest ongoing cost and covers quality-of-life improvements rather than battle power.
Here is exactly what the Membership includes:
- Box storage expanded from 30 to 1,000 Pokemon slots
- 15 additional Battle Team slots (free players only get 3)
- Membership-exclusive missions for extra daily rewards
- Membership-exclusive battle songs for in-game music customization
That is the full list. Nothing in the Membership directly affects what happens in battle. You do not get stronger Pokemon, better stats, or competitive advantages. What you get is more space and more daily earning potential through exclusive missions.
The box storage upgrade is the most impactful perk. Free players are capped at 30 Pokemon slots — the same limit as Pokemon HOME’s free tier. If you plan to recruit heavily from Roster Ranch or transfer a large collection via HOME, that cap will feel tight quickly. Membership takes that ceiling to 1,000, which is essentially unlimited for most players.
The extra Battle Team slots matter if you like to run multiple setups — for example, a Singles team, a Doubles team, and a Trick Room squad all saved separately. With only 3 slots on the free plan, you have to overwrite builds each time you switch strategies. With the Membership’s 15 additional slots, you can keep every team you build ready to go.
Membership Cost:
- Monthly: $4.99 / month
- Yearly: $49.99 / year (saves about $10 compared to paying monthly)
Auto-renewal is turned on by default. You need to manually cancel before the end of your billing period if you want to stop. You keep all membership perks for the full duration of the period you paid for, even if you cancel early.
The Starter Pack: What You Get
The Starter Pack is a one-time purchase. You buy it once and keep everything permanently — there is no renewal.
Here is what the Starter Pack includes:
- 50 additional box storage slots (brings free players from 30 to 80 total)
- 30 Teammate Tickets (recruit Pokemon permanently without spending VP)
- 50 Training Tickets (cover training sessions without spending VP)
- “Battle! (Trainer Battle)” song from Pokemon: Let’s Go, Pikachu! and Let’s Go, Eevee!
Starter Pack Cost: $6.99 (one-time)
The Teammate Tickets and Training Tickets here are what make this pack genuinely useful. Teammate Tickets let you permanently recruit a Pokemon from Roster Ranch without spending any VP at all. Training Tickets cover any single training session — stat points, ability, moves — regardless of the total VP cost. Using a Training Ticket on a full rebuild can save you hundreds of VP in one go.
Getting 30 Teammate Tickets and 50 Training Tickets for $6.99 is a solid deal. That is real VP savings, and it gives you a meaningful head start without an ongoing cost. For more on how Training Tickets work, check our guide on how to train EVs and change Nature in Pokemon Champions.
The Premium Battle Pass: What You Get
The Premium Battle Pass runs alongside each competitive season. Season 1 runs from April 8 to May 13, 2026 — roughly 31 days. A new Battle Pass arrives with every season after that.
Free Battle Pass rewards include: VP, in-game tickets, and coupons.
Premium Battle Pass adds: Pokemon, Mega Stones, character costumes and hairstyles, Trainer Icons, and more exclusive cosmetics.
Premium Battle Pass Cost: $9.99 per season
There are 50 total rewards across the Battle Pass. You unlock them by earning Season Points (SP) through Ranked Battles. SP is earned from both wins and losses, so you earn progress just by playing. If you buy the Premium Battle Pass partway through a season, you retroactively unlock every reward you already earned up to that point — you do not miss out on anything.
The Battle Pass expires at the end of its season. Your purchase does not carry over. If you want Premium rewards next season, you pay again.
The most discussed part of the Premium Battle Pass is that it includes Pokemon and Mega Stones — not just cosmetics. Mega Stones can also be purchased separately from the Shop using VP (2,000 VP each), so free players are not completely locked out. But the Battle Pass is a faster and more reliable route to specific Mega Stones early in a season.
For more on how Mystery Gift Codes can supplement your rewards, see our Pokemon Champions Mystery Gift Codes guide.
What Free Players Actually Get
It is worth being clear on this because many people assume free-to-play means limited content.
Free players in Pokemon Champions get:
- Full access to all game modes — Ranked Battles, Casual Battles, Private Battles
- Full access to all Training options — Stat Points, Stat Alignment, Abilities, Moves
- 30 Pokemon box slots
- 3 Battle Team slots
- Free Battle Pass rewards each season
- One free trial recruit every 22 hours at Roster Ranch
- 10,000 VP to start, plus ongoing VP from battles and missions
Every Pokemon in the game is available to all players through Roster Ranch or Pokemon HOME. No Pokemon is locked behind a paywall permanently. Training options are identical for paid and free players.
The free experience is genuinely complete for casual and even serious competitive players. You can build a strong ranked team, reach high ratings, and qualify for tournaments — all without spending anything. Check our guide on which Pokemon to recruit first in Pokemon Champions to make the most of the free experience from day one.
Is the Membership Worth It?
The honest answer depends on how you play.
The Membership is worth it if:
- You recruit Pokemon frequently and are hitting or worried about hitting the 30-slot box limit.
- You run multiple teams across different formats and need more than 3 saved team slots.
- You play daily and want access to the exclusive missions for extra VP and ticket earnings.
- You are a serious competitive player who plans to stay active across multiple seasons.
The Membership is not worth it if:
- You are still new and have not filled your 30-slot box yet.
- You mainly run one or two teams and rarely swap builds.
- You play casually and are not interested in maximizing daily mission rewards.
- You want to try the game before committing to ongoing costs.
For most new players, the Starter Pack at $6.99 is a smarter first purchase than the Membership. The Teammate Tickets and Training Tickets deliver immediate, tangible value. The Membership’s main benefit — box space — only becomes noticeable once you have been playing long enough to actually fill 30 slots.
If you decide to get the Membership, the yearly plan at $49.99 saves you about $10 compared to paying monthly. That works out to roughly $4.17 per month. Only commit to the yearly plan if you are confident you will play for most of the year.
Is the Premium Battle Pass Worth It?
The Premium Battle Pass is harder to recommend for most players.
At $9.99 per season — which renews every month or so — the cost adds up fast. Twelve seasons of Premium Battle Pass would cost around $120 per year. That is significantly more expensive than the yearly Membership.
The rewards do include Pokemon and Mega Stones, which is more than pure cosmetics. But Mega Stones can be bought with VP in the Shop too. Free players who grind Ranked Battles can earn them without paying. See our guide on how to get Mega Stones in Pokemon Champions to know your options.
The Premium Battle Pass makes the most sense if you are already grinding ranked matches consistently — because you earn Season Points through battles regardless of whether you buy the pass. If you are going to hit all 50 reward tiers just by playing, the Premium upgrade is just unlocking what you would have earned anyway. If you are a casual player who will only reach a handful of tiers per season, you are paying for rewards you may never actually claim.
Full Pricing Breakdown at a Glance
| Option | Cost | Renews? | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starter Pack | $6.99 | Never | Every player — buy once |
| Membership (Monthly) | $4.99/month | Monthly | Dedicated daily players |
| Membership (Yearly) | $49.99/year | Yearly | Long-term committed players |
| Premium Battle Pass | $9.99/season | Each season | Active ranked grinders |
| Free game | $0 | — | Casual and competitive alike |
Note: Pokemon Champions does not require Nintendo Switch Online to play online ranked matches. That is one less subscription to factor in compared to most Switch games.
One Important Thing to Know About VP
VP — the in-game currency used for recruiting and training — cannot be purchased directly with real money. This is a meaningful design decision.
You earn VP by battling, completing missions, and progressing through the Battle Pass. The paid options supplement your VP earnings through Training Tickets and Teammate Tickets (Starter Pack) and exclusive missions (Membership), but no one can simply buy their way to unlimited VP.
This keeps the training and recruitment system fair for all players. No matter how much or little you spend, competitive power is determined by time played, not wallet size. For more on earning VP efficiently, read our guide on how to get Victory Points in Pokemon Champions.
Final Verdict
Pokemon Champions is genuinely playable — and genuinely competitive — for free. The paid options are real improvements in comfort and convenience, but none of them make you win more battles.
If you are going to spend anything, start with the Starter Pack at $6.99. It is a one-time cost, the Teammate and Training Tickets save meaningful VP, and the storage boost gives breathing room early on. It is the best dollar-for-dollar purchase in the game.
The Membership is a solid upgrade for players who are in the game long-term and building multiple teams. Hold off until you actually feel the pinch of 30 box slots or 3 team slots — then decide.
The Premium Battle Pass is situational. It makes most sense for players who are already grinding ranked matches daily and want the extra rewards for the time they are putting in anyway.
You can also check out our guides on how to get more Pokemon in Pokemon Champions and all Pokemon in Pokemon Champions to plan your roster without needing to spend a thing.
