Pokémon World Championships 2025 report – hands-on with Pokémon Legends: Z-A

The biggest esports event of the year for Pokémon has just ended and it featured the first chance for anyone to play the upcoming Pokémon Legends: Z-A.

Pokémon is on a roll… a rock and roll! From the Grease-inspired opening ceremony, to a Pikachu Cadillac and a Pokémon Center full of varsity jackets, everything at the Anaheim Convention Center this weekend screamed 1950s nostalgia. But not even a Jigglypuff with big pin curls could stop the march of progress, as the biggest draw on the show floor was the life-size, functional Toyota Miraidon motorcycle.

The Pokémon World Championships first began in 2004 and focused primarily on the Pokémon Trading Card Game (TCG), but it has since grown to include dedicated competitions for Pokémon video games as well, including Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, Pokémon Go, and Pokémon Unite. Every year, Pokémon International Championships take place across the globe, as players compete to earn a place at what fans refer to as Worlds.

Worlds 2025 saw over 2,500 competitors from over 48 countries and regions. In this highly competitive tournament, each game has its own format and set of rules, including different divisions for pros, seniors, and juniors. There was a total prize pool of $2 million (£1.48m) available, with a tidy sum of $50,000 for each of the winners of the TCG division.

Pokémon World Championships 2025 review

Before the competitive action started, it was time to shop and, as usual, there were huge queues for the pop-up Pokémon Center, that was full of Worlds exclusive merchandise, including a red and black rockabilly Growlithe section, which flew off the shelves. But my favourite part of the Pokémon Center was the wall of mock-up record covers by well known artists, such as the Regice Girls and Kyogre Minogue.

In addition to the Pokémon Center, there were big queues for the Play Lab which allowed you to learn the basics of the Pokémon Trading Card Game and get a cool Mew badge. Pins, as they’re called in the US, were a big theme this year, and the Pin Rally, which set you tasks you could compete around the convention centre, was so popular it led to huge queues and instant scalper prices.

There was a special treat on the exhibition show floor, of artwork from beloved Pokémon TCG illustrators, such as Take Minaminami – famous for the impressionist style card art of Charmander with his nose pressed against a glass window. Kantaro, Okacheke, and Shimaris Yukichi were also in attendance and signing special prints for fans. There was plenty of other Pokémon art on display in the Pokémon TCG Art Showcase, featuring card art from the latest TCG expansion Black Bolt and White Flare, with highly stylised monochromatic black or white designs.

The buzz surrounding the Pokémon Legends: Z-A demo was impossible to ignore, and I was lucky enough to get a look a couple of days ahead of the trainers, who secured a Nintendo Warp Pipe Pass and were able to play a public demo on the Friday morning.

Launching this October on Nintendo Switch 2, Pokémon Legends: Z-A transports you to the single city setting of Lumiose, now rendered with a neon-soaked aesthetic reminiscent of Tron. Lumiose serves as the hub of your adventures, with Hotel Z doubling as your headquarters and the base for Team MZ. From there, you team up with scientist Mable and detective Emma to safeguard the city through exploration and wild encounters.

What is Pokémon Legends: Z-A like?

My time with the demo highlighted the game’s fluid 60fps performance and its ambitious attempt to finally capture the cinematic flair of the anime. Battles unfold in real-time, with dodging mechanics proving invaluable against aggressive trainers and their pokémon. My Mega Evolution showdown against a ferocious Mega Absol was a tough encounter that demanded quick reflexes and tactical timing.

One standout mechanic is the ability to Mega Evolve multiple times in a single battle, by collecting Mega Power Balls which drop during combat. With the starters Chikorita, Totodile, and Tepig anchoring the adventure and the promise of heavyweights like the dreamy Mega Dragonite, Pokémon Legends: Z-A is shaping up to be my game of the year, especially with the news of four player online co-op announced at the closing ceremony.

The Pokémon video game competitions had some huge controversy on day two, with firm favourite Wofle Glick being knocked out after accruing three loses. The video game Master Division saw a guaranteed USA win, with James Evans and Giovanni Cischke taking the stage, each with a Koraidon ready to go.

Evan’s team was a finely tuned defensive machine, featuring Brute Bonnet, but it was not enough to save him from late game Flutter Mane during the first match, which left him at a disadvantage, even after a comeback in game two. I was keen to see a player called Giovanni win Worlds (since he had the same name as a notorious Pokémon villain) and while he played a risky game he was ultimately rewarded with the win and the title of World Champion.

What is it like to compete at Pokémon World Championships 2025?

I spoke to two ranked Pokémon competitors from the UK, Dylan ‘Dyl’ Yeomans and Tom Winter, about their Worlds experience. ‘Qualifications were a bit different this year. They capped the number of players who could qualify. In Europe, it was 75 plus a handful of automatic invites. You just had to earn more points than others by performing well at certain tournaments,’ said Dyl.

‘It was definitely harder this season. You had to make sure every event you attended gave you enough points to keep you in the running for that top 75. You couldn’t just coast on average results, you needed strong finishes at bigger events. Points came from locals, regionals, and international tournaments. I managed to squeeze into the 75th spot,’ agreed Winter.

‘One of the things I’ve enjoyed most about being here is playing strong opponents every single round. You have to be fully focused, no mistakes allowed. That level of competition is exciting.’

‘Same here. It’s tough, but I love it. Honestly, qualifying alone feels like a huge achievement. And beyond the competition, Worlds is a vibrant, colourful event. There’s the Pokémon Center, side events, loads for spectators. It’s just a great atmosphere, especially sharing it with friends,’ added Dyl.

In an exciting start to the final day, Ved ‘Beelzeboy’ Bamb claimed the Pokémon Go World 2025 Championship title and $20,000 (£14.8K), marking a historic moment for the competitive scene by knocking out Spanish favourite P4T0M4N 3-2. Beelzeboy’s team comprised Lapras, Steelix, Annihilape, Tinkaton, Galarian Moltres, and Marowak.

There’s no room for error in Pokémon Go and a shield call mistake early game by P4T0M4N allowed Beelzeboy’s Moltres to pull off a sucker punch, leaving room for his Lapras to finish P4T0M4N off and take the lead through to a decisive win.

For the first time in Worlds history the finals were held in a stadium, tucked within its own circular arena at the Anaheim Convention Center – the competitive stage offered more than just spectacle, with some cool animated immersion. During the Unite final, the floor itself lit up with real-time health bars of battling Pokémon, a clever touch that turned every clash into a living, interactive experience for the crowd.

During the final, Peru Unite delivered the performance of a lifetime. The Latin American titans claimed the 2025 Pokémon Unite World Championship and a cool $100,000 (£73.8K) by showcasing impeccable coordination and nerves of steel. Their gameplay was a study in discipline and calculated aggression, dismantling Japanese opponent’s Zeta Division piece by piece.

The Pokémon TCG portion of the event saw the stage floor become an animated card table, but there were no surprises in the final decks, which saw reining stalwarts Dragapult and Gardevoir back in action, leaving me hoping the Mega Ex decks can shake up the meta next year.

The Master Division final was dominated by North America, with Canadian Riley McKay against American Justin Newdorf. With a well-crafted Gardevoir Ex deck Riley took the early lead and never let it go, as it was time for fairy type revenge as Gardevoir became an unstoppable force with the help of Mew Ex and Clefairy to take the win.

As the competition closed, it was time to hand Anaheim back to the Disney crowds but something stirs in SoCal, as Riot Games prepares for the release of their new TCG based on League Of Legends and Arcane called Riftbound. It’s already available in China, which means the stage could be set for a competing Riot Games Worlds event that covers both video and TCG.

But for now, as Anaheim hands the Torchic to San Francisco, Pokémon shows no signs of slowing its global gaming domination. With Pokémon Legends: Z-A imminent and Mega Evolutions coming to TCG, the franchise continues to balance heritage and nostalgia with innovation, with the insane production values of this year’s Worlds a testament to this. 21 years since the first Worlds, the message remains clear: Pokémon isn’t just still here, it’s still leading the game.

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