Pokémon TCG Live, the latest digital adaption of the tabletop card game, will leave beta later this year and launch internationally for all platforms. The full release will coincide with the sunsetting of the previous digital version of the card game, Pokémon TCG Online.
Pokémon TCG Live will launch worldwide on June 8, 2023, on Android, iOS, macOS, and Windows devices. It will launch alongside the latest expansion of the physical tabletop game Scarlet & Violet—Paldea Evolved, which will launch simultaneously in physical and digital form. Pokémon TCG Live is optimized for all platforms, unlike the previous digital Pokémon TCG game, which was only supported on tablets and desktop computers.
However, Pokémon TCG Live has been in beta for over a year, and reception has been lukewarm. The game doesn't include the casual game modes included in its predecessor, and many players have reported numerous bugs that cause them to crash out of matches. Hopefully, these issues will be resolved in the final release.
While Pokémon TCG Live removes many features players enjoyed in its predecessor, the ability to craft cards with in-game currency (earned by dismantling extra or unwanted cards) lets players acquire hard-to-get cards previously unobtainable outside of random draws from booster packs. You'll still be able to redeem physical card packs as well.
June 5 will mark the removal of Pokémon TCG Online from all platforms, three days prior to the release of Pokémon TCG Live. The app will no longer be available to download, and its servers will be shut down. However, players can still migrate their account to the new game after this date by logging into Pokémon TCG Live with the same Pokémon account. All cards and accessories collected in Pokémon TCG Online will be transferred to the new game. But not all items will be transferred; make sure to check the official support page for a complete list.
Assuming the major bugs are ironed out before the full release, Pokémon TCG Live could be a worthy successor to Pokémon TCG Online. But if not, there are some other fantastic card games on Android that are definitely worth your time.