After a surprising delay, Pokémon TCG Pocket is finally introducing trading. However, it’s not going to be as straightforward as trading with a friend. Now, let’s take a quick look at the game’s history and break down what you can—and yes, what you can’t—trade with this new feature.
Ever since Pokémon launched, the cards have been a major part of the franchise. Whether you’ve battled competitively or swapped cards at recess, most Pokémon fans have owned cards at some point.
The nostalgia of opening card packs experienced a massive resurgence in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic. Popular streamers hunted for rare cards, and entire YouTube channels devoted to unboxing packs exploded in popularity.
It was only natural for The Pokémon Company (TPC) to take this enthusiasm digital. Enter Pokémon TCG Pocket, a mobile and online game that has earned hundreds of millions of dollars since its release.
However, one critical aspect was missing from the game at launch: trading.
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Now, trading is finally arriving on January 28 or 29, 2025, depending on your location. But it’s not going to be as simple as many players hoped.
Here’s what you’ll be able to trade, according to the official announcement:
While this will help players complete their older sets, it completely excludes the newest expansion, Space-Time Smackdown, and all of its new cards, which launch just a day after trading goes live.
Yes, there will be two new currencies to manage trading:
Much like Wonder Picks, trading will have a daily limit. Based on an image shared by Reddit user kaishin, trade tokens will likely refresh every 12 hours, much like Wonder Trade tokens.
The main reason is simple: money. As with any business, TPC aims to maximize profits. By limiting which cards can be traded and how often, they encourage players to continue purchasing packs to chase rare cards instead of obtaining them easily through trading.
While this approach aligns with the game’s core mechanics of opening packs, it hasn’t been well-received by the community. In response to player backlash, TPC’s social media team acknowledged the criticism and asked for patience, assuring players that their concerns were heard.
Despite the controversy, Pokémon TCG Pocket remains a fun game that has already generated significant revenue for TPC. It’s even driven up real-world Pokémon card prices.
If TPC can balance monetization with player satisfaction—something they’ve largely achieved with Pokémon GO—they could have another enduring success on their hands.
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Unfortunately, what has happened to the Pokémon game is truly disappointing. Perhaps losing players will finally wake them up and push them to make changes. Currently, I’m playing Legends of Elysium and Gwent, and I have to say both games are in a much better state. Legends of Elysium especially impresses with its unique blend of board game and card game mechanics, and its TCG system works flawlessly, delivering smooth and satisfying gameplay.
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