Ever since the Pokémon TCG Pocket app launched back in October 2024, one of the most asked-about features has been trading. After all, what is a TCG without the T?
The feature was known to be coming from the beginning, thanks to mention of it in the app itself, but we’ve finally got some solid, official word on how trading will work when it arrives toward end of this month.
In a post on X, which you can see below, the Pokémon TCG Pocket team confirmed that both the trading feature and new booster expansions are planned in a major January 2025 update, and revealed some of the mechanics and restrictions around trading, which are as follows:
- Trades can be done between friends
- Trades can be done with cards of the same rarity
- At the time of the trade feature’s launch, certain cards from the Genetic Apex and Mythical Island booster packs will be able to be traded. We are planning to continue to expand the selection of booster packs that you can trade from
- Cards with a rarity of 1-4 diamonds and 1 star can be traded
- Items must be consumed in order to trade
Hello! Here is a statement from the #PokemonTCGPocket Team highlighting the details of the upcoming trade feature and new content coming to the game.
The team plans to diligently assess how trading will impact the player experience and the game once it is available. pic.twitter.com/SVBRxIN6sP
— Pokémon TCG Pocket (@PokemonTCGP) January 16, 2025
All of this is pretty much what we could have expected, though the statement stops short of revealing exactly what the items are that must be consumed for trades – it could likely be an existing consumable like Shinedust, or something new entirely.
Players will also only be able to trade “certain” cards from the existing two expansions, Genetic Apex and Mythical Island, which means that cards obtained in the yet-to-be-revealed new expansion coming at roughly the same time will be ineligible, and some cards may not be eligible even if they’re from the existing expansions and of the applicable rarities.
“We’ll continue to monitor player feedback and assess future updates to the trade feature while keeping in mind how to balance both the ease and enjoyability of collecting,” reads the statement.
Have you been playing Pokémon TCG Pocket? Are you keen to start trading cards with friends? Let us know in the comments below or over on social media.
Kieron's been gaming ever since he could first speak the words "Blast Processing" and hasn't lost his love for platformers and JRPGs since. A connoisseur of avant-garde indie experiences and underground cult classics, Kieron is a devout worshipper at the churches of Double Fine and Annapurna Interactive, to drop just a couple of names.
