Interesting news out of the Pokemon Company today as they announce the shutdown of Pokemon TCG Online, launched 10 years ago as a web browser game on March 24, 2011. This comes with the announcement that a new game will be coming online to take its place, Pokemon TCG Live. The move modernizes the game, makes it more accessible, and adds proper support to phones for the first time.

  • A Canadian soft launch is taking place later this year with Global open beta for PC and Mac coming.
  • Players from Pokemon TCG Online will not lose any of their cards.
    • Most cards only transfer over with a cap of 4 - extra copies over this are lost.
      • Energies cap at 59.
      • V-UNION cards cap at 1.
      • ACE SPEC or Prism Star cap at 1.
    • Some cards, although transferred, will not be playable immediately. This includes the following sets:
      • Everything from XY Series.
      • Everything from the Black & White series.
      • Sun & Moon through Dragon Majesty in the Sun & Moon Series.
  • Unopened packs in PTCGO will be transferred as Crystals.
    • 1 to 9 unopened items in the Pokémon TCG Online = 250 Crystals awarded in Pokémon TCG Live
    • 10 to 24 unopened items = 550 Crystals
    • 25 to 49 unopened items = 1,125 Crystals
    • 50 to 124 unopened items = 2,350 Crystals
    • 125+ unopened items = 6,200 Crystals
  • Some items will not be transferred:
    • Pokémon TCG cards from the HeartGold & SoulSilver Series
    • Avatar items
    • Unopened products and bundles
    • Certain coins, card sleeves, and deck boxes
    • In-game currency
    • Friends list
    • Saved deck lists
  • There is no more trading.

Pokemon TCGO will go offline shortly before the launch of Pokemon TCG Live. We've got some screenshots of the new game down below along with their official release.

Quote From Pokemon

Overview:

Pokémon TCG Live allows Trainers to enjoy the Pokémon Trading Card Game (TCG)
in an updated digital format and is designed to be easy and fun for beginners to learn
how to play the game, while offering fresh challenges for existing players to improve
and test their skills. Players will be able to enjoy their favorite Pokémon TCG activities,
including building decks and battling other Trainers around the world. They will also
be able to tailor their experience with customizable avatars and Pokémon TCG
accessories, participate in daily quests, and more.

Pokémon TCG Live will be released as a free-to-play game and also marks the first
time that the Pokémon TCG will be playable on smartphones, in addition to tablets,
PCs, and Macs.

Developer and Publisher:

The Pokémon Company International

Release Cadence:

  • Later this year Canadian soft launch for iOS and Android, global open beta for PC and Mac
  • Coming soon Global launch

Regional Availability:

Pokémon TCG Live will be available around the world and localized in English, French, Italian, German, Spanish, and Brazilian Portuguese.

Platform Support:

  • iOS Devices back to iPhone 7 and iPad (2017) with iOS 15
  • Android Devices back to Samsung Galaxy S7 and Samsung Galaxy Tab A (2016) with 2 GB of RAM and Android 8.0 Oreo
  • Windows PC Windows 7, Intel Pentium D or AMD Athlon 64 X2, NVIDIA GeForce 8600 GT or ATI Radeon HD (available via Pokemon.com)
  • Mac MacOS OS X 10.12, Intel Core 2 Duo, NVIDIA GeForce GT 8600M GT or ATI Radeon HD 2600 Pro, and 3 GB RAM (available via Pokemon.com)

Price:

Pokémon TCG Live will be released as a free-to-play game, making it accessible for all types of players.

Rating:

Pokémon TCG Live has an ESRB rating of E (Everyone) and an expected PEGI rating of 7. The AUS rating is pending.

Key Features

Play Wherever and Whenever:

  • Play the Pokémon TCG by the official rules wherever you are and while on the go with smartphone and tablet support.
  • Experience the Pokémon TCG on your preferred platform—whether mobile or desktop—and pick up where you left off on any supported device.

Battle with Friends:

  • Challenge friends and members of the Pokémon TCG Live community with fun gameplay modes, including ranked and casual play.
  • Add and remove friends; see your friends’ online status; and send, accept, and deny battle requests.
  • Pair with players of similar skill level via online matchmaking.
  • Use your favorite Pokémon TCG Live preconstructed deck, or build a custom deck, to test your skills against your friends or random players from around the world.

Build and Edit Decks:

  • Start your Pokémon TCG Live journey by automatically receiving eight playable decks at no cost, including a beginner’s starter deck to help you learn the game.
  • Edit deck lists to create the ideal deck for your next battle. Play the Standard format at launch—with Expanded format coming via a future game update—and collect cards from the Sword & Shield, Sun & Moon, XY, and Black & White Series.
  • Add new cards to your deck by redeeming codes included in physical Pokémon TCG booster packs or by earning digital booster packs in the game.

Earn Rewards with Battle Pass:

  • Play daily quests to level up your Battle Pass and unlock higher rewards. Every day, two new quests are available that will provide players with XP, progression, and quest rewards.
  • Progress in Battle Pass Ladders to unlock in-game cosmetics, booster packs, and more.

Redeem Rewards:

  • Unlock in-game content and accessories at no cost by completing quests and objectives.
    • Coins: Get cool new apparel and emotes for your avatar, and deck customizations such as deck boxes and card sleeves. Coins can be earned by completing quests, leveling up, increasing your rank, and more.
    • Credits: Transfer up to four copies of a unique Pokémon TCG card, one copy of an ACE SPEC or Prism Star card, one copy of each part of a Pokémon V-UNION card, and 59 copies of a basic Energy card from your existing Pokémon TCG Online account. Additional copies of Pokémon TCG cards can be converted into Credits, which can be redeemed for single cards to add to your collection. Credits can also be earned by achieving various milestones within the game.
    • Crystals: With Crystals, earn booster packs, promo cards, and special bundles in the in-game shop to add cards to your collection. In addition, use Crystals to upgrade your experience to the Premium Pass and the Premium Pass +. Crystals can be earned by completing quests.

Customize Your Experience:

  • Customize your in-game avatar in a variety of ways, including skin tone, hair style, hair color, and eye color—plus different clothing options like tops, bottoms, glasses, hats, and shoes.
  • Use your favorite deck accessories when building out customized decks for an additional personal touch.

©2021 Pokémon. ©1995–2021 Nintendo / Creatures Inc. / GAME FREAK inc. TM, ®, and characters are trademarks of Nintendo.
Please note that the Pokémon TCG Online app will be removed from the App Store, Google Play, and Pokemon.com
shortly prior to the launch of Pokémon TCG Live. For additional details, please visit Pokémon Support.

Quote From Pokemon

The Pokémon Trading Card Game Online app will be removed from the App Store, Google Play, and Pokemon.com shortly prior to the launch of Pokémon TCG Live, which will be coming soon to Trainers around the world on iOS and Android devices, as well as PCs and Macs. Existing Pokémon TCG Online players will be able to easily transfer their account and game data to Pokémon TCG Live upon its release. Additional information including exact timing and the account migration process will be shared soon via the Pokémon Support website.

Pokémon TCG Online Sunset FAQ

When will the Pokémon TCG Online be sunsetted?

The Pokémon TCG Online app will be removed from the App Store, Google Play, and Pokemon.com—and game servers will be shut down—shortly prior to the launch of Pokémon TCG Live, which will be coming soon to Trainers around the world on iOS and Android devices, as well as PCs and Macs. We’ll have more details to share on exact timing soon.

The Pokémon TCG Online will remain active during the testing period for Pokémon TCG Live. Players will be able to participate in the Pokémon TCG Live mobile soft launch in Canada, as well as the global open beta for PCs and Macs, later this year.

Will I still be able to play the Pokémon TCG Online before the sunset date?

Fans will continue to have full access to the Pokémon TCG Online until the app is removed from the App Store, Google Play, and Pokemon.com. We’ll have more details to share on exact timing soon.

How do I transfer my Pokémon TCG Online account to Pokémon TCG Live?

The Pokémon TCG Online and Pokémon TCG Live both use the same Pokémon Trainer Club account service for log-in. When logging into Pokémon TCG Live for the first time, any Pokémon TCG Online collection data associated with that Pokémon Trainer Club account will be automatically transferred to Pokémon TCG Live. During the mobile and PC/Mac testing period, players who migrate their Pokémon TCG Online data to Pokémon TCG Live will no longer be able to log in to the Pokémon TCG Online. We’ll provide more details on this process in the future.

Is everything from my Pokémon TCG Online account transferable? What about my cards?

Players will be able to transfer the following content from their Pokémon TCG Online account to Pokémon TCG Live:

  • Cards: Pokémon TCG cards from the Sword & Shield Series, as well as select Sun & Moon Series expansions (from Sun & Moon—Lost Thunder through Sun & Moon—Cosmic Eclipse) are transferrable and playable in Pokémon TCG Live at launch. Cards from other Sun & Moon Series expansions—from Sun & Moon through Dragon Majesty—as well as the XY Series and the Black & White Series are transferrable at launch but will not be playable until future Pokémon TCG Live game updates. Players will be able to transfer up to four copies of a unique Pokémon TCG card, one copy of an ACE SPEC or Prism Star card, one copy of each part of a Pokémon V-UNION card, and 59 copies of a basic Energy card. Additional copies beyond these limits will not be transferred.
  • Accessories: Many coins, card sleeves, and deck boxes are transferrable, with a maximum of one copy per item. Additional copies of coins, card sleeves, and deck boxes will not be transferred.

Pokémon TCG Online players will NOT be able to transfer the following content to Pokémon TCG Live:

  • Pokémon TCG cards from the HeartGold & SoulSilver Series
  • Avatar items
  • Unopened products and bundles
  • Certain coins, card sleeves, and deck boxes
  • In-game currency
  • Friends list
  • Saved deck lists (While deck lists do not automatically transfer, players can export the text of their deck lists and save it locally, and then copy that text into the Deck Editor in Pokémon TCG Live; however, please note that this process must be completed before players begin migrating from the Pokémon TCG Online to Pokémon TCG Live.)

While unopened products and bundles are not transferrable, players will receive a number of Crystals in Pokémon TCG Live that is proportionate to the number of their unopened items. Crystals can be redeemed for booster packs, promo cards, and special bundles in the Pokémon TCG Live in-game shop.

  • 1 to 9 unopened items in the Pokémon TCG Online = 250 Crystals awarded in Pokémon TCG Live
  • 10 to 24 unopened items = 550 Crystals
  • 25 to 49 unopened items = 1,125 Crystals
  • 50 to 124 unopened items = 2,350 Crystals
  • 125+ unopened items = 6,200 Crystals

During the mobile and PC/Mac testing period, players who do not want to have their unopened products and bundles converted to Crystals should open those items in the Pokémon TCG Online before logging in to Pokémon TCG Live for the first time.

What about special expansions like Detective Pikachu and Celebrations?

Pokémon TCG cards from the Detective Pikachu expansion are transferrable and playable in Pokémon TCG Live at launch. The Celebrations expansion is also transferrable and playable at launch, with the exception of cards from the Classic Collection within the Celebrations expansion, which are transferrable at launch but will not be playable until future Pokémon TCG Live game updates.

What about cards from the McDonald’s Happy Meal promotion?

Pokémon TCG cards from the McDonald’s Happy Meal promotion are not transferrable to Pokémon TCG Live, as they are not available in the Pokémon TCG Online.

Will the Pokémon TCG Online code cards that are included in physical Pokémon TCG products work in Pokémon TCG Live?

Pokémon TCG Online code cards in Pokémon TCG products will be compatible with Pokémon TCG Live, although code cards from some products may unlock different items in Pokémon TCG Live than they do in the Pokémon TCG Online.

Why did you decide to sunset the Pokémon TCG Online and develop Pokémon TCG Live?

We’re always working to innovate the Pokémon TCG and provide the best possible experience for fans who want more ways to play outside of the tabletop version of the game. As the Pokémon TCG Online launched over 10 years ago, Pokémon TCG Live not only provides an opportunity to update the game and underlying technology, but engage more fans by offering an easily accessible app on smartphones, tablets, PCs, and Macs. Pokémon TCG Live also comes with a suite of improvements, including a new card logic engine that provides more player feedback around gameplay events, as well as a Ranked Ladder, Battle Pass, duplicate card protection with Credits, 3D avatars, updated visual effects, and more fluid gameplay.

Why are you sunsetting the Pokémon TCG Online before the launch of Pokémon TCG Live?

The Pokémon TCG Online will be sunsetted prior to the launch of Pokémon TCG Live so that saved content in players’ Pokémon TCG Online accounts can be migrated to Pokémon TCG Live, helping to ensure a more seamless transition for players. This also provides a more optimal experience by merging all fans into one app, offering a greater pool of people to digitally play the Pokémon TCG.

Why did you decide to discontinue working with Dire Wolf Digital on Pokémon TCG Live?

Dire Wolf Digital, the developer of the Pokémon TCG Online, has been an incredible and reliable partner in helping us deliver a digital Pokémon TCG experience to Trainers, and they will continue to support the code cards found in Pokémon TCG products. We’re always working to innovate the Pokémon TCG, and with the Pokémon TCG Online app launching over 10 years ago, it made sense to update the game and bring that work in-house to help ensure a seamless and holistic Pokémon TCG ecosystem for fans.