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Pokémon Presents for July 2025 is packed with new stuff that is worth waiting for the rest of the year and 2026.
Thousands of Pokémon fans around the world tuned in once again for another Pokémon Presents livestream in July 2025, which revealed a long list of announcements about various Pokémon games and events, including a new Mega Pokémon for Pokémon Legends Z-A.
This article summarizes the entire 24-minute video for readers who may have missed the livestream or prefer a written recap.
Tom Bull
Major announcements for the July 2025 Pokémon Presents
The following announcements will involve the franchise’s latest titles, events, and updates about its most highly anticipated games:
Pokémon World Championships 2025
The most prestigious event for competitive Pokémon players will be held in Anaheim, California, from Aug. 15 to 17. Participants for the tournaments will receive a special promo card, a Stadium card called Paradise Resort.
As for the non-competing attendees, a special digital code for obtaining Toedscool in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet will be given out during the event.
Pokémon Tales: The Misadventures of Sirfetch’d and Pichu
In partnership with Aardman Studio, another stop-motion animated series for the Pokémon franchise is in the works with Sirfetch’d and Pikachu as main characters. The series will premiere sometime in 2027.
New title: Pokémon Friends
This new game for the Switch, iOS, and Android features a variety of puzzles that serve as excellent brain teasers, making it perfect for casual gamers looking to pass the time. Pokémon Friends is now downloadable on the said platforms right after the Pokémon Presents livestream.
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Free Pokémon Scarlet & Violet update for the Nintendo Switch 2 system
While waiting a bit more for the tenth generation of the main series, players who own Nintendo Switch 2 can experience a better-looking Paldea region, as Pokémon Scarlet & Violet is now optimized for the new platform.
Moreover, a new series of Tera Raid Battles will launch on Pokémon Scarlet & Violet, which features the shiny forms of the Treasures of Ruin (Wo-Chien, Chien-Pao, Ting-Lu, and Chi-Yu).
Gameplay mechanics revealed for Pokémon Champions
As already teased during the previousPokémon Presents, Pokémon Champions is essentially a Pokémon battle simulator where you can use any Pokémon you caught and trained from the previous games with the help of the Pokémon Home cloud service.
Alternatively, you’re able to also build a new team by recruiting some Pokémon in exchange for VP, the game’s main currency. It’s also revealed that you can play Pokémon Champions (either Single or Double Battle) in two modes: Ranked Battles for online matches and Private Battles if you want to play against your friends.
Pokémon Champions will have its own mechanics for strengthening Pokémon as well, through training options that enable a Pokémon to increase certain stats or learn new moves. The game remains under development, but its target schedule of release is around 2026.
New characters and more Mega Pokémon in Pokémon Legends: Z-A
With only a few months left before the release of the franchise’s most hyped game for 2025, fans are buzzing with anticipation about what Pokémon Legends: Z-A can offer in comparison with the previous Pokémon Legends game.
Based on everything shown during the Pokémon Presents, it looks like Pokémon Legends: Z-A will also feature a friendly organization with a team in its name, Team MZ, which kind of mirrors the Security Corps of Pokémon Legends: Arceus’ Galaxy Team in terms of their interests and goals. Some of the newly introduced members of Team MZ are Urbain/Taunie, Lida, and Naveen.
During the night, you’ll also encounter more characters, particularly strong trainers who participate in the Z-A Royale, a nocturnal event where you can rise in ranks as you win more battles.
Apart from the usual things like side missions involving detective work and research lab tasks, you’ll also get to meetMega Evolved Rogue Pokémon: Pokémon that mega-evolved by themselves and are rampaging around Lumiose City.
In line with that, Dragonite, the first pseudo-legendary Pokémon, finally gets its new Mega Evolved form that introduces head-mounted wings and a pearl-like orb at the end of its tail. Pokémon Z-A is set to launch on Oct.16 and is currently available for preorder.
