Pokemon Trading Card Game Live, the new digital version of the long-running card game, is opening up to beta testers in Canada. The Pokemon TCG Live beta will begin on February 22, 2022. It will be available on iOS, Android, PC, and Mac. The Pokemon TCG Live beta, which The Pokemon Company describes as “limited,” will include the Brilliant Stars expansion before the set’s official release date.
The game is a replacement for the 11-year-old Pokemon Trading Card Game Online. While PTCGO did see release on tablets, The Pokemon Company and developer Dire Wolf Digital never created a phone version of the game. The Pokemon Company originally planned a beta for the internally-developed follow-up for late 2021, but delayed it to 2022 “to provide Trainers with a more polished experience.”
To join the beta, PC and Mac players will need to download the client from the Pokemon site. Mobile players can get the game through the respective app stores. The beta, like the full release, includes cross-platform play. Beta players will still be able to play Pokemon Trading Card Game Online after participating. The full app’s release, however, will follow a shutdown and transfer of that game’s collection data.
Pokemon Trading Card Game Live will launch as a free-to-play game with no in-app purchases. Players can increase card collections by buying physical packs and redeeming included codes. It’s slated for PC, Mac, iOS and Android devices. There’s no announced release date.
