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Pokémon TCG Pocket seems redundant next to 2023's Pokémon TCG Live. Both games offer collecting and battling mechanics. I spent a month with this new Pokémon game and can confirm it captures that classic feeling of collecting and playing games with Pokémon cards with your friends.

Typically, digital card games treat pack opening and card collecting as a means to an end for deck building and battling – but Pokemon TCG Pocket celebrates the act. It acknowledges that obtaining cards can be just as enjoyable and satisfying as the battles themselves, and in doing so, it's able to carve out its own successful niche.

Pokemon TCG Pocket trading – an essential feature for a game with “trading card” in its name – is finally happening soon, though it comes with a catch

Most packs in Pokémon TCG Pocket are free unless you buy Gold, but you have to wait 12 hours between each pack. Thankfully, you don’t need to be logged into the game before Pack Stamina refills, but it’s a lengthy wait—though the process can be sped up.

It has been confirmed that trading will come to Pokémon TCG Pocket at some point. While there hasn't been any news about trading since the game dropped, the feature was included in the game's initial announcement earlier this year. So, while it's disappointing that we can't trade straight away, the feature will release eventually.

Pokémon TCG Pocket's online mode is a viper's den, so we've rounded up the best cards in the game to help you fight off all the ex Pikachus.