Pokémon Showdown

What it is

Pokémon Showdown is the browser battle simulator: pick a format, get a team, and fight a stranger's team in seconds. There is no catching, no walking, no grinding. It is the competitive battle from the games with the rest of the game removed, and it runs as a single page with a lobby, a ladder, a team builder and dozens of chat rooms alongside.

How to play

Choose a name, any name, and press Battle. The default format is Random Battle, which hands you a random team and matches you with someone online in the same format. Each turn you pick a move or a switch, your opponent does the same, and the turn plays out. The Teambuilder lets you build your own teams for the other formats, the Ladder ranks you, and Watch a battle lets you spectate a live match while you learn. There is a chat room per format, plus language rooms and a few for other hobbies.

What makes it different

Scale and speed. Close to ten thousand people were online on a Saturday morning, with about a thousand battles running, so a match is never more than a few seconds away. There are dozens of formats, each with its own room, from the standard tiers to one-on-one, doubles and stranger rule sets. And it is free, with no download and no account required.

Why it is on Bored

Random Battle is the mode for a break: no team to build, one match, then back to the lobby. For a generation this is a household name, and this version gets you into a battle in seconds. A consent wall with a long partner list stands at the door, and the chat rooms are public, so treat them as public.

Tips

• Start with Random Battle, it removes the only hard part
• Use Watch a battle to see a live match before you play your first
• Tick Don't allow spectators if you would rather not have an audience
• Register your name once you like it, it is free and keeps your teams

FAQ