Pokemon Champions Adds Z Mega Evolutions on September 9, on Switch and Mobile
Pokemon Champions gets its next competitive update on September 9, and it brings the first Z Mega Evolutions to the game: Mega Lucario Z, Mega Garchomp Z and Mega Absol Z. The free-to-start battle game runs on Nintendo Switch and on iOS and Android, with cross-platform play, so every version moves to the new rules at the same moment.
What the Pokemon Champions Z Mega Evolution update changes
The update arrives alongside a new competitive ruleset, Regulation Set M-C. It becomes active on 9 September at 02:00 UTC and runs until 2 December at 01:59 UTC, which is the window every ranked team will be built inside for the next three months.
Five additions come with it. Three are the Z Mega Evolutions, and two are ordinary species that have spent years near the top of competitive play: Rillaboom and Baxcalibur.
- Mega Absol Z gains Sharpness, which raises the damage of slicing moves such as Night Slash and Shadow Claw by 50 percent.
- Mega Garchomp Z gains Levitate. That makes it immune to Ground-type attacks and to entry hazards including Stealth Rock and Toxic Spikes, which is a large change for a Pokemon that was previously weak to Ice and grounded.
- Mega Lucario Z gains an ability that halves the damage it takes from any move that makes contact. The ability was shown in the trailer but has not been fully detailed.
- Rillaboom joins the roster. It has been one of the most consistently used Pokemon in Video Game Championships doubles.
- Baxcalibur, the Ice and Dragon type, joins as well.
The trailer closes on Mega Heatran walking into the battle arena. That one is a tease and nothing more: it has not been confirmed for Regulation Set M-C, and no date has been given for it or for the Legendary Pokemon the sequence implies.
Which platforms get the update
Pokemon Champions is a single game across Nintendo Switch, iPhone and Android, and it supports cross-platform battles, so there is no separate mobile build to wait on. It is free to start. A Pokemon Champions and Starter Pack bundle is sold separately, along with optional in-game items, and none of that is required to play the new ruleset.
Because the regulation change is server-side and time-stamped in UTC, the switchover happens at the same instant everywhere rather than rolling out region by region. For players in India that is 7:30 a.m. IST on 9 September; on the US west coast it is 7 p.m. on 8 September.
Why the Regulation Set M-C date matters
Regulation sets are what the official tournament circuit runs on, and this one has a fixture attached to it already. The first sanctioned event using Regulation Set M-C is the 2027 Baltimore Regionals on 19 and 20 September, ten days after the rules go live. Anyone planning to enter has a short runway to test teams built around three Mega Evolutions nobody has played with yet.
The practical effect for casual players is narrower. Ranked ladders move to the new set, so teams built for Regulation Set M-B stop being legal, and any Pokemon or item outside M-C has to be swapped before the ladder resets.
How this fits the rest of the Pokemon lineup
The announcement came out of the closing ceremony of this year's Pokemon World Championships, which is where the company usually stacks its reveals. Champions is the competitive pillar of that lineup, sitting apart from the mainline role-playing games and from the phone titles the series leans on for reach — the same audience that keeps turning out for Pokemon GO seasonal events like the Water Festival.
On console the franchise has had a strong year, with Pokemon Pokopia passing five million sales on Switch 2. If you are waiting out the gap between updates, our round-up of the best free Pokemon fan games covers what is playable now, and phone players on older hardware can check our list of Android games that run on 2GB of RAM before installing anything heavy.
What has not been announced
There is no download size for the September 9 update yet, on either Switch or mobile, and no maintenance window has been published. Mega Lucario Z's ability name, Mega Heatran, and any Legendary Pokemon in a future regulation set are all unconfirmed. Everything above that is not labelled as a tease came from the announcement itself.
Frequently Asked Questions
When do Z Mega Evolutions come to Pokemon Champions?
They arrive on 9 September 2026 at 02:00 UTC, at the same time Regulation Set M-C becomes the active ruleset. The change is applied server-side, so it lands at the same instant on Nintendo Switch, iOS and Android rather than rolling out by region.
Which Z Mega Evolutions are in the update?
Three: Mega Lucario Z, Mega Garchomp Z and Mega Absol Z. Two ordinary species join alongside them, Rillaboom and Baxcalibur. Mega Heatran appears at the end of the announcement trailer but has not been confirmed for this ruleset.
Is Pokemon Champions on Android and iPhone?
Yes. Pokemon Champions runs on Nintendo Switch and on iOS and Android phones, and battles are cross-platform between them. It is free to start, with a Starter Pack bundle and optional in-game items sold separately.
How long does Regulation Set M-C last?
It runs from 9 September 2026 at 02:00 UTC until 2 December 2026 at 01:59 UTC. The first official tournament played under it is the 2027 Baltimore Regionals on 19 and 20 September.
How big is the Pokemon Champions September update download?
No download size has been published for either the Switch or the mobile version, and no maintenance window has been announced. Expect the figure to appear on the store listing closer to 9 September.
