Competitor Information

Competitors at the World Championships will be vying for the title of Pokémon VGC World Champion as well as great prizes. Competitors will battle using the Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Violet games for Nintendo Switch systems.

Competitors in all age divisions will begin play on Friday, August 16. Competitors must be in good standing with the Play! Pokémon program to participate and must have an active Play! Pokémon account with current and accurate information.

Competitors must comply with the Tournament Rules.

Competitors qualify for Worlds by earning Championship Points at events throughout the Championship Series season. Pokémon TCG, Pokémon video game, and Pokémon GO players must hit a threshold of Championship Points to earn their Worlds invitation. The number of Championship Points required to receive an invitation is based on both geographical rating zone and age division.

The very best competitors will receive an award for travel to attend the event. 

Competitors in Japan, South Korea, and the Asia-Pacific region will be awarded World Championships invitations per their regions’ organized play and esports programs. Players from these rating zones are not eligible to earn World Championships invitations through Championship Points or through automatic invites earned by winning Regional or International Championships. 

When you show up at a Pokémon video game tournament, there are some things you must have with you:

• A Pokémon Scarlet or Pokémon Violet game (physical or digital) updated to the most recent software version
• A fully charged system from the Nintendo Switch family of systems (Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch - OLED Model, or Nintendo Switch Lite) with a working USB-C port, the latest system updates installed, and wired internet settings set to automatic
• A Nintendo Switch Online membership, active for the duration of the event
• A team of tournament-legal Pokémon for the current format at the time of the event (see the VG Tournament Rules and check back regularly before the event for updates)
• A charger for your system; it is the competitor’s responsibility that their console remains operational throughout the tournament

Proof of age may be requested, and failure to provide proof of age may result in the player being denied participation in the tournament (at the organizer’s discretion).

Players who have qualified for the Pokémon VGC World Championships will be contacted directly by an administrator of the Play! Pokémon program. Players must be in good standing with the Play! Pokémon program and have an active Play! Pokémon account with current and accurate information.

All Pokémon VGC competitors must submit their team list online with the RK9 Labs Team List Creator by 8:00 a.m. local time on Friday, August 16, 2024. Competitors may resubmit their team list as many times as they want prior to the submission deadline; however, they must compete using the final team they submit. Competitors’ teamsmust be saved in the Battle Team 1 slot. Competitors will also be required to submit a valid Rental Team ID matching their Battle Team. Competitors must ensure that there are no teams with the same six species of Pokémon they are using for the event in their party, Boxes, or other Battle Team slots.

Any lists not submitted on time may result in a Round 1 loss. For information on how to submit your list for the event, see RK9’s support article for Pokémon VGC team lists.

Your birth date is required to make sure you play in the correct age division for the event you are attempting to register for. Without the ability to confirm your birth date, you cannot register online for any event.

Refunds for registration are not available for this event. Additionally, registration is locked to a specific player and cannot be transferred. If circumstances change before the event begins and you will be unable to attend, please submit a support ticket to the RK9 support team.

Badges for this event can be picked up on-site at the Hilton Hawaiian Village in the Coral Ballroom. All attendees are highly encouraged to pick up their badges on Thursday, August 15, from 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. 

At the beginning of a championship match, you will be seated for the competitor meeting or Round 1 pairings, depending upon the event. After connecting to your opponent and seeing “Preparations Complete” in-game, you and your opponent will exchange official “opponent view” team sheets. Be sure to keep a close eye on your sheet, as you must show it to your opponent during each round. You should check that the information on your team sheet is correct. If there are any errors, contact a Judge immediately to assist you.

Each round, you will connect your Nintendo Switch system to a dock at the table number you are assigned to. Your system should be set to airplane mode when playing tournament matches.

Battles will be held over the Poké Portal’s Union Circle.

1. Player 1 will form a group using the Union Circle and share the unique code with player 2 so that they can join.
2. Once in the Union Circle, both players will select Link Battle to match up.
3. Competitors must select Double Battle and Official Rules 2 for their match.
4. Each competitor should confirm that they are connected to the correct opponent prior to beginning their match.
5. After completing their match, competitors must keep their Nintendo Switch systems docked until they’ve disbanded their group or exited the Union Circle.

Please change the nickname setting in-game to Don’t Show, and all system friend notifications must be turned off. Make sure your Date and Time settings are set to sync with the internet.