Pokemon Legends: Z-A‘s new Battle Club mode brings real-time PvP to the franchise in one of the spinoff’s most chaotic-looking ideas yet.
Revealed during the Pokemon World Championships 2025 closing ceremony, Battle Club’s gimmick appears to be pretty simple. Four players compete against each other in an enclosed arena, with each scoring points by knocking opponents’ Pokemon out.
While it’s not exactly Pokemon’s answer to the battle royale, Battle Club definitely shares some similarities. Namely, each round of competition is timed, adopts a free-for-all format, and ranks players based on performance.
Battle Club details
As is the case with the wider game, you’ll be able to issue attack commands to your active Pokemon in real-time. Mega Evolutions, however, will only be available for eligible ‘mons on your team by collecting Mega Power orbs scattered around the arena.
Assumedly, committing to Mega Evolution provides your active ‘mon a massive damage boost as a form of comeback mechanic, but specifics around mechanics and balancing remain to be seen at this stage.
An obscure reference it may be, but Battle Club instantly evokes comparisons in my brain to Capcom’s arena-based Power Stone games. If the former can replicate the hectic nature of that classic series, Battle Club could prove to be Z-A’s standout feature.
A blog post accompanying the August 17 trailer sheds some further light on the feature. Unlike battle royales, where eliminations mean you’re out of the match for good, having your entire team defeated will return you to the starting point with all three fully recovered and ready to reenter the fray.
Battle Club will be available through online and local play, the latter allowing players to customize rules to their liking. The post makes no mention of potential rewards for increasing rank or if doing so will have an impact on the rest of the game.
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