Nintendo surprises Pokémon fans by dropping two classic games on Nintendo Switch
No, not Red and Blue.
Nintendo has surprised Pokémon fans by releasing two classic games from its long-running monster-catching and battling series on Nintendo Switch Online - Pokémon Trading Card Game (Game Boy) and Pokémon Stadium 2 (N64) are now playable on Switch.
As confirmed during the Pokémon Presents live stream on 8th August, both games are available right now for Nintendo Switch Online subscribers.
Pokémon Trading Card Game was originally released on the Game Boy back in 1998 and is a fully-fledged RPG adaptation of the trading card game. It featured - for the time - an up-to-date list of Pokémon TCG sets and rules as well as a number of exclusive cards.
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Pokémon Stadium 2, meanwhile, launched on the N64 back in 2000 and is available to those who pay extra for the Nintendo Switch Online Expansion Pack subscription.
The sequel to the original Pokémon Stadium (also on Switch Online Expansion Pack) features all 251 Pokémon from the first two generations of the RPGs.
In the original edition of Pokémon Stadium 2, you could transfer Pokémon caught from the Game Boy games into the N64 to battle with. This feature has been removed from the Switch Online experience.
As with all multiplayer games on the subscription, though, you should be able to play online multiplayer with those on your friends list.
Perfect for those wanting some classic Pokémon battles online with friends - it’s time to relive your childhood with the magic of modern technology!
If you’re yet to subscribe to Nintendo Switch Online or the Expansion Pack, doing so is easy and will only set you back £17.99 a year or £34.99 a year, respectively.
You can also pick up the Switch Online Family Membership, which allows up to eight accounts sharing one cost (it's not limited to household members, either). The standard Switch Online Family Membership costs £31.99 a year while the Expansion Pack yearly cost will set you back £59.99.
Those subscribed to the standard Switch Online gain access to play NES, SNES, Game Boy and Game Boy Color games at no extra cost (on top of online play).
Pay extra for the Expansion Pack and you get all of that plus Game Boy Advance, N64 and Mega Drive (Genesis for those of a US persuasion) too.
Expansion pack subscriptions also grant you access to a selection of Nintendo’s DLC, including the mighty Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Booster Course Pass DLC.
The two Pokémon games today join Pokémon Snap, Pokémon Puzzle League and Pokémon Stadium on the Switch Online service.
No, there’s still no sign of Pokémon Red, Blue and Yellow, Pokémon Gold, Silver and Crystal, or Pokémon Ruby, Sapphire and Emerald (or the Fire Red and Leaf Green remakes) on the subscription service.
Fingers crossed the rest of the Pokémon series can join Pokémon Trading Card Game and Stadium 2 soon.
With these two classic games being added to Switch Online, though, it’s shaping up to be another big year for Game Freak and Nintendo’s franchise with the Pokémon Scarlet and Violet DLC, a new Netflix series, Pokémon Sleep and Detective Pikachu Returns.
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Authors
Toby Saunders is a freelance writer specialising in Video Game journalism. He has a wealth of experience in the field and is published on many different websites including PCGamesN, Nintendo Life and Pocket Tactics. He has a degree in Film Studies (he gets to write about Film and TV occasionally, too).
