By Dexerto | Created at 2026-06-16 16:33:14 | Updated at 2026-06-17 03:56:24
11 hours ago
The Pokemon Company has revealed a new competition that challenges developers to create AI agents capable of playing the Pokemon Trading Card Game, with cash prizes and support from major technology partners, including Google and Nvidia.
Announced on June 16, the Pokemon Trading Card Game AI Battle Challenge is being run in partnership with Kaggle, a machine learning and data science platform owned by Google.
The competition asks participants to build AI systems that can compete in Pokemon TCG matches, testing whether artificial intelligence can handle the game’s strategic complexity, deck-building decisions, and unpredictable gameplay scenarios.
Pokemon wants to know if AI can play the TCG at a high level
On the website, organizers highlighted several reasons why Pokemon TCG presents a difficult challenge for AI systems.
These include the large number of available cards, diverse gameplay tactics, type matchups, draw-based decision making, hidden information, and the need to adapt to unpredictable developments during a match.
“AI has faced other strategic tabletop games like Chess, Shogi, and Go,” the event description states. “Now, AI takes on a new challenge: the Pokemon Trading Card Game.”
The first stage of the competition is divided into two categories: a Simulation Category and a Strategy Category.
The Simulation Category runs from June 16 through August 17, 2026, with teams developing AI training agents that will compete in automated matches on Kaggle. No prize money is offered for this category.
The Strategy Category runs from June 16 through September 14, 2026. Participants must submit a report explaining the strategic logic behind their AI systems, with rankings based on factors including agent stability, deck design concepts, and performance in the simulation phase.
The top eight teams in the Strategy Category will advance to a second-round finals event scheduled to take place later in 2026.
Finalists will receive $3,000 in Google Cloud credits per participant, while the overall winner will earn $50,000. The runner-up team will receive $30,000.
According to the competition website, matches will use Pokemon TCG Standard-format rules, though only cards from an organizer-provided card pool can be used. Each player will also be limited to 10 minutes per match.
The event is organized by The Pokemon Company alongside Matsuo Institute and HEROZ, with support from Google, Google Cloud, and Nvidia.
