Pokémon video game series competitive play

Competitive play in Pokémon generally involves player versus player battles that take place using the Pokémon video games. Using fictional species called Pokémon in battle, players aim to defeat all of the opponent's Pokémon in order to win. These battles are often fought for both official tournaments and for friendly and unofficial competition.

Competitive play has been a factor in the fan community of the Pokémon series since its inception, with early fan-made internet programs used to simulate battles due to the lack of official online support. Online fan-made competitive communities began to form around this time, but the scene grew substantially in popularity following the release of Pokémon Diamond and Pearl, which introduced online battling to the series. In response, The Pokémon Company established official competitive formats, which have since been hosted bi-yearly, with exceptions in 2020 and 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Since the introduction of official events, the competitive scene has expanded significantly, and the games have incorporated quality-of-life features to better support competitive play.

The competitive scene has generally been considered an open and welcoming environment for fans, particularly via in-person competitive events. The scene has been criticized for several barriers to entry, however, such as the time and monetary investment needed to play the series professionally. Other aspects, such as how competitive Pokémon should be played and the usage of hacked or generated Pokémon in the scene, have also received significant debate.