Classic Game Boy Pokémon finally comes to Nintendo Switch

Nintendo has been putting in the hours recently to add many retro titles to its Nintendo Switch Online services. There’s been a lot of Legend of Zelda to keep us occupied, but now Nintendo has blessed us with The Pokemon Trading Card Game.

Find out all the Pokemon Presents details below!

Take yourselves back to 1998: you’re in your room, huddled up on the bed, playing the digital version of the Pokemon TCG on your Gameboy. All's right with the world.

We might not be able to go back to those simple days, but we can get a good dose of nostalgia now that this classic Gameboy title is finally on the Switch. The latest Pokemon Presents has gifted us not one but two classic games for the Switch, with Pokemon Stadium 2 also available.

Although gamers can easily play a round of Pokemon TCG whenever they want, either in person or via the app, they’re polished. Some would argue contemporary, even. The 1998 digital OG is where you can experience Pokemon the way the Pokemon gods intended.

If you’re not sold on how excited fans are, just check out this Reddit thread to see the hype surrounding the Nintendo Expansion Pack update.

One user exclaimed, “TCG!! This game is a total gem from my memory. It's so unique and kinda odd but extremely well executed.” While another fan remembered the horror of facing the one, the only, the deadly… Wigglytuff! “An entire generation of Pokémon fans are about to walk into the water club and develop a severe and unexpected loathing of Wigglytuff.”

Although it’s exciting to see old school Pokemon titles coming to the Switch, there’s been no announcement about Pokemon Red, Blue, Yellow, or, arguably the best of them all, Silver. Compared to both Pokemon Stadium 2 and the Pokemon Trading Card Game, those iconic titles are what the fans really want.

In fact, some fans are so annoyed by the lack of news that they dubbed August’s Pokemon Presents “the worst one to date.” Though, as with anything Pokemon related, that’s up for debate. A debate we’re not getting into.

Should you be fortunate enough to have never experienced The Pokemon Trading Card Game before, and are unsure whether it’s for you, ask yourself this: are you a true Pokemon fan? We suspect your answer is yes.

Even if you’ve never played the TCG before, it doesn’t matter. In fact, you might prefer this format because it has a certain flavour to it that some argue the physical TCG lacks.

With hundreds of cards to collect, RPG-eque gameplay, and challenging battles, it offers an experience that’s better than some of the mainline games. Of course, for players to actually enjoy this fan favourite, they’ll need to have both a Nintendo Switch Online account and the Expansion Pack.

The Pokemon Trading Card Game is now available on the Nintendo Switch Online Expansion Pack.