How to Play Pokémon TCG Pocket on PC

Have you been missing the trading card crazes of the late 90s and the year of which we do not speak? Then you’ll be happy to hear all about Pokémon TCG Pocket!

The latest mobile craze is taking over everyone’s phone and friendships. Our resident Pokémon Master has been pulled in to tell you all about it, and how you can put the mobile experience on your PC! 

What is Pokémon TCG Pocket? 

Developed by Creatures Inc. and mobile portal provider DeNA, TCGP is a stripped-down mobile adaptation of the long-running Pokémon Trading Card Game. First revealed during Pokémon Day early in 2024, the game came out October 30^th after a soft launch over the previous month. 

The focus is, of course, the joy of ripping virtual packs and trying to pull the best cards you can. TCGP currently features over 300 cards, unique to the game, but the fun doesn’t stop there. You can share your collection with players across the globe, organise your binder, and even battle in a bite-size version of the card game perfect for new players unfamiliar with this side of things. 

Collecting cards of certain types, species, and quantities as well as performing certain actions repeatedly helps complete missions to earn more in-game currencies and level-up faster. There is a Premium Pass available for additional missions, currencies, and items but that is the only paywalled part of the game. Poké Gold is the only paid currency, but aside from some unique cosmetics it is only useful for opening extra packs. 

Opening Pack in Pokémon TCG Pocket 

Ripping packs for pulls is what keeps TCG addicts like myself awake at night. TCGP scratches that itch voraciously. As of right now, there is only one set available – Genetic Apex.

It’s broken into three parts – Pikachu, Charizard, and Mewtwo – with each having unique cards to hunt. When you want to open a pack, you pick one of the options and then have to pick from a carousel before satisfyingly ripping the top and tapping through to see if you get a hit. 

As this is a mobile game, there is a catch. You get one pack every twelve hours and a third every day if you’re on the premium pass. You can reduce this with Pack Hourglasses bought from the in-game shop and generously thrown at you during the early levels. You’ll probably be dozens of packs in before you even consider using the premium Poké Gold currency to rip more. But there are other ways to get cards… 

Get Extra Cards with Wonder Picks

Wonder Picks is an interesting mechanic that lets you see other people’s pulls and randomly pick one to get a copy of. It has a cooldown timer too so you can’t do it constantly. But you can pick your friends’ packs as well as an assortment of random players. Always be sure to send thanks after picking – it gives some a free Shop Ticket which is mainly used for getting more Pack Hourglasses! Speaking of… 

Battles in Pokémon TCG Pocket

Aaah yes, that thing most people didn’t realise you could do with Pokémon cards. Battling has been revamped for simplicity compared to what you might have in the Pokémon TCG Live – decks are only 20 cards instead of 60, you win by earning three prize points rather than six prize cards, and energy is now in a pool you can draw one from every turn. It’s simpler, snappier, and overall smoother. 

Random match ups are great, but there’s loads of CPU solo battles you can dive into not only to learn the game but get free items, cards, and more to help build your collection! It’s well worth spending some time here when you find yourself unable to open packs. There’s even an auto-build feature for decks so you don’t have to worry about being able to make one from scratch at the early stages. 

Binders, Display Boards, and Community

Any TCG player will tell you the game is at its best with a community around you – and TCGP has a digital one just for that! You can add your friends via code so you can battle and check each other’s collections (no trading just yet, though the option is visible in app!). This means you can prioritise your friends for wonder picks and give each other shop tickets to boot! 

You’ll also have the option to make a binder with your favourite cards as well as a display board with your best pull. You can attach some cosmetics to this to get it to stand out and share it online for others to see! If people give your collection a like, you’ll get a Shop Ticket. You even give your friends’ collections a daily like to keep each other flush with currency for more Pack Hourglasses! 

Events in Pokémon TCG Pocket 

It’s only been a couple of weeks since launch, but Pokémon TCG Pocket has already had a few events to flood the game with even more cards and cosmetics! These are dropping fairly regularly, but here are the two types we’ve seen so far. 

Wonder Pick Events

Special limited “Chansey Picks” appear during this period where you can pick promo cards to help complete missions to earn limited Event Tickets. Spend these for limited-time cosmetics and collect cards to keep your binders nice and full! The last one had a focus on Meowth, with a promo card, binder, display board, and other bits available. 

Drop Events

These focus on battling CPU decks to earn special promo packs. Repeating battles is limited by a cooldown, but there are four tiers to the battles so you can compete at whatever level you feel confident at. Lapras ex was the highlight here, with a few other cards coming in to fill out the promo section. You can also earn other currencies by doing these battles and completing missions, so it’s well worth dropping in for these yourself. 

Our Top Tips for Pokémon TCG Pocket

Of course, what is the point in bringing in Overclockers UK’s resident cardboard addict Pokémon Master, if he doesn’t have some great tips to help you master Pokémon TCG Pocket? Here are mine; 

• In the tutorial, the packs you pick will determine what hits you will get from your first two packs, your first Wonder Pick, and your starter deck. Mewtwo probably has the best selection but pick with your heart! 
• Get a binder and display board set up as soon as you hit Level 6, make it public, favourite it to your profile, and tag it. You can go back to make more and improve things later, but if you have one live then people (including your friends) can like it, and you’ll earn extra shop tickets to spend passively. 
• Once you’ve picked up accessories and a spare of each item card from the shop, just spend your tickets on Pack Hourglasses. Ripping packs is the focus of the set, so unless you really want the Special Set Accessories which will literally cost thousands of tickets, you shouldn’t hoard them for anything else. 
• Pack Points you earn from opening boosters are a great way to pick up common cards you’re missing to finish Themed Collections. Don’t be afraid to hold onto them for a bit before spending! 
• Wonder Pick is an inconsistent way to earn cards. Let your energy build and spend it when someone has a pack featuring multiple cards you’d like to add to your collection. Doing it for one ex card when you only have a 20% chance of hitting it is a waste. 
• Don’t sleep on battles – you can easily gain experience to level up and shop tickets to spend by doing them. Pay attention to the missions and go back in a few times with auto-built decks to earn more moolah for opening packs later. 
• Always give thanks after an online battle or wonder pick – it costs nothing to be kind! 

• There is a rumour going round that packs with a bent right corner have a higher hit rate. There is no evidence to back this up, but I am glad the long-standing tradition of Pokémon playground rumours is still being honoured in the year of our lord Arceus 2024. 
• Speaking of playground rumours – there IS a secret Mew card in the game! Once you collect one card of each of the original 150, you can claim it from a hidden mission. These don’t have to be specific cards either, so any one of the six versions of Charizard available will fit the bill! 

So How Do I Play Pokémon TCG Pocket on PC?

So now I have successfully sold you on making Pokémon TCG Pocket your latest addiction, how do you bring the mobile experience to your PC? 

It’s not straightforward, but it is easily done – you’ll just need an Android emulator (and a PC good enough to run it smoothly).  

There are a number of Android Emulator programs you can easily download from your browser of choice. Some even have cloud functionality! Popular emulators include BlueStacks, Android Studio, and Bliss OS. Each has their own benefits and features, designed to suit different needs and play styles – so it’s well worth doing your research into which one is best for you. 

Once you’ve picked your emulator, download it from their website and follow the installation instructions. From here, how you use the emulator will vary from program to program, but they will need you to log into your Google account. Once you have that up and running, just download the Pokémon TCG Pocket app through the emulator!  

You can easily get your fix for digital shiny cardboard from your desk when you’re not meant to be on your phone. 

Android Emulator Specifications

We’re going to base our PC picks on the specifications for BlueStacks, as this is a comprehensive Android app player and emulator. Plus, we’re always a sucker for a UI that is jam-packed with features to improve our gaming experience! 

Best PCs to Play Pokémon TCG Pocket

The specifications for BlueStacks are very modest, so chances are your gaming PC is already up to the task. If you want to be the very best like no one ever was, though, an upgrade may be in order. At Overclockers UK, we have an extensive collection of gaming PCs and laptops that would be just perfect for your Pokémon trading card adventures. Below, we’ve got a few starters for you, but you can explore our whole PokéDex of PCs and laptops with just a click of a button. 

OcUK Gaming Mach 1 Pre-Built Gaming PC

• Pre-built gaming PC – balancing performance and budget!
• AMD Ryzen 5 5600 CPU
• NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 GPU
• 16GB DDR4 RAM and SSD storage
• Covered by our three years parts and labour warranty

Buy Now

Acer Nitro 5 Gaming Laptop

• 17.3″ FHD 144Hz gaming laptop
• Intel Core i5-12450H CPU
• NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4050 GPU
• 16GB DDR4 RAM and PCIe SSD
• Refined chassis and dual-fan cooling

Buy Now

Refract Gaming Jade Pre-Built PC

• Pre-built PC – fully assembled and ready to ship!
• AMD Ryzen 7 7700 CPU
• NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 Ti GPU
• 32GB DDR5 RAM and SSD storage
• Covered by our three years parts and labour warranty

Buy Now

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Will You be Playing Pokémon TCG Pocket?

Has the hype caught your attention? Let us know if you’re planning on downloading Pokémon TCG Pocket. Or if you have been playing, tell us your top tips and best pulls in the comments below! Be sure to check out what hits our team have had too – click to expand the images! 

PC specs are subject to change.