Pokemon TCG Pocket Is Hemorrhaging Players, But Remaining Fans Know How to Save It

When it first launched in October 2024, Pokemon TCG Pocket quickly attracted a large player base. With physical Pokemon cards already elusive on shelves, fans welcomed the opportunity to scratch that pack-ripping itch in a digital format. I would know, because I was one of the people who downloaded the game on launch day. It has quickly become a core part of my mobile app rotation, and I’m still ripping packs daily. But even before a recent DeNA earnings report confirmed it, my friends list made it clear many early adopters have left Pokemon TCG Pocket behind. Now, the latest player numbers are in, confirming that DeNA is struggling to retain users.

In a recent earnings report, Pokemon TCG Pocket developer DeNA notes its daily users averaged around 23 million during the first quarter of 2026. That’s down quite a bit from last year’s numbers of around 39 million daily active players. While the company notes this is “within expected range,” the financial report also confirms DeNA wants to “increase login frequency” going forward. Specifically, the plan will involve using “events and promotions” to help bring players back to the game. But those of us who are still logging in every day have other ideas for what could help keep players coming back. And it’s unclear if DeNA’s current plan will include them.

Pokemon TCG Pocket Doesn’t Need More Events, It Needs a Quality of Life Overhaul

Even if it’s not as shiny as it once was, I still log into Pokemon TCG Pocket every day. I like collecting Pokemon cards, and digital ones don’t take up the amount of space that my physical collection does. But like many players, I currently ignore large swaths of the app. I’m not a huge PvP person, so I don’t typically battle against other players. I do, however, enjoy the solo battles and sharing/trading cards. I may be in it for the long haul, but I do share the sentiments many longtime players have expressed in response to the latest DeNA report. Sure, events and promotions are great. I enjoy having a new checklist of tasks, and I’ll never say no to some free Pack Hourglasses. But what Pokemon TCG Pocket really needs is some major adjustments to overall quality of life.

In a thread on the r/PTCGP subreddit, current players chimed in on what the game really needs to keep more of us coming back. And many of the requests mirror things players have been asking for since near the beginning. Specifically, speeding up in-game animations and streamlining the UI, more ways to earn hourglasses, and more to do in the game itself. Admittedly, more events and promotions could be an answer for the scarcity of Pack Hourglasses. After all, event rewards often include hourglasses. But the other two features are more overarching QoL issues that can lead players to abandon the game over time.

Pokemon TCG Pocket is already a lot faster than it used to be. You can now open multiple promo card packs at once, rather than needing to rip each card individually from the Gifts menu. The Wonder Pick animation has gotten a smidge faster, too. But by and large, doing just about anything in Pokemon TCG Pocket feels like it takes longer than it should. And over time, that can make the game feel more like a chore than something fun to do. That’s likely part of the reason that players are leaving the game.

But there’s also the simple reality that there’s not too much to do in the game. Outside of opening packs, Pokemon TCG Pocket‘s primary gameplay is its PvP. If you don’t like battling other players, or if you’re tired of the relatively stale meta, there’s not much to keep you coming back to the game after you open your daily packs. That alone might not be an issue, given that people like me who log in every morning to rip packs still count as active users. However, those packs pose another issue. As it stands, it’s just too hard to get the cards you need, and you’re left pulling pack after pack with the same handful of cards. More hourglasses would help here, but so would other game modes that let you unlock or trade for specific cards.

All in all, there are quite a few changes that would make Pokemon TCG Pocket more engaging. And while events and promotions may well have a place in the strategy, I hope DeNA is also listening to fan feedback. The developer has been relatively responsive to complaints, especially about its trading features. So there’s good reason to hope that some of these changes could arrive down the line.

Even With The Losses, Pokemon TCG Pocket Remains Among the Top Mobile Pokemon Games

If you enjoy Pokemon TCG Pocket as much as I do, the news that the game is losing players can be scary. After all, plenty of live service games have been shut down over time due to low player counts. But while the game definitely needs to address its falling player base, it’s important to put the losses into perspective. Even with its player base down several million, Pokemon TCG Pocket ranks among the most popular Pokemon mobile games.

No, it’s not likely to eclipse Pokemon Go any time soon. But its total downloads as of August 2026 still place Pokemon TCG Pocket in the top 3. According to the most recent data shared by Serebii’s Joe Merrick on August 3rd, Pokemon TCG Pocket sits just under Pokemon Go for total downloads. It’s roughly tied with Pokemon Unite and well ahead of other ongoing games like Pokemon Masters ex and Pokemon Sleep. Even with the player base shrinking, the game is still doing quite well compared to the vast majority of mobile games on the market.

So while it is important for DeNA to course-correct to keep players coming back, I don’t think Pokemon TCG Pocket is in any immediate danger of getting shut down. The user base is still pretty big, and those who are playing the game are putting money into it. With any luck, the decline in players over the last year will help bring us a better version of the game as DeNA works to retain users going forward.

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