Pokemon Stadium Now Available on Nintendo Switch

Pokemon Stadium is now available to play through Nintendo Switch Online's Nintendo 64 app. The game is the 23rd N64 title available through the service, joining fan favorites such as Super Mario 64, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, and Pokemon Snap. Unlike those other games, Pokemon Stadium has never been made available on another platform since its initial release, so this will be the first time that a lot of Pokemon fans get to experience it! The sequel, Pokemon Stadium 2, is also set to appear on the service, but no release date has been revealed.

For those unfamiliar with the game, Pokemon Stadium primarily focuses on 3D battles with the original 151 Pokemon. Players can challenge the game's Gym Leader Castle, where familiar faces like Brock, Misty, Lt. Surge, and Erika have returned with all-new teams. There are also multiplayer options, a variety of Pokemon-themed mini games, and more. One of the game's biggest appeals upon its original release is that it allowed players to import teams from Pokemon Red, Blue, and Yellow. Unfortunately, that option is absent, as none of the Game Boy Pokemon games are currently available on Switch. As such, players will have to settle for Stadium's "rental" Pokemon.

In the Nintendo 64 era, five Pokemon games were released in North America. Pokemon Stadium marks the third of these games, joining Pokemon Snap and Pokemon Puzzle League. As previously mentioned, Pokemon Stadium 2 has already been announced for Switch, leaving Hey You, Pikachu! the lone Pokemon game that has not been revealed for the N64 app. That game centered around communicating with Pikachu via a microphone peripheral, which would likely make it difficult for Nintendo to re-release. It's possible Nintendo and The Pokemon Company could figure out a workaround, such as a new microphone peripheral, or voice chat through the Nintendo Switch mobile app, but fans will just have to wait and see if that ever happens!

Are you a fan of the Pokemon Stadium games? Do you plan on playing Pokemon Stadium now that it's available on Switch? Let us know in the comments or share directly on Twitter at @Marcdachamp to talk all things gaming!