Pokemon TCG Pocket Confirms How Trading Will Work & Timeline for New Booster Packs

Since launch, players have known trading would eventually be a part of Pokemon TCG Pocket. The question on everyone’s minds, however, has been what kind of limitations and in-game currency costs would be involved. With that January 2025 timeline for trading, the feature will likely be available in the next few weeks. Now, Pokemon TCG Pocket is offering some additional details on how trading will work once it arrives.

Interestingly, the update from the TCG Pocket team still does not have an exact release date for the trading feature. However, it does break down the highlights of how it will work, answering quite a few questions about limitations, card rarity, and more. The team also notes they will be monitoring player feedback once trading goes live to help them “balance both the ease and enjoyability of collecting.”

It’s no surprise that trading in Pokemon TCG Pocket will come with some limitations. Previous mentions of the feature have always been clear that “some cards” would be available for trading when the feature arrives. Now, we have more specific details on what those cards will be. According to a recent post from the @PokemonTCGPocket account on X, these are the limitations and details for the upcoming trading feature:

• Trades will be available between friends only
• Traded cards must be of the same rarity
• Only certain cards from Genetic Apex and Mythical Island will be able to be traded
• Cards with 1-4 Diamond and 1 Star Rarity can be traded
• Items will be consumed in order to trade

Pokemon TCG Pocket Trades Will Have an Item Cost

This confirms a lot of what TCG Pocket fans suspected in terms of not all rarities being tradeable and trades having an in-game cost. What’s not clear as of now is what the limited pool of tradeable cards will look like, as “certain cards” could be a very small or relatively large number. While the exclusions could refer to cards in those boosters that exceed the rarity limitations, the language suggests there may be other limits on which cards are available to trade.

Furthermore, the post doesn’t confirm what “items” will be used to trade. Will trades consume Shinedust, as many TCG Pocket fans have guessed, or will another currency be introduced? Given the number of in-game currencies already in Pokemon TCG Pocket, it would likely be easier on players if the trades use existing items, but only time will tell.

RELATED: Pokemon TCG Pocket Players Discover Hidden Easter Egg Locations in Cards

Trading isn’t the only thing in this latest update from the team behind TCG Pocket. The message also tucks in a “blink and you’ll miss it” bit of news card collectors will be excited to see. In the penultimate paragraph of the trading update, the post also mentions that “Our next booster packs are planned to be added this month.”

That means that in addition to trading being on its way any day now, the game is also likely to get another infusion of new booster packs around the same time. It’s even possible they’ll launch at the same time, hence the specific language around the Mythical Island and Genetic Apex boosters being tradeable. At any rate, the next few weeks of January are shaping up to be an exciting time for Pokemon TCG Pocket fans.