Cards
Pocket, Live and paper cards: three separate collections
Pokémon TCG Pocket (released 30 October 2024), Pokémon TCG Live (launched worldwide 8 June 2023) and the paper card game keep three separate collections. A card stays where it was obtained: a Pocket card stays in Pocket, a Live card stays in Live and a paper card stays on the table. The one link is the code card packed in every booster pack, which unlocks digital items in Live.
Facts for parents and new players on three card products. Drafted 8 Nov 2026.
Paper is the physical game and needs no account
The paper Pokémon Trading Card Game uses printed cards sold in booster packs, decks and boxes. A deck has 60 cards, and the usual way to win is to take all six Prize cards. Owning and playing paper cards needs no account. Organised play at Play Pokémon events, such as league nights and tournaments, uses a player ID tied to a Pokémon Trainer Central account. Paper cards are physical objects, so they are traded, sold or given away by hand, and they are recorded wherever the owner chooses, such as a notebook or the collection list on this site. A starter deck is one product, and each player needs a deck of their own.
Live is the digital version of the paper rules
Pokémon TCG Live is a free download for computers and mobile devices that plays the same rules as the paper game. It needs a Pokémon Trainer Central account. Live replaced the older Pokémon TCG Online, whose servers shut on 5 June 2023, and an Online collection carries over automatically the first time its owner signs in to Live. Live cards exist only inside Live, and Live has no player-to-player trading. Many paper products include a code card: a separate printed card with a code that unlocks digital items in Live, such as a digital booster pack from the same expansion. The code card is the only link from paper to digital, and it unlocks items chosen by the product, never the specific cards that came in the paper pack.
Pocket is a separate mobile game with its own cards
Pokémon TCG Pocket is a mobile game for iOS and Android, released on 30 October 2024. It uses its own cards and its own simplified rules: decks of 20 cards, Energy generated each turn from an Energy Zone instead of Energy cards in the deck, and a win at three points. Pocket cards come from in-game booster packs, with two free daily openings advertised on the official site, and the game sells in-game currency for real money. Pocket allows trades between friends only, from 14 days after a player starts, one card for one card of the same rarity, paid for with trade stamina and shinedust. Pocket cards stay in Pocket, with no paper or Live copy to claim.
Accounts and age ratings are set per product
Each product has its own account rules. Live signs in with a Pokémon Trainer Central account, and an account for a child below the digital age of consent in their country is added from a parent's own account. Pocket keeps progress in its own game account and links to a Nintendo Account, a Google Account or, on iOS, an Apple Account for backup; younger players can link only a Nintendo Account. Paper cards need no account. Live is rated E by the ESRB for Windows and Mac and PEGI 3. Pocket had no ESRB or PEGI listing on 8 November 2026, so its age rating comes from the app stores, which also show whether in-app purchases are present. Read those listings directly, since a rating can be revised when a game changes.
| Paper TCG | Pokémon TCG Live | Pokémon TCG Pocket | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Form | Printed cards | Digital, paper rules | Digital, its own rules |
| Deck size | 60 | 60 | 20 |
| Devices | None | Windows, Mac, iOS, Android | iOS and Android |
| Account | None to own; Trainer Central for events | Pokémon Trainer Central | In-game account; Nintendo, Google or Apple link for backup |
| Cards come from | Packs, decks, trades | In-game play and code cards | In-game packs |
| Trading | By hand | None | Friends only, same rarity, after 14 days |
| Moves to the others | Code cards unlock Live items | Nothing | Nothing |
Read next
Sources read for this page
- ReadOfficial TCG how-to-play pageread 7 Nov 2026
- ReadPlay Pokémon tournament rules and resourcesread 8 Nov 2026
- ReadPokémon TCG Live official websiteread 8 Nov 2026
- ReadPokémon TCG Pocket official websiteread 7 Nov 2026
- ReadPokémon Support: How do I add a child to my Pokémon Trainer Central account?read 8 Nov 2026
- ReadESRB rating: Pokémon Trading Card Game Liveread 8 Nov 2026
- ReadPEGI search: pokemonread 8 Nov 2026
- ReadPokémon Support: Pokémon TCG Online Sunset Informationread 8 Nov 2026
- ReadPokémon Support: Code Card Redemption FAQread 8 Nov 2026
- ReadPokémon Support: Can players trade cards in Pokémon TCG Live?read 8 Nov 2026
- ReadPokémon Support: What can I expect in a Pokémon Trading Card Game booster pack?read 8 Nov 2026
- ReadGet Ready to Battle, Collect, and Trade in Pokémon Trading Card Game Pocketread 8 Nov 2026
- ReadLearn How to Build a Deck in Pokémon TCG Pocketread 8 Nov 2026
- ReadPokémon Support: Pokémon TCG Pocket Trading FAQread 8 Nov 2026
- ReadPokémon Support: Pokémon TCG Pocket Account Link and Data Transfer FAQread 8 Nov 2026
- ReadPokémon Support: Child Pokémon Trainer Central Account FAQread 8 Nov 2026