Does Pokemon Unite require Nintendo Online?

Pokemon Unite is a newly-released Multiplayer Online Battle Arena (MOBA) title from TiMi Studio Group, Nintendo, and The Pokemon Company that is currently available on Nintendo Switch with Android and iOS mobile platforms receiving a release on September 15, 2021.

Although the game is currently only playable on Nintendo Switch, some players curious about the game may be wondering if it requires Nintendo's subscription service to play online.

The good news is that there's no subscription needed for Pokemon Unite. All players need to do to dive into the action is to download the game and start it up.

---

Pokemon Unite: Additional info on the game

Image via Nintendo/The Pokemon Company

In addition to not requiring a paid online subscription service for online play, Pokemon Unite has a few more features to sport. Some of these are currently being implemented, while others are expected down the road in future releases. A few of these features include:

• Cross-platform play between Switch and mobile devices when the Android and iOS ports release in September. Additionally, players who sign in with their Nintendo or Pokemon Trainer Club accounts will be able to access cross-progression as well. With cross-progression, players can continue to level up their trainer and unlock content without having multiple accounts on multiple platforms.
• Players who log in to Pokemon Unite before August 31, 2021 will also receive Zeraora's Unite License, allowing them to dive into the game with an extra Pokemon available to them.
• Future Pokemon are already being planned as part of Season One's content schedule, confirmed picks include Blastoise and Gardevoir.
• "Holowear" allows Pokemon Unite players to customize the appearance of their Pokemon in order to stand out from the pack.
• "Fair Play Points," a system that rewards cooperative and positive playstyles and admonishes griefing or otherwise toxic behavior.
• Unlike almost every other Pokemon game, elemental type advantages are absent, allowing players more freedom in choosing their preferred Pokemon without sweating over its type weakness.

Taking place on the remote Aeos Island, Pokemon Unite provides a different take on the MOBA genre compared to mainstays such as League of Legends or DOTA 2. The game is still a 5-vs-5 team-based game, but the objectives across the map are more decentralized.

Contrasting the concept of destroying the center of the opposing team's base, Pokemon Unite instead operates on a scoring system that increases via defeating wild Pokemon and capturing particular control points. Additionally, a player's Pokemon will evolve once it hits a certain level, changing both its appearance as well as its available moves.

This is somewhat different than the standard ability progressions of most MOBAs, but also keeps the core gameplay of the genre intact.

The best way for players to make up their minds about Pokemon Unite is to play it themselves via Nintendo eShop download or via the Google Play and Apple iOS stores when the game releases on mobile in September.

---