Players at the 2023 Pokémon VGC World Championships will be competing for the title of Pokémon VGC World Champion, as well as great prizes. Players will battle with the Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Violet games for Nintendo Switch systems.
Players in all age divisions will begin play on Friday, August 11. Players must be in good standing with the Play! Pokémon program to participate and must have an active Play! Pokémon account with current and accurate information.
Players must comply with the Tournament Rules.
Pokémon VGC players qualify for this event by participating in competitions in the 2023 Championship Series season. Players earn invitations to this prestigious event by performing at an exceptional level during the Championship Series season.
Each round, you will be paired against another player to play your match. You will be able to find your table number through your RK9 Player Tournament Dashboard. Ensure you get to your table on time. Being late to a match can result in penalties.
Top Pokémon VGC players from different rating zones receive invitations based on their Championship Points standing at the end of the season. Invitations will be divided into two tiers. Players who reach a certain Championship Points (CP) total receive an invitation to play on Day One on Friday. Invitations will be distributed based on the number of CP earned as follows:
| Rating Zone | Junior | Senior | Master |
| US and Canada | 130 | 130 | 300 |
| Europe | 100 | 130 | 250 |
| Latin America | 100 | 130 | 200 |
| Oceania | 100 | 130 | 200 |
| Middle East & South Africa | 100 | 130 | 200 |
Championship Point requirements subject to change.
The best players in each zone will earn an invitation that allows them to advance directly to Day Two without playing in Friday’s rounds. These invitations will also include Travel Awards. Day Two invitations are divided by rating zone as follows:
Players in Japan, South Korea, and Asia-Pacific will be awarded both Friday invitations and Day Two invitations as determined by each region's organized play system.
Players in the Russia, Middle East, and South Africa rating zones are not eligible for Day Two invitations for VGC.
Players with invitations earned at the 2022 World Championships will play on Friday unless they qualify for Day Two based on Championship Points for the current season.
The Pokémon VGC World Championships is run in three phases over three days. The number of Swiss rounds will depend on total attendance at the event. Information on the number of expected rounds can be found in the Play! Pokémon Tournament Rules Handbook, page 24.
Each round, you will be paired against another player to play your match. You will be able to find your table number through your RK9 Player Tournament Dashboard. Ensure you get to your table on time. Being late to a match can result in penalties.
Friday: A mandatory player meeting for all age divisions with a Day One invitation will start at the conclusion of the opening ceremonies, at approximately 9:30 a.m. on Friday, August 11, in the video game play area.
Players with a Day One invitation who do not attend the player meeting may be dropped from the main tournament. However, they will still be permitted entry into the event space as well as the opportunity to receive their badges, lanyard, and welcome kit for the remainder of the competition. All players with Day One invitations will play Swiss rounds. Players who finish on Friday with two or fewer losses and no ties will advance to play on Saturday.
There is no planned lunch break for the Masters division.
Saturday: Players who earned Day Two invitations and players who advanced from Friday will play in a new set of Swiss rounds to be completed on Saturday. This will be treated as a new tournament—match records from Friday will not carry forward, and players are not required to use the same team as on Friday.
Team lists for players beginning to play on Day Two must be submitted online using the RK9 Labs Team List Creator by 7:30 a.m. on Saturday, August 12. Players who advance from Day One to Day Two may submit a new team list through the RK9 Labs Team List Creator. Any new team lists must be submitted by 7:30 a.m.
There is a mandatory player meeting on Saturday, August 12, at 8:45 a.m. for all players who advance to Day Two, as well as all players who earned a Day Two invitation. Players who don’t attend this meeting will be dropped from the event. The number of Swiss rounds to be played will be announced before play starts on Saturday.
Players with two or fewer losses and no ties will advance to a single-elimination Top Cut and play until two players remain at the end of Saturday night.
There is no planned lunch break for the Masters division.
Sunday: Final rounds will be played for all age divisions.
The event structure is subject to change.
When you show up at a Pokémon video game tournament, there are some things you must have with you:
Players are strongly encouraged to bring a charger for their systems. It is the player’s responsibility to ensure that their console remains operational throughout the tournament.
Proof of age may be requested, and failure to provide proof of age may result in the player being denied participation in the tournament (at the organizer’s discretion).
Players who have qualified for the Pokémon VGC World Championships will be contacted directly by an administrator of the Play! Pokémon program. Players must be in good standing with the Play! Pokémon program and have an active Play! Pokémon account with current and accurate information.
Day One players must submit their team list online with the RK9 Labs Team List Creator by 8:00 p.m. during Thursday check-in. You can resubmit your team list as many times as you want prior to the submission deadline; however, you must play the final team you submit. Your team must be saved in the Battle Team 1 slot. You must ensure that there are no teams with the same six species of Pokémon you are using for the event in your party, Boxes, other battle team slots, or rental team slots.
Any lists not submitted on time may result in a loss for Round 1. For information on how to submit your list for the event, see RK9’s support article for Pokémon VGC team lists.
Your birth date is required to make sure you play in the correct age division for the event you are attempting to register for. Without the ability to confirm your birth date, you cannot register online for any event.
Refunds for registration are not available for this event. Additionally, registration is locked to a specific player and cannot be transferred. If circumstances change before the event begins and you will be unable to attend, please submit a support ticket to the RK9 support team.
Day One players must check in at the PACIFICO Yokohama Annex Hall on Thursday, August 10, between 5:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. JST.
If, due to unforeseen circumstances such as flight delays or missed connections, a player becomes unable to check in on Thursday, they should report to the check-in desk as early as possible on Friday (during the check-in hours, beginning at 8:00 a.m.) and notify a staff member. There is no guarantee of entry for players who check in late, and should the late entry be allowed by tournament officials, it may include a penalty of a first-round loss.
Players who earned a Day Two invitation may check in anytime Thursday evening or Friday until 3:00 p.m.
At the beginning of the tournament, you will be seated for the player meeting or Round 1 pairings, depending upon the event. After being seated, you will be provided with your official “opponent view” team sheet. Be sure to keep a close eye on your sheet as it is required to be shown to your opponent at the start of each tournament round. You should check that the information on your team sheet is correct. If there are any errors, contact a Judge to assist you.
Each round, you will connect your Nintendo Switch system to a dock at the table number you are assigned to. Your system should be set to Airplane Mode when playing tournament matches.
Battles will be held over the Poké Portal’s Union Circle.
Please change the nickname setting in-game to Don’t Show, and all system friend notifications must be turned off. Make sure your Date and Time settings are set to sync with the internet.
Pokémon TCG, video game, Pokémon GO, and Pokémon UNITE competitors from around the world are competing for the title of World Champion—as well as more than US$1,000,000 in prizes—at the 2023 Pokémon World Championships. The Top 4 finishers in each Pokémon VGC (Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Violet) age division will receive an automatic invitation to the 2024 Pokémon World Championships.
The format of the prize is dependent on the age of the recipient.
18 years of age and older
Under 18 years of age
| Placement | Award Value |
| 1st place | $10,000 |
| 2nd place | $7,500 |
| 3rd-4th place | $5,000 |
| 5th-8th place | $3,000 |
| 9th-16th place | $1,500 |
Additionally, the Top 16 Pokémon VGC players will receive 72 Pokémon TCG booster packs, regardless of attendance. All participants will earn 5 Play! Points. Prizes and products are subject to change, and substitutions may be made due to unforeseen inventory shortages.
| Placement | Prizes |
| 1st place |
|
| 2nd place |
|
| 3rd place |
|
| 4th place |
|
| 5th-8th place |
|
| 9th-16th place |
|
| 17th-32nd place |
|