Pokémon video game series competitive play

Competitive play in Pokémon generally involves player versus player battles that take place using the Pokémon video games. Using fictional species called Pokémon in battle, players aim to defeat all of the opponent's Pokémon in order to win. These battles are often fought for both official tournaments and for friendly and unofficial competition.

Competitive play has been a factor in the fan community of the game series since its inception, with many early fan-made internet programs being used due to Pokémon battles being then-unplayable online. Several fan-made competitive communities, such as Smogon, sprouted during this period, but did not pick up in popularity until the release of the games Pokémon Diamond and Pearl, which introduced online battling to the series. Following this, The Pokémon Company announced official competitive formats, which have since been hosted bi-yearly, barring the years 2020 and 2021 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Since the inception of official events, the competitive scene has grown in popularity, and the developers of the series have included several changes to the games to allow players to enter competitive play more easily.

The competitive scene has been considered an open and welcoming environment for fans, particularly via in-person competitive events. The scene has been criticized for several barriers to entry, however, such as the time and monetary investment needed to play the series professionally. Other aspects, such as how competitive Pokémon should be played and the usage of hacked or generated Pokémon in the scene, have also received significant debate.