The Pokémon Company is pulling the plug on its team battle game in March 2027. Here's the exact cutoff, what happens to your gems and how to save your collection.
Pokémon Unite is shutting down. The Pokémon Company says service ends worldwide at 00:00 UTC on March 23, 2027, on Nintendo Switch and mobile. In the US and Canada, that's the evening before. After that, you can't log in or battle.
Aeos gems can't be bought anymore, but the ones you own work until the end. New Unite Club memberships and renewals are paused, and current members keep their perks until their period ends.
The company hasn't said why it's closing the game, though player numbers have fallen over the years. Spend your gems and grab the farewell items before March.
Is Pokémon Unite shutting down? Yes. The Pokémon Company says its five-on-five battle game will go offline worldwide on March 23, 2027, on both Nintendo Switch and phones. After that date, nobody will be able to log in or play a match.
The countdown has already changed the game. As of October 27, 2026, you can’t buy Aeos gems anymore, and new Unite Club memberships are switched off. If you’ve spent money or years on Unite, the next five months decide what you walk away with, so here’s exactly what happens and what to do before the servers go dark.
Pokémon Unite is shutting down everywhere it still runs, on both the Nintendo Switch and mobile versions. Service ends at 00:00 UTC on Tuesday, March 23, 2027. That’s midnight in the UK, and still Monday evening, the day before, across the US and Canada.
The game, built by TiMi Studio Group, first launched on Switch on July 21, 2021, and later arrived on phones. It’s a MOBA, short for multiplayer online battle arena: two teams of five Pokémon fight over a map, scoring points and leveling up during each match. That made it one of the few Pokémon games built around live team play rather than turn-based battles.
There’s one exception to the global date. Players in Belgium and the Netherlands already lost the game in November 2025.
Aeos gems, the paid currency, are off sale as of October 27, 2026. Any gems you already have still work until the last day, so spend them while you can. The announcement doesn’t mention refunds for unspent gems, so don’t expect money back for a balance you leave sitting there.
If you pay for Unite Club through the App Store or Google Play, it’s still worth checking your subscriptions page to confirm the renewal really is off.
The last big update arrives on Thursday, November 12, 2026. It brings a special event, new login bonuses and missions, and a currency called Unite Coins. You earn the coins by logging in and playing, including winning matches in ranked and other modes, then swap them for items that appeared in the game over the years, such as Unite licenses and Holowear outfits.
The same update adds a Library. It’s the one part of Unite that keeps working after the shutdown, alongside the Practice Area. In the Library you can look back at:
In the Practice Area, you can still test moves and Holowear effects, and dress up your Trainer and Pokémon for keepsake photos.
The Library only works offline if you finish its first data download before the servers shut. Skip that step and you’ll lose access when the game goes offline. Library data also generally can’t be moved from one device to another, and it may be gone for good if you delete the game or its data.
So pick the device you want to keep your collection on, whether that’s your Switch or your phone, and do the download there. Don’t plan on moving it to a new phone later.
The Pokémon Company hasn’t given a reason. Its statement thanks players who have been around since the Switch launch and promises a special event until the end.
Two things offer clues. Player numbers have dropped off over the years, which is usually what ends a free-to-play online game, because servers and live updates cost money every month. And the earlier exit from Belgium and the Netherlands likely came from loot box rules there. Unite’s Prize Machine let players spend currency bought with real money for random cosmetic items. Belgium bans selling loot boxes under its gambling law, and the Dutch government said in July 2023 that it was pursuing a ban.
If you still play, you have about five months of normal service. Here’s a simple plan:
Competitive fans get one last big moment too. The Pokémon Unite Aeos Crown 2027 Tokyo tournament is still going ahead as planned. If you want Pokémon battles after Unite, Pokémon Champions offers traditional turn-based stadium matches instead.
One more group should take note: people who make videos or streams. Once service ends, The Pokémon Company will stop publishing and maintaining its content guidelines for Unite on online platforms, and it will no longer offer support for using Unite video and images. If you run a Unite channel, save your footage now and check the rules before posting new clips after March.
At 00:00 UTC on March 23, 2027, which is the evening before in the US and Canada. Both the Switch and mobile versions close at the same time.
Only partly. The Library and Practice Area keep working if you’ve downloaded the Library data, but all battles and online modes end.
The announcement doesn’t mention refunds. Existing gems can be spent until the final day, so use them before then.
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