| Pokémon Showdown | |
|---|---|
 | |
 The teambuilder inPokémon Showdown. | |
| Original author | Guangcong "Zarel" Luo[1] |
| Developers | Multiple contributors including "Zarel" and Chris "chaos" Monsanto[2] |
| Initial release | October 2011[1] |
| Written in | node.js,JavaScript[3] |
| Operating system | Windows,web browser |
| Available in | English, German, Spanish, French, Italian, Dutch, Portuguese, Turkish, Hindi, Japanese, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese |
| Type | Simulator |
| License | Open source |
| Website | play |
Pokémon Showdown is afan-madesimulator created by Guangcong "Zarel" Luo, for the purpose ofcompetitivePokémon battling using customisable teams.[1][4][5] The site was adopted bySmogon University in 2012, and became the official simulator for the website and forums. AllSmogon formats are available with individual competitive ladders onShowdown, which is accessible either as a downloadable program forWindows or within a web browser such asGoogle Chrome. Reception has been generally positive from gaming outlets and fans, though there have been concerns expressed regardingcopyright infringement of thePokémon franchise.
Development ofPokémon Showdown began in 2011 by Guangcong "Zarel" Luo. After playing an older simulator calledPokémon Online, Luo became bored of its basicuser interface and decided to begin working on his own version.[1]Showdown is written inJavaScript, allowing the deployment of changes in real-time, without the disadvantage of having to stop the servers to add new features.[6] The primary goal for the simulator was to deliver abug-free experience for the end user, whilst implementing all mechanics for allPokémon generations up to that point in time.[7] The server that hostsShowdown is funded bySmogon founder Chris "chaos" Monsanto.[8]
The primary feature ofPokémon Showdown is the ability to simulate battles between players. Players can choose between different formats, such as those categorised bySmogon or others that are unique toShowdown.[9]
The teambuilder is a feature onShowdown that can be used to create teams to battle against other players.[10] Pokémon can be selected alphabetically within an internal window, with specific restrictions dependent on the format that has been chosen. Items, abilities, moves, EVs[a] and IVs[b] are all selectable in the teambuilder, with illegal combinations, such as for Pokémon that have not yet been released officially, being blocked from use. Teams are stored usingbrowser cookies and are able to be both imported and exported as atext file.[12] The teambuilder also gives the ability to name created teams and organising teams with the use offile folders, with folders automatically generated for different tiers.[13]
Each format onShowdown with the exception of "random" formats, has aladder system. The system is ranked, and is centered around several indicators.Elo is a value that changes after the conclusion of a battle, increasing per win and decreasing per loss. This directly affectsmatchmaking. The second value, known as "Glicko-1" (and later Glicko-2),[14] applies theGlicko rating system, changing at a slower interval, and also takeswin to loss ratio into account. Glicko becomes more "confident" when more battles are played, allowing for a smarter representation of a specific players' skill level.[15] A third value, known as Glicko X-Act Estimate, and named after its developer "X-Act", builds on Glicko, and functions based on the individuals probability of winning against an opponent.[14] Twenty-four hours of no activity causes rank decay for players who have achieved a value of 1400 or over in a specific format.[15]
Showdown hosts multiple chat rooms where users are able to converse about different topics. For example, theSmogon tiers, with each having a respective chat room, and language rooms where users can speak French or German among others.[16][17] Individual battles allow both participants to chat.[18]
Players of thePokémon World Championships have usedPokémon Showdown andSmogon forums to receive feedback on potential team setups for official formats, such as the Video Game Championship (VGC).[19] MindApe ofNugget Bridge noted that players are not required "to go into serious detail", listing team tracking, teams faced and the win-loss ratio as "bare minimums", along with "satisfaction and success of a particular team" when practising with the teambuilder.[20]
Pokémon World Championships, specifically the VGC format, and those offered bySmogon onShowdown have been the subject of comparisons made by prominent players of both formats within thePokémon community. VGC has received heavy criticism from content creators such as Verlisify, who claims that as much as eighty percent of the Pokémon used in the format are not legitimately obtained. Other players ofSmogon formats, such as PokeaimMD, who occasionally creates content usingShowdown, suggests that changes to the ruleset would stop matches feeling monotonous, where the same species of Pokémon are often used time and again. As VGC doesn't prohibit Pokémon such as game mascots or mythicals, those competing often stick to a specific set of known good Pokémon. WhereasSmogon tiers allow for different types of metagame to emerge, with different Pokémon allowed in each tier respectively.[21] The biggest difference between VGC and Smogon formats is the type of matches that each have, with the VGC format using double battles (which use two Pokémon at one time per side), and Smogon tiers onShowdown only being offered as single battles (only one Pokémon at one time per side).[22][23]
The simulator has received mostly positive reception from online gaming outlets, increasingly in 2025 due to the announcement ofPokémon Champions byThe Pokémon Company.[24][25] Writing forKotaku in 2019, Ben Sledge argued thatPokémon Showdown is "even better than using the official games to battle", noting ease of use and faster customisation. Sledge also compared the short length of time it takes to wait for a match onShowdown, compared to the much longer wait time on Link Battles in the online feature of core series Pokémon video games.[1] Blake Johnson ofComic Book Resources noted the simulators teambuilder in a 2022 review, remarking that it is "one of the biggest draws toPokémon Showdown", whilst highlighting that it only allows combinations that would be possible in the official videogames. Johnson concluded by saying that "almost every fan of the series can find something they'll enjoy within it".[26]
Since the adoption ofShowdown by the websiteSmogon University in July 2012,[26] the simulator has used the tiers from that website for its various battle formats, incorporating this into its proprietaryladder system.[27][28] A project named "Future Sight AI", developed by computer scientist Albert III in 2021, as reported by Jay Costello ofThe Verge, was able to progress up to the top five percent of players on thePokémon Showdown ladder. It achieved this by extrapolating all possibilities for future turns in a given battle, and then usingpredictive learning to surmise how the turns will progress, finally settling on choices that offer the highest chance of winning.[29] A similar project using asoftware agent that applies theMonte Carlo tree search algorithm, conducted in 2024 at theMassachusetts Institute of Technology was also able to achieve a ladder ranking, reaching 1693 elo on thefourth generation "Random Battle" format.[30] Random battles being considered one of the most popular formats on the simulator alongside "OverUsed".[31] Other projects involvingartificial intelligence use onPokémon Showdown have been conducted, including two by theInstitute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers in both 2017 and 2019.[32][33]
Despite receiving praise for its implementation of Pokémon customisation, ladder system and use in competitive battling,Pokémon Showdown has been the subject of concern regarding copyright infringement of thePokémon franchise.Sports Illustrated reporter Cale Michael commented on this writing that "TPC[c] could have shut downShowdown at any time", but "has never made a move to do so that we know of", suggesting that because of the announcement ofPokémon Champions, the future of such a simulator "is less certain than ever before."[34] Ben Sledge writing forKotaku in 2019, remarked that "Showdown uses trademarked names and copyrighted artwork, which could be an issue ifNintendo ever decides to come knocking." Creator Guangcong "Zarel" Luo opted not to make any comment on potential legal issues when questioned by Sledge.[1] Reporting forTheGamer in 2025, Sledge again made a personal comment onShowdown's legal standing, saying, "it’s always amazed me that Pokemon Showdown has lasted this long without a DMCA from the Pokemon Company, but the game persists."[35] Justin Groot, writing forKill Screen publicationThe Meta magazine, also labelled copyright infringement as a "major obstacle" in the way of "Smogon’s brand ofPokémon competition becoming a full-fledged esport". Groot noted however that if populatity were to increase on the simulator, TPC could take measures similar to Nintendo and theSuper Smash Bros. Brawl mod "Project M".[21]
In 2023,Love Is Blind contestant James Milton Johnson claimed on an episode of the show that he was a nationally ranked player on the simulator, and that he had previously been banned for the use of profanity. It was later proven that whilst he did have ladder rankings, they were not ranked high.[36]
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