In case you missed it, The Pokémon Company is putting out a new app for the Pokémon Trading Card Game, called Pokémon TCG Live. It’s a digital version of the card game for PC and mobile phones; essentially the Pokémon equivalent of Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel.
Fans eager to try it out can take part in a beta session right now. The one downside is that it’s only available in Canada. What’s more, there are currently no plans to bring the beta to any other regions. Considering the full game still lacks a release date beyond a vague 2022 window, this only makes the wait for it even worse for anyone outside of Canada.
The official website does address why the beta’s Canada only, saying “Launching the Pokémon TCG Live limited beta in Canada allows the development team to collect gameplay feedback that will help shape a positive experience at scale once the online game is globally released.”
That said, anyone particularly desperate to give it a go can use a virtual private network (VPN) to get around the restriction. There is always a chance that being caught doing so could result in a suspension or ban, but there’s so far no mention of it on the website.
For anyone unfamiliar with Pokémon TCG Live, it will be completely free-to-play, and not even in the usual free-to-play way where you can spend real money on the in-game currency. There is no such option with Pokémon TCG Live; the only way to obtain booster packs and new cards is through actually playing the game.
What’s more, if you had an account for the original Pokémon Trading Card Game Online, you can transfer any cards you own there to the new game, although this will mean you won’t be able to use those cards with the original game anymore.
