Battle unit · Pokémon Showdown rules
Battle anyone.
Format
Six random Pokémon each, with sets built for them. No team needed.
Team
Trainer
Enter a trainer name to battle.
News
Oct 20, 2026
Friends, profiles and a new battle home
Add your friends, see who's online and what they're playing, and challenge them to a battle or a duel in one click. Every account now has a public profile with its ratings and replays, and the battle home puts the format, your team and the Battle! button front and centre, with past generations from Gen 1 to Gen 8.
Find a trainer →
01 //Battles and tools
Real battles on Pokémon Showdown's engine against a computer opponent that plays to win.
- ▶ Random Battle, Random Doubles or your saved team
- ▶ Easy, Normal and Hard opponents
- ▶ Showdown's move animations, Tera and all
Find an opponent searching for the same format and battle live, or send a friend an invite link. Anyone with the link can watch.
- ▶ Matchmaking in every format, random teams or your own
- ▶ Showdown's turn timer; each side sees only what it should
- ▶ Rematch with one press
Six slots, every format's learnsets and Pokémon Showdown's own legality check, live as you build.
- ▶ 8 formats from Gen 9 OU to Gen 3 OU
- ▶ EVs, IVs, natures and live stats
- ▶ Showdown import / export, random teams
The Smogon damage calculator: every move's damage range, KO chance and the full description line.
- ▶ Boosts, status, Tera and current HP
- ▶ Weather, terrain, screens, spread moves
- ▶ Load sets straight from your teams
Who wins, and how often? Set up any matchup and let Showdown's engine play it thousands of times in your browser.
- ▶ Any Pokémon, level, item and move, Gen 1 to 9
- ▶ Smart, Greedy, Random or Scripted play per side
- ▶ Win % with a 95% confidence interval, KOs, crits, replays
02 //Battle Frontier
No team needed: rent six Pokémon from Showdown's Battle Factory sets and see how long a streak you can build.
- ▶ Level 100 Factory or level 50 BSS Factory
- ▶ Trade for your opponent's Pokémon after each win
- ▶ Or battle live: both trainers rent a team
Your team against a climbing streak of computer trainers under Flat Rules. How far can you go?
- ▶ Level 50, bring six, pick three
- ▶ Saved, built or quick teams, checked by Showdown
- ▶ The Tower Tycoon every seventh battle
03 //Formats
Smogon's flagship singles tier: everything below Ubers.
Box legendaries welcome. Only the most broken are banned.
The tier below OU: no OU or UUBL Pokémon.
The tier below UU: no UU or RUBL Pokémon.
The tier below RU: no RU or NUBL Pokémon.
The tier below NU: no NU or PUBL Pokémon.
Little Cup: first-stage Pokémon that can evolve, at level 5.
Every Pokémon on a team shares a type. No Terastallizing.
Two on two, Smogon's doubles tier list.
Official doubles: bring six, pick four, level 50, two restricted legendaries.
Scarlet / Violet mechanics with every Pokémon, Mega Stone and Z-Crystal back.
Diamond / Pearl / Platinum: the physical / special split arrives.
Ruby / Sapphire / Emerald: a move's type decides physical or special.
How to play Pokémon battles
This Pokémon battle simulator runs on Pokémon Showdown's own engine: battle the computer, a friend through a link, or an opponent found online.
- Pick a mode: battle the computer, battle online, or open the Battle Frontier.
- Use a random team or build your own in the team builder.
- Choose your moves each turn and win the battle.
- Check matchups with the damage calculator or simulate thousands of battles in the Battle Lab.
FAQ
What is the Battle Lab?
It lets you set up any matchup and have the engine play it thousands of times to estimate win odds.