Battle Spot
- Free Battle redirects here. For the Pokémon Stadium mode, see Battle Mode (Stadium).
- BS redirects here. For the TCG Base Set, see Base Set (TCG).
The Battle Spot (Japanese: バトルスポット Battle Spot) was a feature of the Generation VI and VII Nintendo 3DS core series games that allowed players to participate in Link Battles over the internet. It can be accessed from the Player Search System in the Generation VI games or from Festival Plaza in the Generation VII games. It was the successor to the Global Battle Union in the Generation V games, and was replaced by the Battle Stadium in the Generation VIII games. Access to the Battle Spot, like all other online activities in 3DS games, ended with the shutdown of Nintendo Network on April 9, 2024.
The available battle formats included Single Battles, Double Battles, Triple BattlesXYORAS, Rotation BattlesXYORAS, and Battle RoyalsSMUSUM. Unlike in Generation V, players who disconnect from a battle are considered to have lost. Battles can be recorded in the Vs. Recorder. In the Battle Spot, Nature Power will become Tri Attack, Secret Power will have a 30% chance of paralyzing an opponent, and Camouflage will change the user's type to Normal.
Due to incompatibilities between game versions, the Battle Spot was split into the Sun/Moon League and the Ultra Sun/Ultra Moon League. Between the release of Pokémon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire and Pokémon Sun and Moon, the Battle Spot was split into the X/Y League and the ΩR/αS League. Games in different leagues are not matched up with each other, since new Pokémon, forms, moves, and Abilities were not programmed into earlier games.
Random Matchup
In the Generation VI games, Free Battles and Rating Battles were grouped together under Random Matchup (Japanese: ランダムマッチ Random Match) as with Random Matchup Free mode and Rating mode in Generation V. In the Generation VII games, they were placed directly under the Battle Spot banner.
Pokémon over level 50 are lowered to level 50, while Pokémon under level 50 remain at their current level. Players could select a team from either the current party or the Battle Box. Before battle, each player has 120 seconds to select their Pokémon, with the number depending on the format (three for Single Battles and Battle Royals, four for Double and Rotation Battles, and six for Triple Battles). Players who fail to select their Pokémon in time will have their remaining Pokémon selected at random. Battles are limited to a total of 30 minutes, with each player receiving 60 seconds to select an action each turn. If a player fails to select an action, the same action as in the previous turn is repeated; if a Pokémon was switched in the previous turn, the game will select a move and target at random.
The player could choose their battle music before each battle, from among the battle themes they had unlocked. However, in Pokémon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire, Wally's theme cannot be selected, and due to being Version-exclusive, Ho-Oh and Lugia's theme can only be unlocked in Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire, respectively.
Free Battle
Free Battles (Japanese: フリーバトル Free Battle) allowed players to freely battle other players online. No duplicate Pokémon or held items are allowed. The Soul Dew is also prohibited in the Generation VI games. In Generation VII, players could choose whether or not to allow special Pokémon. There is no restriction on origin marks.
Rating Battle
Rating Battles (Japanese: レーティングバトル Rating Battle) determined the player's ranking. To participate in Rating Battles, players had to create a Pokémon Global Link account. Players began at 1500 points, which increased or decreased after each battle depending on whether the battle was won or lost and the rating of the opponent. Ratings reset to 1500 at the beginning of each season, each of which lasted approximately two months. Ratings are registered to a particular Nintendo 3DS console and are reset if a game is played on a different console than the one it was registered on. In addition to no duplicate Pokémon or held items being allowed, special Pokémon are also prohibited. The Soul Dew is also prohibited in the Generation VI games.
In addition to the standard battle formats, Special Battles (Japanese: スペシャルバトル Special Battle) were also available, which had different regulations with a unique format for each season.
Online Competitions
Online Competitions (Japanese: インターネット大会 Internet Competition) were competitions held by the Pokémon Global Link. They replaced the Wi-Fi Competition feature from Generation V. Players had to register for an Online Competition in advance. Upon selecting a team and placing it in the Battle Box, it was locked and could not be changed for the duration of the tournament.
Competitions typically last three days, though some competitions have lasted four or five days. Players could only battle a set number of times each day during the competition, usually 10-15. Players who participated in a sufficient number of battles would receive a reward, typically 1000 Poké Miles or 50 Battle Points, but occasionally an event Pokémon or item will be distributed instead. International Challenges allowed players to receive Championship Points to qualify for VGC tournaments.
Friendly Competitions
- Main article: Friendly Competition
Players could participate in online format Friendly Competitions through the Battle Spot in Generation VII. A Friendly Competition could be created on the Pokémon Global Link website, until that website was shut down in 2020.
In other languages
| Language | Title | |
|---|---|---|
| Chinese | Cantonese | 對戰地點 Deuijin Deihdím |
| Mandarin | 對戰地點 / 对战地点 Duìzhàn Dìdiǎn | |
| French | Coin combats (VI) Coin Combats (VII) | |
| German | Kampf-Plaza | |
| Italian | Punto Lotta | |
| Korean | 배틀스폿 Battle Spot | |
| Spanish | Área de Combate | |
Random Matchup
| Language | Title | |
|---|---|---|
| French | Rencontre Aléatoire | |
| German | Zufallsmatch | |
| Italian | Abbinamento a Caso | |
| Korean | 랜덤매치 Random Match | |
| Spanish | Emparejamiento Aleatorio | |
Free Battle
| Language | Title | |
|---|---|---|
| Chinese | Cantonese | 自由對戰 Jihyàuh Deuijin |
| Mandarin | 自由對戰 / 自由对战 Zìyóu Duìzhàn | |
| French | Combat Libre | |
| German | Freier Kampf | |
| Italian | Lotta Aperta | |
| Korean | 프리배틀 Free Battle | |
| Spanish | Combate Libre | |
Rating Battle
| Language | Title | |
|---|---|---|
| Chinese | Cantonese | 積分對戰 Jīkfān Deuijin |
| Mandarin | 積分對戰 / 积分对战 Jīfēn Duìzhàn | |
| French | Combat en mode Rang | |
| German | Bewerteter Kampf | |
| Italian | Lotta a Punteggio | |
| Korean | 레이팅배틀 Rating Battle | |
| Spanish | Combate por Puntos | |
Special Battle
| Language | Title | |
|---|---|---|
| Chinese | Cantonese | 特殊對戰 Dahksyùh Deuijin |
| Mandarin | 特殊對戰 / 特殊对战 Tèshū Duìzhàn | |
| French | Combat Spécial | |
| German | Spezialkampf | |
| Italian | Lotta Speciale | |
| Korean | 스페셜 배틀 Special Battle | |
| Spanish | Combate Especial | |
Online Competition
| Language | Title | |
|---|---|---|
| Chinese | Cantonese | 網路大賽 Móhnglouh Daaihchoi |
| Mandarin | 網路大賽 Wǎnglù Dàsài * 互联网大赛 Hùliánwǎng Dàsài * | |
| French | Compétition Internet | |
| German | Online-Turnier | |
| Italian | Gara Online | |
| Korean | 인터넷 대회 Internet Daehoe | |
| Spanish | Torneo en Línea | |
| Online battle events | |||
|---|---|---|---|
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Online battles on Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch 2, and Mobile
Online battles on Nintendo DS and Nintendo 3DS
Online battles in Spin-off games
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This game-related article is part of Project Games, a Bulbapedia project that aims to write comprehensive articles on the Pokémon games. |