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Is Pokémon Unite cross-platform?

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Pokémon Unite recently launched on Nintendo Switch, and it has quickly become one of the most popular games of 2021. Now that it’s also available on iOS and Android, its servers are overflowing with players, and wait times to join a game have never been shorter.

Best of all, you don’t have to worry about losing progress if you decide to rotate between playing on your phone and playing on Switch — here’s what we know about cross-play and cross-progression in Pokémon Unite.

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Does Pokémon Unite support cross-play?

Pokémon Unite supports cross-play between both mobile and Switch versions. In fact, The Pokémon Company was selling cross-play and cross-platform support as one of Pokémon Unite‘s main features before it even launched.

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“The mobile version is scheduled to be available for download starting in September,” the team announced. “Cross-platform play between Nintendo Switch and mobile devices is planned, which will allow players to battle together and against one another.”

Does Pokémon Unite support cross-progression?

Machamp in melee combat in Pokemon Unite.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

In short — yes. If you log into the game using either your Nintendo Account or Pokémon Trainer Club profile, you’ll be able to play with your same account on any platform. The Pokémon Company says it hopes this feature makes it easy to “enjoy playing at home on your TV screen using the Nintendo Switch version, as well as easily play on the go using the mobile version.”

Getting cross-progression to work on mobile is surprisingly easy. After installing the game, sign in with the same account you’re using on Nintendo Switch. Once that’s done, your game will automatically be updated with all the content you’ve unlocked on Switch — allowing you to swap back and forth between the platforms whenever you’d like.

Being able to take Pokémon Unite on the road with you and then picking up the same account later that night on the big screen is a huge perk — and one missing from most other games in the genre.

Does Pokémon Unite on mobile include controller support?

Since you’ll be able to jump into lobbies with iOS, Android, and Switch players, one of the biggest questions about Pokémon Unite‘s cross-play capabilities revolves around controller support. If iOS and Android don’t let you connect a Bluetooth controller, some fans think they’ll be at a disadvantage compared to their console counterparts.

Unfortunately, Pokémon Unite does not feature controller support on mobile — but that doesn’t mean we won’t see it in the future. The game already has a controller layout mapped for Switch, and it’s not too big of a stretch to imagine it coming to iOS and Android in an update later this year. With Pokémon Unite requiring precise movements and plenty of button mashing, controller support would be welcomed by the mobile community with open arms.

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Jon Bitner
Jon Bitner
Jon Bitner is a writer covering consumer electronics, technology, and gaming. His work has been published on various websites…
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