Pokémon Showdown

Last updated

Pokémon Showdown
Original author Guangcong "Zarel" Luo [1]
Developers Multiple contributors including "Zarel" and Chris "chaos" Monsanto [2]
Initial releaseOctober 2011 [1]
Written in node.js, JavaScript [3]
Operating system Web browser, Windows (discontinued) [4]
Available inEnglish, German, Spanish, French, Italian, Dutch, Portuguese, Turkish, Hindi, Japanese, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese
Type Simulator
License Open source
Website pokemonshowdown.com

Pokémon Showdown is a fan-made simulator created by Guangcong "Zarel" Luo, for the purpose of competitive Pokémon battling using customisable teams of Pokémon. The site was adopted by Smogon University, a fan run community website and internet forum, in 2012, and became the official simulator used by the website and its forums. All Smogon tiers are available with individual competitive ladders on Showdown, with each tier split based on how often a certain species of Pokémon is used. Showdown is hosted as a web application and formerly as a Windows application.

Contents

Reception has been generally positive from gaming outlets and fans, though there have been concerns expressed regarding copyright infringement of the Pokémon franchise. The site has also been included in many academic studies focusing on artificial intelligence training.

History

Early forms of Pokémon battle simulators included Netbattle and IRC, the former of which featured a functional user interface. [5]

Development of Pokémon Showdown began in 2011 by Guangcong "Zarel" Luo. After playing an older simulator called Pokémon Online, Luo became bored of its basic user interface and decided to begin working on his own version. [1] Showdown is written in JavaScript, allowing the deployment of changes in real-time, without the disadvantage of having to stop the servers to add new features. [3] The primary goal for the simulator was to deliver a bug-free experience for the end user, whilst implementing all mechanics for all Pokémon generations up to that point in time. [6]

Luo noticed that an older simulator's lack of a battle replay feature meant that players had to rely on a text log to show others those battles. Having already developed a concept for a replay feature, he went ahead with making this a feature on Showdown. In July 2012, Smogon adopted the website and battle simulator of Pokémon Showdown, after Luo attempted to garner interest on his battle replay player, originally conceptualised on the older simulator's forums, highlighted a need for a more customisable simulator. [3] An internal quality control team approved and integrated sprites of Pokémon species from Pokémon Black and White (2010) onto the simulator with the assistance of a sprite artist. [7] The server that hosts Showdown is funded by Smogon founder Chris "chaos" Monsanto. [8] In 2017, both Showdown and later Smogon were the victims of a data breach, with passwords, including those belonging to administrators being compromised. [9] Luo committed to implementing 2FA. [10]

Battle simulator

The primary feature of Pokémon Showdown is the ability to simulate Pokémon battles between players. Players can choose between different formats, such as those categorised by Smogon or others that are unique to Showdown. [11]

Smogon tiers

See also: Pokémon video game series competitive play#Series gameplay

After playing Pokémon competitively for multiple years using IRC [12] and Azure Heights channels, Smogon was setup by Chris "chaos" Monsanto on December 17, 2004. [7] Smogon has a unique tiering system which splits individual species of Pokémon based on how frequently they are used. [7] The tiers are split as follows:

Other features

Random battles

An active random battle on Pokemon Showdown. Pokemon showdown battle.webp
An active random battle on Pokémon Showdown.

Random battles, also known in shortened form as Randbats, is a metagame on Pokémon Showdown where each player is given six random fully evolved Pokémon. [16] A specific difference to other tiers, including Smogon's own tiers, is the removal of "Team Preview", which allows players to see which species the opponent is using briefly before the battle begins. [17]

Teambuilder

The teambuilder is a feature on Showdown that can be used to create teams to battle against other players. [18] [19] 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 using browser cookies and are able to be both imported and exported as a text file. [21] The teambuilder also gives the ability to name created teams and organising teams with the use of file folders, with folders automatically generated for different tiers. [22]

Ladder

Each format on Showdown with the exception of "random" formats, has a ladder 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 affects matchmaking. The second value, known as "Glicko-1" (and later Glicko-2), [23] applies the Glicko rating system, changing at a slower interval, and also takes win to loss ratio into account. Glicko allows for a smarter representation of a specific players' skill level. [24] 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. [23] Twenty-four hours of no activity causes rank decay for players who have achieved a value of 1400 or over in a specific format. [24]

Chat rooms

Showdown hosts multiple chat rooms where users are able to converse about different topics. For example, the Smogon tiers, with each having a respective chat room, and language rooms where users can speak French or German among others. [25] [26]

Reception

General reception

The simulator has received mostly positive reception from online gaming outlets. [27] Writing for Kotaku in 2019, Ben Sledge argued that Pokémon 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 on Showdown, compared to the much longer wait for online battles in the core series of Pokémon video games. [1] Blake Johnson of Comic Book Resources noted the simulator's teambuilder in a 2022 review, remarking that it is "one of the biggest draws to Pokémon Showdown", highlighting the ease of use involved the teambuilder. Johnson concluded by saying that "almost every fan of the series can find something they'll enjoy within it". [28]

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 the Pokémon franchise. Sports Illustrated reporter Cale Michael commented on this writing that "TPC [c] could have shut down Showdown at any time", but "has never made a move to do so that we know of", suggesting that because of the announcement of Pokémon Champions, the future of such a simulator "is less certain than ever before." [29] Ben Sledge, writing for Kotaku in 2019, remarked that "Showdown uses trademarked names and copyrighted artwork, which could be an issue if Nintendo 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 for TheGamer in 2025, Sledge again made a personal comment on Showdown'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." [30] Justin Groot, writing for Kill Screen publication The Meta magazine, also labelled copyright infringement as a "major obstacle" in the way of "Smogon's brand of Pokémon competition becoming a full-fledged esport". Groot noted however that if popularity were to increase on the simulator, TPC could take measures similar to Nintendo and the Super Smash Bros. Brawl mod Project M . [31]

Academic projects

Since the adoption of Showdown by Smogon in July 2012, the simulator has used the tiers from that website for its various battle formats, incorporating this into its proprietary ladder system. [32] A project named "Future Sight AI", developed by computer scientist Albert III in 2021, as reported by Jay Costello of The Verge , was able to progress up to the top five percent of players on the Pokémon Showdown ladder. It achieved this by extrapolating all possibilities for future turns in a given battle, and then using predictive learning to surmise how the turns will progress, finally settling on choices that offer the highest chance of winning. [33] A similar project using a software agent that applies the Monte Carlo tree search algorithm, conducted in 2024 at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology was also able to achieve a ladder ranking, reaching 1693 elo on the fourth generation "Random Battle" format. [34] Other projects involving artificial intelligence use on Pokémon Showdown have been conducted, including two by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers in both 2017 and 2019. [35] [36]

Showdown on Love Is Blind

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 by a Tweet posted by the official Showdown account, that whilst he did have ladder rankings, they were not ranked highly. [37]

Notes

  1. ↑ Effort values [20]
  2. ↑ Individual values [20]
  3. ↑ The Pokémon Company

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Sledge, Ben (7 October 2019). "A Fan-Made Browser Game Is Pro Pokémon Players' Secret Weapon". Kotaku . Retrieved 29 October 2025.
  2. ↑ "Credits". Pokémon Showdown. Retrieved 31 October 2025.
  3. 1 2 3 Oglemi (27 December 2012). "Interview with Zarel". Smogon . The Smog (Issue 23). Retrieved 29 October 2025.
  4. ↑ HoeenHero (30 March 2025). "Put the downloadable version back pls". Smogon Forums. Retrieved 22 January 2026.
  5. ↑ Bailey, Kat (8 October 2013). "Inside the Twisted World of Competitive Pokemon Battling". IGN . Retrieved 25 January 2026.
  6. ↑ Flora (17 January 2014). "Interview with Joim". Smogon . The Smog (Issue 32). Retrieved 29 October 2025.
  7. 1 2 3 4 "Interview with Smogon University". Johto Times. Substack. 12 December 2024. Retrieved 22 January 2026.
  8. ↑ Shaymin (28 September 2014). "Ask the Admins". Smogon . The Player (Issue 3). Retrieved 29 October 2025.
  9. ↑ Vinberg, Sander; Overson, Jarrod; Woods, Dan; Ghosemajumder, Shuman; Boddy, Sara; Pompon, Raymond; Koritz, Alexander (9 February 2021). 2021 Credential Stuffing Report (PDF). p. 3. Retrieved 23 January 2026.
  10. ↑ Luo, Guangcong (18 September 2017). "The hacking on September 17". Pokémon Showdown. Retrieved 29 October 2025.
  11. ↑ Arnold, Nathan; Fluty, Nicholas; Flores, Ryan D; Goldsmith, Judy; Harrison, Brent (19 November 2024). Evaluating the Stability of the Smogon Tier List for Competitive Pokémon Battling (PDF). CEUR Workshop Proceedings (Thesis). pp. 1–6. ISSN   1613-0073.
  12. 1 2 Jimbo; Sarenji (13 May 2009). "The Smog Interviews chaos". Smogon . The Smog (Issue 1). Retrieved 22 January 2026.
  13. ↑ skylight; Bummer (8 December 2015). "PU: The Making Of". Smogon . The Flying Press. Retrieved 22 January 2026.
  14. 1 2 Santi, Blaise (16 August 2022). "Pokemon: Smogon Tiers, Explained". Game Rant . Retrieved 22 January 2026.
  15. ↑ Shepard, Kenneth (18 January 2023). "The Pokémon Tier List Everyone Is Waiting On For Scarlet And Violet". Kotaku . Retrieved 22 January 2026.
  16. ↑ Oglemi (22 July 2014). "Randbats - How to Play from an Expert". Smogon . The Smog (Issue 35). Retrieved 25 January 2026.
  17. ↑ Grigsby, Jake; Xie, Yuqi; Sasek, Justin; Zheng, Steven; Zhu, Yuke (April 2025). Human-Level Competitive Pokémon via Scalable Offline Reinforcement Learning with Transformers (PDF). Reinforcement Learning Journal (Thesis). pp. 1–35. arXiv: 2504.04395 .
  18. ↑ Taguiam, Rhenn (8 September 2021). "Everything You Need To Know About Pokemon Showdown". Game Rant . Retrieved 29 October 2025.
  19. ↑ Arthurs, Sam (18 January 2023). "What is Pokémon Showdown? How to play the free browser-based Pokémon game". Destructoid. Archived from the original on 17 April 2024. Retrieved 29 October 2025.
  20. 1 2 Reflect Suicune. "Effort Values and Individual Values". Smogon . Retrieved 1 November 2025.
  21. ↑ unfixable (2 December 2014). "The Teambuilder". Smogon . The Player (Issue 5). Retrieved 1 November 2025.
  22. ↑ Fairfax, Zackerie (13 March 2024). "How To Play Pokemon Showdown: Best Formats & How To Build a Team". The Escapist . Retrieved 29 October 2025.
  23. 1 2 scalarmotion (8 June 2015). "Elo Hell-o: Rating Systems on Showdown and You". Smogon . The Smog (Issue 43). Retrieved 1 November 2025.
  24. 1 2 "How the ladder works". Pokémon Showdown. Retrieved 1 November 2025.
  25. ↑ Goddess Briyella (25 November 2013). "Showdown Lowdown: Public Rooms on PS!". Smogon . The Smog (Issue 31). Retrieved 1 November 2025.
  26. ↑ Alter. "The Beginner's Guide to Pokémon Showdown". Smogon . Retrieved 29 October 2025.
  27. ↑ Warnock-Estrada, Amber (4 March 2025). "Pokemon Champions May Finally Be an Official Take on a Great Fan Project". GameRant . Retrieved 29 October 2025.
  28. ↑ Johnson, Blake (11 April 2022). "Why Pokémon Showdown Is a Great Tool for Competitive Play". Comic Book Resources . Retrieved 29 October 2025.
  29. ↑ Michael, Cale (27 February 2025). "The Future of Pokémon VGC is Mobile - What We Know About Pokémon Champions". Sports Illustrated . Archived from the original on 4 March 2025. Retrieved 30 October 2025.
  30. ↑ Sledge, Ben (27 February 2025). "Has Nintendo Announced An Official Pokemon Showdown?". TheGamer . Retrieved 29 October 2025.
  31. ↑ Groot, Justin (19 August 2016). "Inside the battle for the soul of competitive Pokémon". The Meta. Kill Screen. Archived from the original on 26 September 2023. Retrieved 31 October 2025.
  32. ↑ "Introduction to Competitive Pokémon". Pokémon Showdown. Retrieved 31 October 2025.
  33. ↑ Castello, Jay (2 December 2021). "The quest to make an AI that can play competitive Pokémon". The Verge . Retrieved 31 October 2025.
  34. ↑ Wang, Jett (February 2024). Winning at Pokémon Random Battles Using Reinforcement Learning (PDF) (Thesis). MIT. pp. 1–46. Retrieved 31 October 2025.
  35. ↑ Lee, Scott; Togelius, Julian (22–25 August 2017). "Showdown AI competition". 2017 IEEE Conference on Computational Intelligence and Games (CIG). Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. pp. 191–198. doi:10.1109/CIG.2017.8080435. ISBN   978-1-5386-3234-5. ISSN   2325-4289.
  36. ↑ Huang, Dan; Lee, Scott (20–23 August 2019). "A Self-Play Policy Optimization Approach to Battling Pokémon". 2019 IEEE Conference on Games (CoG). Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. pp. 1–4. doi:10.1109/CIG.2019.8848014. ISBN   978-1-7281-1884-0. ISSN   2325-4289.
  37. ↑ Gularte, Alejandra (4 October 2023). "Pokémon Showdown Uses Truth on Love Is Blind's Milton". Vulture . Retrieved 6 November 2025.
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