Pokemon Legends: Arceus has multiplayer, but what is it?

Pokemon Legends: Arceus will have multiplayer, but it’s still a mystery as to what this will look like. What clues do we have as to what Pokemon Legends: Arceus multiplayer will be?

Multiplayer features have been a core feature of the Pokemon franchise from the very beginning. It started as battling and trading over a Game Boy link cable, with more features slowly coming over time. Eventually, ranked leaderboards, wonder trading, and other modern options were introduced.

But Pokemon Legends: Arceus will be a very different game, leaving multiplayer features a mystery. Because of that, it’s worth going over what’s known, what’s unknown, and what might be coming to Pokemon Legends Arceus’ multiplayer features.

Pokemon Legends: Arceus will have multiplayer

Nintendo has confirmed that Pokemon Legends: Arceus will have some multiplayer features.

On Nintendo’s official webpage for the game, the company states that “up to two players” will be able to play the game at a time. This means that it will have multiplayer, but the exact details on what the multiplayer features will be have not been revealed.

The most logical assumption is standard battling and trading. Pokemon Legends: Arceus will add a long list of new features to the game that will differentiate it from other installments in the series, but the core experience is the same. This is still a game about battling and collecting Pokemon, making it so a return to basics is the most likely option.

How elaborate those features might get is unclear. The site lists “up to two players,” meaning double battles are likely removed. Pokemon that previously required trading to evolve have also been shown in the wild, leaving the role of trading unclear.

Unfortunately, it seems unlikely that any sort of couch co-op will be present in the game. Pokemon Legends: Arceus will almost certainly support local multiplayer using multiple Nintendo Switch units, but co-op with a shared screen will likely remain exclusive to the Let’s Go titles.

Is Pokemon Legends: Arceus an MMO?

Pokemon Legends: Arceus is not an MMO and is set to be a primarily single-player title with some multiplayer features.

There has never been a Pokemon game overly similar to an MMO in the past, and that isn’t changing here. The game has historically segregated its main game from online features and that’s not set to change with Pokemon Legends: Arceus. 

Pokemon Legends: Arceus’ multiplayer features will not be “massive” in any sense. Though the game will likely grant many of the wishes players have had for Pokemon games in recent years, a Pokemon MMORPG remains a dream.