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The Pokémon Company has launched a global Kaggle challenge inviting developers to build AI bots capable of mastering the Pokémon Trading Card Game (TCG)
A massive prize pool awaits the top eight teams heading to the live-streamed final tournament in Japan.
On its website, The Pokémon Company said artificial intelligence has already conquered games like chess and Go.
Now, it is challenging developers to see if algorithms can survive the chaotic, hidden-information universe of the Pokémon TCG.
The tech-forward initiative, named the 'Pokémon TCG AI Battle Challenge', has launched on Google-owned Kaggle, creating a virtual ladder where autonomous bots go head-to-head
"It is AI's turn to play," the competition mission statement declared, highlighting the unpredictable nature of managing a 60-card deck from a pool of 2,000 Standard format cards.
The initial stage runs from June to August 2026 on Kaggle, where submitted bots will be ranked entirely on their automated match performances.
The top eight teams will each pocket USD30,000 (RM123,300) before advancing to the live-streamed final tournament in Japan scheduled for September 2026
The first- and second-place finishers will secure an additional USD50,000 (RM205,500) and USD30,000 (RM123,300), respectively.
Co-organised with HEROZ and the Matsuo Institute, this public experiment is supported by NVIDIA, Google, and Google Cloud.
