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Nintendo announces Pokemon Legends Z-A DLC before the game’s even out: Mega Dimension expansion adds “spatial distortions” and makes Raichu the third Pokemon to ever get two Mega Evolutions

Pokemon Legends Z-A: Everything we know so far about the upcoming Nintendo game

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Pokemon Stadium-like battling game Pokemon Champions is “free-to start,” but a “paid digital version” is coming to Switch 2 and OG Switch too

Pokemon Champions is replacing Scarlet and Violet as the new place for official VGC tournaments, with devs calling the spiritual Stadium successor “the one-stop shop for everyone interested in Pokemon battles”

Pokemon Legends: Z-A introduces chaotic 4-player battles that play out in real time, making up for Legends: Arceus ditching multiplayer fights entirely

Pokemon Legends: Z-A buffs up one of X and Y’s best ‘mons as it introduces Mega Hawlucha, which might have the RPG’s coolest new form yet

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Mega Dragonite’s goofy wings in Pokemon Legends Z-A start to make sense when you consider one of the wildest theories in Pokemon history: “All the Mega Pokemon are designed after either the letter X or Y”

Adventure Games

Pokemon Legends: Z-A

Pokemon Legends Z-A locks the Mega Evolutions for the Kalos starters to ranked seasons, making them impossible to get without paying for Nintendo Switch Online

Scott McCrae

15 September 2025

Plus, if you miss a seasonal reward, you’ll need to wait until they return

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(Image credit: Nintendo | The Pokemon Company)

The Pokemon Company and Nintendo revealed new Mega Evolutions for the Kalos trio in Pokemon Legends Z-A, but it turns out you’ll need to be paying for Nintendo Switch Online to get them.

During last week’s Nintendo Direct, it was revealed that Pokemon Legends Z-A would be getting new DLC, with two versions of Mega Raichu being the star of the show, so it’s easy to forget we saw new Mega Evolutions on top of that. As Pokemon Legends Z-A is set in the Kalos region (of Pokemon X and Y fame), it’s only natural that the trio of Kalos starters are represented in the game, with Chesnaught, Delphox, and Greninja finally getting Mega evolutions 12 years later.
However, there’s a catch. The Pokemon website updated with more info on these new Mega Evolutions, revealing just how you’ll get the Mega Stones necessary to awaken the Mega Evolution forms of the three Pokemon. Starting upon the game’s launch on October 16, there will be ranked seasons in the Z-A Battle Club, with season 1’s reward for ranking up being Greninjite, Season 2 offering Delphoxite, and Season 3 giving you Chesnaughtite. The post doesn’t clarify just how many ranks you have to climb, either.

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Nintendo announces Pokemon Legends Z-A DLC before the game’s even out: Mega Dimension expansion adds “spatial distortions” and makes Raichu the third Pokemon to ever get two Mega Evolutions

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Pokemon Legends Z-A’s Mega Dragonite leak finally confirmed, and it’s either “so good” or the “worst design for a Mega Evolution Pokemon ever” depending on who you ask

So, not only will you be waiting until a while after launch to get your hands on the Mega Stone for the coolest of the three starters (Chesnaught, obviously), but you also need to compete online to get them. Plus, if you get the game for Christmas, for example, you’ll probably have missed the chance to get one of the stones (although it was confirmed that these are “planned to be redistributed in future seasons.”)

But on top of that, the Z-A Battle Arena is an online mode, meaning that unless you shell out the money for a Nintendo Switch Online membership, you won’t be able to obtain the Mega Evolution forms of the Kalos trio, with the website confirming “Greninjite, Delphoxite, and Chesnaughtite stones cannot normally be obtained during regular gameplay.” And considering the Raichu Mega forms are locked to the DLC, that means there are now five Mega Evolutions you can’t get without paying extra on top of the game.
Nintendo finally wises up to Palworld, announces Pokemon crafting and building game Pokopia – starring a Ditto that thinks it’s a real human.

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Scott has been freelancing for over three years across a number of different gaming publications, first appearing on GamesRadar+ in 2024. He has also written for the likes of PC Gamer, Eurogamer, VG247, Play, TechRadar, and others. He’s typically rambling about Metal Gear Solid, God Hand, or any other PS2-era titles that rarely (if ever) get sequels.

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Nintendo announces Pokemon Legends Z-A DLC before the game’s even out: Mega Dimension expansion adds “spatial distortions” and makes Raichu the third Pokemon to ever get two Mega Evolutions

Pokemon Legends Z-A: Everything we know so far about the upcoming Nintendo game

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Pokemon Stadium-like battling game Pokemon Champions is “free-to start,” but a “paid digital version” is coming to Switch 2 and OG Switch too

Pokemon Champions is replacing Scarlet and Violet as the new place for official VGC tournaments, with devs calling the spiritual Stadium successor “the one-stop shop for everyone interested in Pokemon battles”

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