Is Pokemon UNITE a MOBA? | Pokemon UNITE

Thinking of trying Pokemon UNITE for yourself? This page explains if Pokemon UNITE is a MOBA as well as its difference with other MOBA games available in the market!

Is Pokemon UNITE a MOBA?

Yes, Pokemon UNITE is a MOBA Game

Pokemon UNITE is the Pokemon Company's attempt to introduce a MOBA game using Pokemon as characters! Head on to the arena using your favorite Pokemon and prove your dominance in a 5v5 battle!

Pokemon Roster - All Character List

Difference from Other MOBAs

Win Condition

Abilities Can Change

Vision Works Differently

Farming Works Differently

No Shops and Gold During Battles

Items are Equipped Before the Match

Upgrading Items Works Differently

Inventory Works Differently

No PIcks and Bans

There is a Time Limit

Win Condition

The main objective in most MOBAs is centered around destroying the enemy's base to win the game. In Pokemon UNITE, the win condition is to score more points than the other team.

Scoring Guide: When to Score Goals

Possibility of a Tie Game

Because the game is based on a scoring system, there is a possibility of a tie game. The winning team is determined by whichever team reached the tied score first .

Abilities Can Change

The characters/heroes in most MOBAs have fixed abilities throughout the game, usually 3 basic abilities and one ultimate. In Pokemon UNITE, each Pokemon starts out with two fixed abilities/moves, then when they reach a certain level, these abilities are can be replaced with one of two new abilities/moves.

Vision Works Differently

The vision mechanic in Pokemon UNITE works a little differently from other MOBAs. Walls do not block a player's vision in Pokemon UNITE, which means it cannot be used to hide from the enemy.

Vision Guide: How Does Vision (Sight) Work?

Farming Works Differently

Farming refers to the act of killing minions/monsters for gold to buy the neccessary items for the character/hero and to level up, and is a core gameplay feature in MOBAs. Farming works differently in Pokemon UNITE, where you still hunt for wild Pokemon that drop Aeos Energy instead. The player then collects the Aeos Energy from these wild Pokemon and uses them to score points at enemy goal zones.

MOBA Terms and Glossary

No Shops and Gold During Battles

A core feature in most MOBAs is the shop/shops found around the map during battles. However, Pokemon UNITE does not have any shops during battles at all. Instead, the shops available in the game can only be accessed in the main menu, not during battles.

Consequently, there is also no currency during battles, which most MOBAs have in the form of gold.
List of Shops and Price List

Items are Equipped Before the Match

Most MOBAs have players buy and equip the neccessary items for their character/hero during matches. In Pokemon UNITE, players equip items before the actual match begins.

There are two types of items players can equip before the match: Held Items, and Battle Items.

Can't Change Items During Battles

Unlike most MOBAs where players can freely change their items throughout the match through buying and selling, Pokemon UNITE does not allow players to change their items during battles. Once the match starts, whatever items are equipped before the match will be the items players have throughout the match.

Upgrading Items Works Differently

Item progression in most MOBAs requires players to collect gold to improve some of their items during battles. In Pokemon UNITE, players can only upgrade their items by purchasing Item Enhancers, and using it to upgrade items BEFORE the start of the battle. Furthermore, each item can be upgraded up to level 30.

How to Upgrade Items

Has Pay-to-Win Elements

As a consequence, players who are able to upgrade their items faster will have a huge advantage against players who have low level items.

Is Pokemon UNITE Pay to Win? Free vs. Premium Features

Inventory Works Differently

While most MOBAs have a fixed inventory for each character/hero, Pokemon UNITE requires players to unlock item slots in order to equip more items. Players in Pokemon UNITE start with only 1 item slot for a held item and 1 item slot for a battle item. To unlock additional held item slots, players are required to level up their Trainer Level.

Trainer Level: How to Get Battle Points Fast

Limited to 4 Items at Most

Compared to most MOBAs where players can have up to 6 items or more, Pokemon UNITE has a limit of 4 items consisting of 3 Held items and 1 Battle item.

No Picks and Bans

During the picking phase of each Ranked Match, other MOBAs allow players to ban certain characters/heroes and pick the ones they want to use, preventing the other team from being able to pick that character/hero. In Pokemon UNITE, players cannot ban Pokemon nor prevent the other team from getting the same Pokemon.

Can Players Use The Same Pokemon?

There is a Time Limit

Perhaps the most notable feature of Pokemon UNITE is its time limit per match. Other MOBAs do not have a time limit for each match, making it possible to have extremely long matches.

The time limit for a match depends on the match type. Standard and Ranked matches have the 10 minute time limit. Quick battles on the other hand only have a 5 minute time limit.

Requires Strict Time Management

As a consequence of having a time limit for each match, Pokemon UNITE requires players to make quick and calculated decisions to avoid wasting time. Breaking the game down into minutes, and knowing what to do in those minutes is the key to playing Pokemon UNITE.

How to Win: Tips & Strategies for Every Lane

Pokemon UNITE Related Guides

Latest News

Updates and Patch Notes

Updates and Patch Notes

Version 1.8

Version 1.8 Patch Notes List
Version 1.8.1.2 (December 1, 2022)	Version 1.8.1.3 (December 8, 2022)

Version 1.7

Version 1.7 Patch Notes LIst
Version 1.7.1.2 (September 2, 2022)	Version 1.7.1.3 (September 5, 2022)
Version 1.7.1.4 (September 9, 2022)	Version 1.7.1.5 (September 16, 2022)
Version 1.7.1.7 (September 28, 2022)	Version 1.7.1.8 (October 13, 2022)
Version 1.7.1.9 (October 27, 2022)	Version 1.7.1.11 (November 16, 2022)

Version 1.6

Version 1.6 Patch Notes List
Version 1.6.1.2 (July 21, 2022)	Version 1.6.1.3 (July 27, 2022)
Version 1.6.1.4 (August 4, 2022)	--

Latest Maintenances and End Times

Server Maintenance	End Time and Date
September 1 Maintenance	September 2, 2022 7:00AM UTC
July 20 Maintenance	June 21, 2022 7:00AM UTC
June 19 Maintenance	June 20, 2022 7:00AM UTC
April 27 Maintenance	April 28, 2022 7:00AM UTC
January 19 Maintenance	January 20, 2022 7:00AM UTC
December 8 Maintenance	December 9, 2021 7:00AM UTC
Mobile Release Maintenance	September 21, 2021 12:00AM PT

Maintenance Schedules and End Times

News and Hot Articles

• Ver. 1.8.1.3 Patch Notes HOT

  Updated 12/8/2022

  Some fixes for matchmaking + Snorlax and Urshifu!

• Urshifu Best Builds and Items HOT

  Updated 12/8/2022

  Urshifu is now playable. Check out its best builds and moveset here!

• 2022 Holiday Celebrations Announced! NEW

  Updated 12/8/2022

  Everything announced for the Holidays right here!

• Scarlet and Violet Collab Event

  Updated 11/18/2022

  Celebrate the release of Pokemon Scarlet and Violet with special rewards!

• Battle Pass Season 12

  Updated 12/7/2022

  A new Battle Pass season has begun!

• Ranked Season 8

  Updated 12/1/2022

  The ranked ladder has refreshed!

• Pokemon UNITE Manga

  Updated 10/20/2022

  Come On Over to Aeos Island has updated for Chapters 3 and 4!

• UNITE Club Membership

  Updated 12/4/2022

  Check out the weekly free trial Licenses and Holowears!

• Aeos Gem Holiday Sale

  Updated 12/2/2022

  Get Aeos Gems on discounted prices!

• Pokemon Tier List

  Updated 12/5/2022

  Check out our updated tier list!

Other News
UNITE 1st Anniversary Phase 1	UNITE 1st Anniversary Phase 2
UNITE Joins the Pokemon World Championship!	Pokemon UNITE Game Review
Nintendo Switch Release Date	Beta Features and Summary
Is Pokemon UNITE Free to Play?	Is Pokemon UNITE Pay to Win?
Release Time & Countdown	In-Game Purchases Guide
Pokemon UNITE Beta Review	How to Fix Connection Errors
Appearing Characters	Available Consoles and Platforms
Are There Bots in Ranked?	Crossplay Guide: Is Pokemon UNITE Cross Platform?
MOBA Terms and Glossary	Hex Bug Details

Pokemon Release Information

Pokemon Release Info
Gardevoir	Blissey	Blastoise	Mamoswine
Sylveon	Greedent	Decidueye	Tsareena
Dragonite	Trevenant	Aegislash	Duraludon
Azumarill	Espeon	Delphox	Glaceon
Buzzwole	Tyranitar	Mew	Dodrio
Scizor	Clefable	Zoroark	Sableye
Urshifu	-