Pokémon TCG Pocket is finally fixing its trading system

Pokémon TCG Pocket is finally getting the trading systems overhaul promised months ago after players reacted very poorly to the system at launch.

In a post on the Pokémon website, The Pokémon Company announced that, on July 29, 2025, a big update to Pokémon TCG Pocket will be released overhauling the trade feature. The changes are extensive, essentially ripping out the entire trade system as it stands and swapping in one that’s much more friendly to players.

At the core of the changes is the removal of trade tokens from the game, which were previously used for trades but were difficult to earn in-game. There was no regular or reliable method for earning the tokens, with all tokens earned through events and giveaways, and the token cost for trading some cards was prohibitively high.

Instead, from July 29, players will be able to use Shinedust – an abundant resource that is very easily earned – to trade cards of ♦♦♦, ♦♦♦♦, and ★ rarity. Cards under this rarity will remain free to trade, as they have been, while cards above this rarity, as well as promo cards and shiny cards, will not be tradeable just yet.

Players will also earn more Shinedust in-game — currently, players get a small stack of Shinedust when they pull cards from a pack that they already own. After the update, the amount earned from this will be doubled compared to what it already is.

Players will also be able to exchange the trade tokens they already have for Shinedust, in unlimited quantities, and for pack hourglasses up to 60 times. Here are the full details:

In the meantime, trades will be disabled from July 24, 2025, to allow for the new system to be implemented without issue.

It’s likely that the trade update will come alongside a new set in Pokémon TCG Pocket, as the timing roughly coincides with the once-a-month schedule we’ve seen for new expansions since the game’s launch. Players are expecting to see a full-sized, multi-booster expansion, after the last two expansions were single-booster limited expansions.