Pokemon Board Games: licensed classic edition
Pokemon Monopoly: How to Play the 2025 Edition
The 2025 Hasbro edition of the property trading game, Pokemon Monopoly swaps in Pokemon-catching and Poke Balls for money. It’s for families with players aged 8 and up who know Monopoly and want a shorter, friendlier game for 2 to 4 trainers.
- 2025
- 2-4 players
- 45 minutes
- Ages 8+
- licensed classic edition
- Hasbro
Gotta catch ’em all, or at least one of each type. Here’s how a turn goes.
This edition keeps Monopoly’s roll, move and act rhythm, so turns are easy to learn. The big change is what happens when you land on a space: you try to catch Pokemon instead of building a hotel. Here’s a trip around the board, with later sections covering locations, battles and jail.
Poke Balls serve as money here. You start with 20.
Quick guide: one turn of Pokemon Monopoly
On your turn, roll, move, then take one action on the space where you land.
Re-roll the catching die for 1 Poke Ball.
- Step 1:
Roll the numbered die and move your Pokemon token clockwise that many spaces.
- Step 2:
Land on an uncontrolled location? Pay the board price and take its card, or send it to auction.
- Step 3:
After buying a location, explore it with the catching die. Roll a Poke Ball to catch a wild Pokemon.
- Step 4:
Roll a red X and you catch nothing. End your turn or pay 1 Poke Ball to roll again.
- Step 5:
Land on a rival’s location? Pay the exploration cost or battle that trainer.
- Step 6:
For a battle, both trainers roll the numbered die and add 1 per Pokemon on their tracker mat. The higher total wins.
- 7Step 7:
Pass GO to collect 2 Poke Balls. Draw a card when you land on an Adventure or Challenge space.
- 8Step 8:
Win by completing your tracker mat with one of each of eight types, or by being the last trainer with Poke Balls.
The rulebook is short, and the sections below follow its order: setup, turns, buying and exploring locations, trainer battles, and action spaces. Classic Monopoly players will know the structure, even if the goal is different.
Pokemon Monopoly: the full rules
Setup
Pick a Banker to manage the Bank’s Poke Balls, Location cards and auctions. The Banker keeps their own Poke Balls separate.
Before your first game, put one label on each side of the catching die.
Each trainer gets a Reference card and 20 Poke Balls. The rest go in the Bank.
Set the dice beside the gameboard.
Sort the wild Pokemon chips by type and color. Place each group beside its matching board space, with the type face up.
Shuffle the Challenge and Adventure cards, then place each deck face down on its board space.
Each trainer chooses a Pokemon partner and puts that token on GO.
Put the tracker mat that matches your token in front of you.
Turn by turn
Roll and move
Each trainer rolls the numbered die to see who goes first. The highest roll starts. On your turn, roll the die and move your token clockwise that many spaces.
Resolve your space
Follow the rules for the space where you land. It could be a location to buy, explore or battle over, a card space, GO, Jail or Free Parking.
Explore and catch
After buying a location, or landing on one you control, roll the catching die. On a Poke Ball, take a Pokemon type for that location from the chips beside the board.
Battle a rival
If you land on a rival’s location, you can battle instead of paying to explore. Both trainers roll the numbered die and add 1 for each Pokemon on their mat, including their partner.
Pass the dice
Your turn ends after you resolve your space. Pass the dice to the left. You can trade and bid in auctions anytime, even when it isn’t your turn.
End of the game and scoring
Win by filling your tracker mat with one Pokemon of each of the eight types before the other trainers, or by being the last trainer with Poke Balls. If you can’t pay what you owe, sell locations to the Bank, or Pokemon and locations to rivals. Still in debt? You’re bankrupt and out of the game.
Key rules
Poke Balls replace money
Each trainer starts with 20 Poke Balls. Spend them to buy and explore locations. You earn them when rivals explore yours or when you win challenges.
Catching die
A Poke Ball means you catch a Pokemon. A red X means you catch nothing. Pay 1 Poke Ball to the Bank to reroll as often as you like, but save some Poke Balls or you’ll be out of the game.
Duplicate types
If you catch a type already on your mat, place it beside the mat. It still counts toward your total in battles.
Color sets protect locations
Hold both locations in a color set, and rivals can’t take them by winning a battle. Unlike classic Monopoly, color sets don’t earn you extra.
Battles
The winner takes the Location card and pays nothing. A losing attacker pays the battle fee shown on the card. Ties go to the rival. You can’t explore after a battle.
Lapras
Land on a Lapras space and you may move to any space between it and the next Lapras space. Follow that space’s rules, then end your turn. You can also stay put.
Jail
Go to Jail sends you to the In Jail space without collecting from GO. Get out by paying 1 Poke Ball, using a Get Out of Jail Free card or rolling a 6. After three turns, pay 1 Poke Ball and move.
Auctions
If you can’t or won’t buy an uncontrolled location, the Banker starts bidding at 1 Poke Ball. The highest bidder pays the Bank and takes the card, but can’t explore it right away.
Tips for your first game
- Try to collect both locations in a color set. Rivals can’t take them in a battle while you hold both.
- Catch widely. Each Pokemon on your mat adds 1 to your battle roll, and collecting the types you still need is how you win.
- Count your Poke Balls before you reroll the catching die. A second try costs little, but run out and your game is over.
- Challenge a rival for a location to skip the exploration cost. Win, and the location is yours.
- You can trade locations and wild Pokemon with rivals anytime. Ask if someone has the type you need.
You can’t take both locations in a color set by battle.
Hasbro describes the game as a mix of classic Monopoly play and Pokemon catching. Next, we cover who makes it, when it came out and how it connects to earlier editions, including Pokemon Edition (Parker Brothers) and Pokemon Kanto Edition. For a card game from the same franchise, try Pokemon UNO.
Background: the game and its Pokemon connection
Each Pokemon on your mat adds 1 to your battle roll.
The game
Design and release
Hasbro publishes the game as product G0716, with a 2025 copyright for both Hasbro and Pokemon. Pokemon.com announced its arrival at major retailers in January 2025. The official materials do not credit a designer.
How it differs from classic Monopoly
Hasbro calls properties locations to explore for Pokemon, and Poke Balls replace money. Win by catching a Pokemon of each of the eight types or by being the last trainer with Poke Balls. No need to bankrupt everyone.
The film or series it covers
The Pokemon franchise as a whole, rather than one particular episode or film.
There’s no specific story in the box. Instead, four Pokemon partners serve as movers, wild Pokemon from across the series become collectible chips, and the locations range from forests to cities to gyms, according to Hasbro.
Scenes and story beats in the game
- 1
The four movers are Pikachu, Sprigatito, Fuecoco, and Quaxly.
- 2
The rulebook’s back page lists the wild Pokemon you can catch, including Bulbasaur, Charmander, and Squirtle.
- 3
Lapras gets its own board space and lets you ride ahead.
- 4
Free Parking is a rest space in this edition. Nothing happens there.
What comes in the Pokemon Monopoly box
- Gameboard
- 4 plastic Pokemon tokens
- 4 Pokemon tracker mats
- 16 Location cards
- 16 Adventure cards
- 16 Challenge cards
- 4 Reference cards
- 1 numbered die
- 1 catching die with labels
- 48 cardboard wild Pokemon chips
- 90 cardboard Poke Balls
Pokemon Monopoly editions over the years
Pokemon Edition (Parker Brothers) 1999
Wikipedia’s list of licensed Monopoly editions describes a Parker Brothers Pokemon edition based on Pokemon Red and Blue, with Gym color groups and Pokemon standing in for properties.
Pokemon Kanto Edition 2014
A later Pokemon edition listed as the Kanto Edition.
Monopoly: Pokemon Edition 2025
The current Hasbro edition with Poke Balls as currency, a tracker mat for each trainer, wild Pokemon chips and battles between trainers.
Pokemon Monopoly questions, answered
How do you win Pokemon Monopoly?
Fill your tracker mat with one Pokemon of each of the eight types first, or be the last trainer with Poke Balls.
How many players can play Pokemon Monopoly?
Two to four players, ages 8 and up.
Is there money in Pokemon Monopoly?
No. Poke Balls take the place of money. Each trainer starts with 20 and spends them to buy and explore locations or re-roll the catching die.
What does the catching die do in Pokemon Monopoly?
Roll it after exploring a location. A Poke Ball means you catch a wild Pokemon of that location’s type. Roll a red X and you catch nothing, but you can pay 1 Poke Ball to try again.
How do trainer battles work in Pokemon Monopoly?
Both trainers roll the numbered die, then add 1 for each Pokemon on their mat, partners included. The higher total wins. If there’s a tie, the trainer who controls the location wins.
How do you get out of Jail in Pokemon Monopoly?
Pay 1 Poke Ball, use a Get Out of Jail Free card, or roll a 6. After three turns trying for a 6, pay 1 Poke Ball and move.
What are the tokens in Pokemon Monopoly?
The tokens are Sprigatito, Fuecoco, Quaxly and Pikachu. Each comes with a matching tracker mat.
Poke Balls serve as money here. You start with 20.
Re-roll the catching die for 1 Poke Ball.
Sources
- Hasbro instructions: Monopoly Pokemon Edition Board Game (G0716) instructions.hasbro.com
- Pokemon.com: Catch wild Pokemon in the Monopoly Pokemon Edition board game pokemon.com
- Wikipedia: List of licensed and localized editions of Monopoly: USA en.wikipedia.org