Just recently we brought you the news that Pokémon Trading Card Game Pocket‘s next expansion, dubbed Ruler of the Skies, is out next week on July 29/30, but a more recent news blast has also been shared to users within the app that warns of quite the hefty download requirement when the expansion drops.
According to the official information, the size of the update required for the Ruler of the Skies expansion, and to continue playing the game from July 29/30 onwards, is approximately 3.5GB, which is certainly not insignificant.
The explanation given for the immense download requirement is a major upgrade to the Unity game engine that Pokémon TCG Pocket is built on, which has seemingly necessitated replacing a large majority of the game’s existing data.
The silver lining is that this means the 3.5GB is not on top of your existing game install, but will mostly replace what’s already there, so the issue is less about storage and more just the amount of data you’ll be chewing up to receive it. As such, the recommendation is to do this update over a Wi-Fi connection, lest you be at the mercy of your mobile telco.
As an olive branch to players sticking it out through this chunky install, everyone who updates and logs into their game between the expansion’s launch and the end of August 2026 will be able to claim a bonus 36 pack hourglasses – enough to rip an extra three packs.
Here’s the statement from the Pokémon TCG Pocket app team in full:
About the Large Amount of Data to Download for the Update on 29/7/2026
Thank you for playing Pokémon Trading Card Game Pocket.
A data download of approximately 3.5GB will be required on 29/7/2026.
Once the download is complete, 36 pack hourglasses will be distributed as a thank-you for your cooperation.
Details:
The update on 29/7/2026 will implement an upgrade to the latest version of our development environment (Unity), and is intended to improve the service we can provide going forward.
As a result of this app update, a data download of approximately 3.5GB will be required.
The data in this download will overwrite existing data already installed.
Therefore, please be assured that the size of the app will not increase by the amount of data you download.
Note: Since the amount of data in the download is large, we recommend performing the update while connected to Wi-Fi.
We apologize for any inconvenience caused by the large data download required for this update.
36 pack hourglasses will be distributed as a thank-you for your cooperation.
Claim Period – 29/7/2026 at :00 – 30/8/2026 at 15:59
Notes:
- Items can be claimed after the app update
- If items haven’t appeared in Gifts, please try restarting the app
We hope you continue to enjoy Pokémon Trading Card Game Pocket.
Born into the world of video games through SEGA, and in particular Sonic the Hedgehog, Kieron’s gaming tastes now consist of the latest, shiny AAA thing, an indie darling or two, and an embarrassing number of hours of Balatro.