Pokemon Unite is now available on iOS and Android

Pokemon Unite is out now on iOS and Android, bringing the franchise's very first MOBA to mass audiences.

The game originally launched for Nintendo Switch on July 21 of this year and was announced for a mobile launch on September 22 during a Pokemon Presents livestream in August. He quickly racked up over 5 million pre-registrations.

The game is now available for free download on the App Store and the Google Play Store. Suffice to say that it's going to be a big problem.

Anyone familiar with the original Pokemon format, recently demonstrated in Pokemon Sword and Shield, or even the location-based mobile game Pokemon Go from 2016, may be a little surprised by Pokemon Unite.

It's a MOBA, which stands for “Multiplayer Online Battle Arena”. Famous examples of the genre include DOTA, League of Legends and - on mobile - Vainglory.

This is a competitive online genre that sees small teams compete against each other in futuristic sports arenas, indulging in real-time scrap, supporting automated units, and trying to score points against each other.

Pokemon Unite transplants these essentials into the world of Pokemon, with cute, familiar creatures taking the place of the usual playable hero characters, and plenty of wild Pokemon to defeat in neutral territory. It's a much more laid-back take on the MOBA genre than, say, League of Legends: Wild Rift, but you'd expect that given Pokemon's larger demographics.

Each 5v5 match takes 10 fixed minutes and the winner is the team with the most points at the end of that time. These "Aeos" points are collected by fighting wild Pokémon and banking them in your base.

As you would expect, there is an in-app purchasing system, mainly allowing you to shorten the character customization element.

It could be the perfect game to show off that brighter, smoother iPhone 13 Pro display this Friday.