The classic Pokémon Stadium game is now available on Nintendo Switch as part of the Nintendo Switch Online Expansion Pack. Originally released in the US and Europe in 2000, Pokémon Stadium was the first console game to allow players to connect a Game Boy Pokémon game and battle their Pocket Monsters on the big screen. Unfortunately, this key feature is not included in the Nintendo Switch version. 

In Japan, this game was released as Pokémon Stadium 2 in 1999, after the original Pocket Monsters Stadium was released a year prior, intended to be a launch title for the cancelled N64DD upgrade. That game featured only 40 playable Pokémon as a result of the late conversion to the standard N64 and never saw a release outside of Japan. 

The Nintendo Switch version of Pokémon Stadium does not connect to Game Boy games, but instead features built-in rental teams to challenge the game’s various tournaments and nine mini-games. 

The Nintendo Switch Online service recently added Game Boy games to its library, but the only Pokémon game confirmed for release so far is the Trading Card Game RPG. Fans had hoped that the arrival of both Pokémon Stadium and emulated Game Boy games on the Switch would mean that Switch versions of the first Generation games would be available to connect to Stadium, but sadly there is not yet any sign that this will happen. 

Remember that to access N64 games on Nintendo Switch Online, you must have the Expansion Pack add-on membership, available in annual packs only at £34.99.