Games

Pokemon TCG Pocket UI Confuses Some Fans After New Expansion's Release

Published

1 minute ago

February 2, 2025

Christoph Rediske

Summary

Some Pokemon TCG Pocket players are only now realizing Genetic Apex boosters are still available in the game.
This wave of realizations led to criticism of the game’s confusing UI, which some fans speculate is intentional.

Some Pokemon Trading Card Game Pocket players have taken days to realize that the Genetic Apex booster packs are still available for opening. This wave of discoveries has led to fan complaints about Pokemon TCG Pocket‘s confusing UI.

Pokemon TCG Pocket launched the Space-Time Smackdown set on January 29. This is the third expansion to make its way to the hit mobile game since its late October 2024 release, after Genetic Apex and Mythical Island.

How to Open Old Packs in Pokemon TCG Pocket

With the release of Space-Time Smackdown, Genetic Apex packs no longer appear on the home screen, but Pokemon TCG Pocket players can still open them.

Four days following Space-Time Smackdown’s debut, some players are only now realizing that Pokemon TCG Pocket‘s Genetic Apex boosters haven’t been removed from the game. Their initial confusion stems from the way DeNA implemented the booster-switching functionality, allowing players to only access the two newest expansions from the home screen. Since the starting screen offered every available pack up until a few days ago, some players automatically assumed that the Genetic Apex expansion was no longer available. In reality, its card packs can still be accessed by tapping the “Select other booster packs” button near the bottom-right corner of the selection screen, located immediately above the hamburger menu.

Reflecting on this UI quirk, Reddit user JesperTV recently shared a concept for an alternative layout they believe would “make more sense.” Their idea was simple: instead of placing the Mythical Island pack next to the two Space-Time Smackdown boosters, the home screen would dedicate one slot to a pack from each available expansion. Should there ever be more than three sets available at once, this concept could still work as a carousel menu, allowing users to scroll through every expansion. The suggestion quickly reached the front page of the r/PTCGP subreddit on February 2, signaling support from the most dedicated section of the Pokemon TCG Pocket community. Additionally, the post sparked another wave of realizations that the Genetic Apex booster packs were still available for ripping.

Some Pokemon TCG Pocket Fans Think the Game’s UI Is Intentionally Confusing

The resulting community discussion yielded many fan theories about DeNA’s design choices for the pack selection system. While some blamed poor design, others suspected the UI was deliberately structured to promote newer packs. In any case, the current version of the UI is problematic given Pokemon TCG Pocket’s plans for future expansion rotations—meaning the currently hidden Genetic Apex set won’t be available indefinitely. As a result, some players might miss out on its cards simply because they didn’t realize they could still open GA packs following Space-Time Smackdown’s release.

The confusing pack selection system isn’t the only element of the game that has incurred criticism as of late. Fans have also recently taken aim at the Pokemon TCG Pocket trading system, describing it as extremely inaccessible and otherwise off-putting. DeNA subsequently promised to tweak the trading feature based on this early feedback, but has yet to provide any details on how and when it intends to do so.