When does Ruler of the Skies release in Pokémon TCG Pocket?

The expansion launches on Wednesday, July 29, 2026 at 6 p.m. PDT, which is 9 p.m. EDT and 1 a.m. BST on July 30 for players in the UK.

What is the headline card of Ruler of the Skies?

Mega Rayquaza ex is the face of the set. The official trailer also shows other Mega Evolution cards, including Mega Metagross ex and Mega Gallade ex.

What new features arrive with the update?

Deck sharing through scannable pattern codes, card dex entries that count across every booster a card appears in, and a guarantee of a four diamond or higher rarity card when certain conditions are met while opening packs.

Pokémon TCG Pocket Gets Mega Rayquaza ex on July 29 in the Ruler of the Skies Expansion

Rayquaza has been circling Pokémon TCG Pocket for a while now, and it finally lands next week. The Pokémon Company confirmed that Ruler of the Skies, the next full expansion for the mobile card game, arrives on Wednesday, July 29 at 6 p.m. PDT on iOS and Android, with Mega Rayquaza ex as its cover star.

Video: The Official Pokémon YouTube channel

Mega Rayquaza ex leads a dragon heavy set

The official trailer puts Mega Rayquaza ex front and center, shown with 180 HP, and it is not flying alone. Mega Metagross ex and Mega Gallade ex also appear in the reveal, continuing the Mega Evolution push that has defined recent Pocket sets. Outside the boosters, Mega Lucario ex and Hitmonchan ex can be earned through elite deck gift missions, and a Mega Houndoom ex Drop Event is scheduled for mid to late August.

The quality of life changes might be the real story

The update shipping alongside the expansion brings three features players have been asking about for months. Decks can finally be shared through scannable 2D pattern codes, so copying a friend's list no longer means rebuilding it card by card. Cards that appear in multiple boosters now register in every matching card dex slot instead of just one. And booster packs gain a guarantee of a four diamond or higher rarity card when certain conditions are fulfilled, though The Pokémon Company has not yet spelled out exactly what those conditions are.

Plenty to do after launch

The expansion kicks off a long event calendar. Card collection missions and the elite deck gifts run from late July into late October, Summer Event Missions bridge into early August, and a Ruler of the Skies Emblem Event plus a Community Week trading period follow in mid August. Mega Rayquaza covers and backdrops for customizing your profile arrive on August 1.

Our take

Mega Rayquaza is one of the most requested cards in Pocket, so the headline writes itself, but we think the deck sharing codes will matter more day to day. The game has grown a real competitive scene, and removing the friction of manually copying decks is the kind of unglamorous fix that keeps people playing. The vague wording around the rarity guarantee is worth watching, though. Until the exact conditions are published, we would keep expectations modest about how often that bonus actually triggers.