Zapdos, Articuno, and Moltres Announced as Playable Pokémon in Pokémon UNITE
The Pokémon Company has announced that the original Legendary Bird trio — Zapdos, Articuno, and Moltres — are officially becoming playable characters in Pokémon UNITE.
After spending years as match objectives and boss Pokémon, the Kanto Legendaries are finally joining the roster.
Zapdos Arrives First
Zapdos will release first on February 27, 2026, coinciding with Pokémon Day celebrations.
This is a big change for UNITE. Since the game launched in 2021, Zapdos has been one of the most important boss objectives in Remoat Stadium, capable of instantly turning a losing match into a win. Now players will actually be able to control it.
No details have been announced yet about its role (Attacker, All-Rounder, Defender, etc.) or moveset.
Australian Release Time
New Pokémon in UNITE usually go live shortly after daily reset:
Around 6:00 PM AEDT
5:30 PM ACDT (Adelaide)
This may vary slightly, but Australian players should expect Zapdos to be playable the evening of February 27.
Articuno and Moltres Also Confirmed
Articuno and Moltres are also confirmed to be coming later, though release dates haven’t been announced yet.
Like Zapdos, both Pokémon have previously appeared as boss Pokémon across different UNITE maps and game modes. This will be the first time players can directly use them in standard matches.
It also continues a recent trend of UNITE adding more Legendary Pokémon as playable fighters rather than only using them as map objectives.
What This Means for Matches
Because the Legendary Birds have historically been tied to scoring mechanics and map control, their playable versions will likely have abilities related to:
• area control
• team buffs
• objective pressure
However, The Pokémon Company has not revealed gameplay footage or move details yet.
More Information Soon
More details — including moves, held items, and roles — will likely be revealed closer to Zapdos’ release during Pokémon Day announcements.
For now, one of UNITE’s most famous match-deciding Pokémon is finally moving from the center of the map… to your team.
