Pokemon Stadium 2, known in Japan as Pokémon Stadium Gold ＆ Silver,^[a][b] is a strategy video game developed by Nintendo EAD and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo 64. It features all 251 Pokémon from the first and second generations of the franchise. It was released in Japan on December 14, 2000, in North America on March 26, 2001, and in Europe on October 10, 2001. In Western regions it was titled Pokémon Stadium 2, as it was the second Stadium game to be released outside Japan, in which it was the third game in the series. It supports Dolby Surround sound.

Like its predecessor, Pokémon Stadium 2 is compatible with the Transfer Pak accessory, allowing players to use Pokémon trained in the three original Game Boy Pokémon games (Pokémon Red, Blue, and Yellow) and the three Game Boy Color games (Pokémon Gold, Silver, and Crystal). The majority of the game takes place inside the fictional White City, where various facilities for battling, organizing, researching, and playing with Pokémon are located. The Japanese edition also features the capability to use the Pokémon Mobile System from Pokémon Crystal. The game is set to be re-released on the Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack in 2023.^[1]

Gameplay

Pokémon Stadium 2 does not have a storyline. Progress can be made by winning trophies in the Stadium, a tournament mode consisting of four “Cups”, as well as completing the Gym Leader Castle, where the player earns badges by defeating Gyms specializing in different Pokémon types. When all Stadium trophies have been won and the Gym Leader Castle is completed, the player’s rival will want to battle. Defeating the rival will unlock Round 2, in which the player must re-challenge the Stadium, Gym Leader Castle, and the Rival at a higher difficulty level.

Set in a new town called White City, the Stadium is home to the Poké Cup, Prime Cup, Challenge Cup, and Little Cup, each having its own rules and regulations.^[2] With the exception of the Challenge Cup, the player first assembles a team of six Pokémon consisting of any combination of rental Pokémon or imported Pokémon from a Game Boy cartridge.^[2] In the Challenge Cup, the parties of the player and opponents are chosen completely randomly. In the same fashion as the first Stadium, each combatant chooses only three of their six Pokémon to use in a battle before beginning.