Pixelmon adds many aspects of the Pokémon games into Minecraft, including the Pokémon themselves, Pokémon battling, trading, and breeding. Pixelmon also includes an assortment of new items, including prominent Pokémon items like Poké Balls and TMs, new resources like bauxite ore and Apricorns, and new decorative blocks like chairs and clocks.

For most of these features, Pixelmon attempts to match the mechanics of the Pokémon games as closely as possible, including battle mechanics that match the mechanics in the Generation 8 Pokémon games. However, some aspects of Pixelmon are original and deviate from the Pokémon games, such as a breeding mechanic where Pokémon require a suitable environment around them in order to breed.

Unlike in the Pokémon games, Pixelmon does not use the “random encounter” method (e.g., tall grass, caves) for encountering Pokémon. Instead, Pokémon spawn naturally in Overworld, and a player can engage these wild Pokémon in battle. By default, normal Minecraft mobs are disabled and do not spawn when Pixelmon is installed, although they can be enabled by editing Pixelmon’s config file.

Poké Balls can be purchased in Poké Marts (which spawn in towns) in exchange for PokéDollars, just as they are in the Pokémon games. However, Poké Balls can also be crafted using cooked Apricorns and various metal ores. The method for crafting Poké Balls is detailed on the Poké Balls page.

Most other items from the Pokémon games, including Medicine, held items, and TMs, can be obtained from several different sources:

• Crafting certain items.
• PokéLoot chests, which serve the same purpose as item-filled Poké Balls in the Pokémon games.
• Defeating boss Pokémon, wild Pokémon that will always be several levels higher than the player’s Pokémon, and may also be mega evolved
• The Pickup Ability, which gathers items the same way as in the Pokémon games.
• Poké Marts, which can sell various items such as Medicine and TMs.

Pixelmon is designed so that players and servers can choose and create their own goals, whether this means completing the Pokédex, winning in player-vs.-player battles, or another goal entirely. There is no fixed progression of Gyms in Pixelmon, but servers may choose to implement this feature by using either NPC Trainers or players as Gym Leaders, and Badges are present in Pixelmon if servers wish to use them as marks of achievement.