[2] In these games and their sequels, the player assumes the role of a Trainer whose goal is to capture and use the creatures' special abilities to combat other Pokémon.

[17] An IT Media reader poll had Garchomp ranked number one among the "600 family," a term used for Pokémon whose stats add up to 600 in value, receiving more than 30 percent of the vote.

[9] IGN writer Dale Bashir felt it was one of the best designs introduced in Diamond and Pearl, particularly due to its purple color scheme, attributing its coolness to why it was featured in Cynthia's team.

[19] Gaming Bolt writer Pramath regarded it as one of the best Pokémon species, arguing that a large part of why people remember it so much is its use by Cynthia and the difficulty of training it.

He noted that Garchomp was "overpowered, overused, and frankly overdesigned," citing its combination of shark, dragon, dinosaur, and jet engine design concepts, but still felt that it was among the series' most iconic Pokémon.

Venture Beat staff discussed how its attack and speed were so prominent that it was banned in some competitions and limited only to the Uber tier, due in particular to the fact that players were designing their teams around handling Garchomp, with Venture Beat staff noting that team compositions were more interesting and diverse after its banning.

[24][18] VG247 writer Cassandra Khaw attributed its strength to multiple factors, including its well-balanced high stats, Sand Veil ability, and its type combination of Ground and Dragon.

[25] Hardcore Gamer writer Ryan Cartmel noted that despite Ground and Dragon's weakness to Ice types, its stats and Rough Skin ability made it a threat that any team had to be able to answer.