The game includes four "Cups", each of which is a series of three-on-three Pokémon battles against an ordered lineup of opponents.

Pokémon Stadium became one of the best-selling Nintendo 64 titles, selling one million copies before the end of the year.

Stadium was re-released on the Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack on April 12, 2023.

[6] Stadium takes a more battle-focused approach with its gameplay, which functions similarly to Red, Blue, and Yellow.

[5] The game also features an announcer,[5] who says voice lines in response to actions that occur in battle.

Defeating the mode allows players to obtain rare species of Pokémon.

[8] When all Cups have been won and the Gym Leader Castle is completed, a six-on-one battle against Mewtwo is unlocked.

Producer Shigeru Miyamoto explained in 1997 that Nintendo EAD was then a group of 20 to 30 staff each devoted to every title.

Within EAD, a programming group called SRD involved a separate company of about 200 people working exclusively for Nintendo.

[12] Nintendo EAD had previously produced Pocket Monsters Stadium, the prior entry in the series.

The magazine commented that it had been "a long time since Nintendo featured so well in Japanese charts.

[23] Nintendo's Pokémon franchise was at a high point of popularity in the United States by late 1999, with the franchise having a high-selling VHS tape, top-viewed kids television show, and over seven million Pokémon game cartridges sold.

[28] In celebration of the game's North American release, Nintendo and Blockbuster partnered for a promotion in which the first Pokémon Stadium game cartridges delivered to Blockbuster contained a coupon for a limited-edition Pokémon Stadium sticker poster and a free "Pokémon Smart Card," which could be used to redeem up to sixteen stickers at Blockbuster locations.

[32] By April, Nintendo of America announced that Pokémon Stadium sold over 1 million copies.

[35][34] A Nintendo represented posited that the sales were due to their new series of N64 featuring translucent case colors, while Quang Hong of Gamasutra inferred sale may have been due to Pokémon Stadium release.

[36][37][38] Nintendo of America announced that it would be released as a Player's Choice title, a well-selling game with a lower suggested retail price, on December 26, 2000.

[6] Famitsu praised the game, highlighting its focus on strategy and the animations of the individual Pokémon.

[59] The game was re-released on the Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack on April 12, 2023.

[63] The game was later updated to patch out a bug that would consider in-game rental Pokémon's movesets to be hacked.