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Celebrate Pokemon Day by Playing the 25 Best Pokemon Games of All Time

February 27, 2025 Admin

There’s a reason your mom knows Pikachu. Over the past three decades, Pokemon has gone from being Satoshi Tajiro’s childhood dream to the highest-grossing entertainment franchise in the world.

The pocket monsters’ legacy includes a wildly popular anime, widely-scalped trading cards, a movie starring Ryan Reynolds and many, many games. As we gear up for Pokemon Day 2025 — where we’ll hopefully hear more about Pokemon: Legends Z-A and a new generation of mainline games — it’s time to take a look back at the best Pokemon games from years past.

There’s a Pokemon game out there for nearly every gamer, whether you love exploring new worlds, bonding with cuddly creatures, crawling through dungeons, solving mysteries or battling with other players.

We’ve curated this list of the best Pokemon games you can play right now, including mainline games and spin-off titles from throughout the franchise’s history.

Best Pokemon games of all time

Nintendo

If you’ve ever wanted more action from your Pokemon battles, the Pokken fighting game series is right up your alley. Pokken Tournament DX lets players put together teams of three and go head-to-head in the arena. There are 21 playable monsters, including classics like Charizard, Mewtwo, Gengar and Machamp — but the roster also includes other fan favorites like Gardevoir, Garchomp and Decidueye.

This fighting game doesn’t have the greatest breadth of content and has a rather lackluster singleplayer campaign, but there’s a lot of depth to be explored in player-versus-player combat. Players must learn multiple characters and build good team synergy between their chosen Pokemon. Additionally, 15 different “support Pokemon” can be chosen to aid your team (or hinder your opponent) as a match unfolds, adding another layer to Pokken’s meta strategy.

In order to succeed in Pokken Tournament DX, you need to learn move strings and master your characters, but you also need to play around with counters and learn team synergy. It’s the perfect combination of a Pokemon game and an arena fighter.

Release Date: Sept. 22, 2017

Genre: Competitive 3D fighting game

Developer: Bandai Namco Studios

Nintendo

The Kanto region makes a return on the Nintendo Switch’s Pokemon Let’s Go Pikachu and Let’s Go Eevee. These extremely kid-friendly games make generation one Pokemon accessible to anyone, by cutting out most wild Pokemon battles and giving players a cute (and strong) partner Pokemon. The Let’s Go games are a retread of the original Pokemon gym challenge, but they incorporate 3D graphics and Pokemon Go catching mechanics to revitalize and refresh a tired adventure.

As with many of the Nintendo Switch Pokemon games, it’s very easy to draft up a competitive team with Exp. Candies, bottle caps that max out IVs and more. Shiny Pokemon hunting is also easier, with a new method allowing players to chain Pokemon catches from the same species in order to boost the odds of running into one of the elusive chromatic oddities. Let’s Go Pikachu and Let’s Go Eevee aren’t the hardest Pokemon games, and they’re not the best generation one titles either — but Pokemon Go on a home console is a very appealing prospect all the same.

Release Date: Nov. 16, 2018

Genre: Kanto offshoot incorporating Pokemon Go catch mechanics

Developer: Game Freak

Nintendo

While multiplayer online battle arenas (MOBAs) have a bad reputation for building toxic communities, Pokemon Unite offers a fairly family-friendly alternative to games like League of Legends, DOTA 2 and Smite. Players participate in 10-minute long, five-versus-five matches where they need to evolve their Pokemon, gain power and beat their opponents by depositing points in goals around the map.

Pokemon Unite limits text chat by default, and incoming voice chat can be turned off in the settings. There’s no visible scoreboard, which is intended to prevent angry teammates from rage quitting before the end of the match. These quality-of-life features make it stress-free to solo queue and learn any of the 62 Pokemon featured within the game. Unite follows a free-to-play model and is a straightforward MOBA experience for new players — making it great way for interested parties to dip their toes into the genre.

Release Date: July 21, 2021

Genre: Simplified multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA)

Developer: TiMi Studio Group

Nintendo

The latest true pocket monster craze makes Pokemon TCG more accessible to casual fans, which is an impressive feat. Cutting through the feature creep that has defined the physical card game, Pokemon TCG Pocket has launched several “back to basics” expansions that focus on simple mechanics like Pokemon Ex cards, Pokemon tools and trainer and supporter cards. Prebuilt decks and AI battles teach the fundamentals of battling, removing a lot of pressure from new players looking to dive right in.

If you’re just a casual collector, TCG Pocket still offers the thrill of ripping two free packs every day. Events dish out hourglasses that let players earn even more packs, and it’s possible to accrue a respectable repertoire of Pokemon cards without spending a cent if you log in consistently. Pokemon TCG Pocket balances beautiful new art with base set classics, and it’s always exciting to fill in the empty spaces in your binder when new cards are released.

Release Date: Oct. 30, 2024

Genre: Trading card game with collecting and battling mechanics

Developer: DeNA

Nintendo

Before Ryan Reynolds voiced everyone’s favorite electric rat, Pikachu donned his trench coat and tweed hat to solve mysteries on the 3DS. This Creatures Inc. game will feel familiar to folks who enjoy a good visual novel mystery. In Detective Pikachu, players step into the role of Tim Goodman, whose father recently went missing after getting caught up in a sinister conspiracy. After finding his dad’s talking Pikachu, Tim joins the Baker Detective Agency to solve the case.

Detective Pikachu plays out like many other mystery procedurals, where players will scan scenes for clues, speak with nearby Pokemon and interrogate people to figure out what happened. There are multiple cases to solve that build up the overarching storyline. If you’ve seen the movie, you’ll have an idea of what’s going on here, but the plot is just different enough to catch you by surprise. At its core, Detective Pikachu understands what Pokemon is all about: the bond between human and monster as they work together toward a common goal.

Release Date: March 23, 2018

Genre: Mystery and adventure-filled visual novel

Developer: Creatures Inc.

Nintendo

20. Pokemon Conquest

The first mainline Pokemon remakes ever released might seem a little barebones compared to contemporary games, but they vastly improved on the original games from 1996. Pokemon Red and Blue were revolutionary for their time, but they were incredibly flawed games. If your Pokemon was frozen there was no random chance for them to thaw out. If they were trapped by a move like Fire Spin or Bind, they couldn’t do anything for the duration of the effect, and certain type match ups didn’t perform the way they were supposed to.

FireRed and LeafGreen fixed these issues and added more content to the already aging gen one titles. In addition to a graphical facelift, mechanics and movepools were updated to reflect their current status in gen three games like Pokemon Emerald. This made battles less frustrating, while also giving players more autonomy to build their team in interesting new directions.

Pokemon Red and Blue will always be revered for kicking off the franchise, but if you want to take a look at what kicked off the pokemania, you’re better off picking up FireRed and LeafGreen.

Release Date: Jan. 29, 2004

Genre: Mainline title

Developer: Game Freak

Nintendo

The first mainline Pokemon games to release on the Switch were a little rough around the edges and deeply embroiled in controversy (anyone remember Dexit?). Even so, Sword and Shield introduced novel mechanics and made building competitive teams simpler than ever before. The Galar region’s Wild Area was a great way to connect disparate locations in a simple badge-hunting adventure, making Pokemon encounters feel more natural in the overworld.

Dynamaxing may not have been as popular as Mega Pokemon, but it was the next best thing. Getting a power boost for only a few turns in battle added a new layer of strategy to competitive play, because it forced players to think about not just which Pokemon they wanted to Dynamax, but when they wanted to Dynamax their Pokemon. The Battle Tower wasn’t an extensive amount of postgame content, but it allowed players to earn items to change natures, reset EVs and max out IVs on members of their team.

Generation eight was perhaps the first time online battling with perfect Pokemon became accessible to more casual players without hacked Pokemon, and that’s enough to make Sword and Shield stand out.

Release Date: Nov. 15, 2019

Genre: Mainline title

Developer: Game Freak

Nintendo

17. Pokemon Colosseum

One of the simplest Pokemon games, Pokemon Rumble is a cathartic, family-friendly beat ’em up where tiny toy Pokemon battle by slamming into each other to exert dominance. The original 151 generation one Pokemon appear in hordes to battle through, dropping coins that let players purchase new companions or change their moveset. The addictive repetition of the gameplay loop is akin to a dungeon crawler like Diablo, but its complexity is pared down enough that a child could understand.

Once players smack around enough fodder and level up their Pokemon, they get to enter the Battle Royale. Here, they need to take on dozens of Pokemon at once in an enclosed room to rank up and earn the chance to take on tougher foes. Eventually, even legendary Pokemon can show up in the scuffles. Pokemon Rumble certainly isn’t for intensive teambuilding strategists, but it’s a Pokemon battler that’s good fun for fans of any age.

Release Date: June 16, 2009

Genre: Simple arcade-y beat ’em up

Developer: Ambrella

Nintendo

15. Pokemon Ranger: Shadows of Almia

This sequel to Pokemon Colosseum takes the concept of shadow Pokemon and runs wild, introducing the now-iconic shadow Lugia as a tool of the main antagonist. Taking place five years after the original game, the Orre region is now a more civilized place (though Team Cipher is still on the loose and causing havoc). There are 83 shadow Pokemon to collect, purify and use in battle, which gives Gale of Darkness players more flexibility with their team composition.

Most importantly, the game ironed out many of the flaws present in Pokemon Colosseum. Players can now purify up to nine Pokemon at a time, making the critical mechanic less of a slog to engage with. Despite this, shadow Pokemon attacks also became super effective against non-shadow Pokemon opponents, so there was still tactical value for players to keep some of their Pokemon unpurified. Gale of Darkness added more depth to battles in one of the toughest Pokemon games.

Players had to carefully consider their decisions in each double battle if they wanted to succeed, especially against overwhelming forces like Lugia. Pokemon XD: Gale of Darkness still holds up as a challenging title when compared to more contemporary mainline games.

Release Date: Aug. 4, 2005

Genre: 3D action-adventure RPG with an emphasis on double battles

Developer: Genius Sonority

Nintendo

13. Pokemon Pinball: Ruby and Sapphire

Improving upon the generation seven games Pokemon Sun and Moon, Pokemon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon add some sci-fi flair to the sunny Alola region. Though the narrative largely follows the island challenges established in the preceding games, dimensional shenanigans start to unleash strange Ultra Beasts as the story progresses. The player encounters multiple new Pokemon, including the legendary Necrozma, on their quest to beat the new Alolan Elite Four.

By the time the player reaches the postgame, a dimensional displacement drags people and Pokemon out of their proper realities. That’s the cue for epic nostalgia bait, as Team Rainbow Rocket forms under Giovanni, Cyrus, Archie, Maxie and Ghetsis — villains from past games — to threaten the Alola region. Defeating them unlocks the Ultra Wormholes and the ability to find Pokemon from other dimensions, which is a wacky and fun mechanic for the game to culminate with. Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon don’t add quite as many new mechanics as other games and don’t do anything new with Z-Moves, but mixing a Hawaiian vacation with science-fiction escapades makes for a solid set of Pokemon games.

Release Date: Nov. 17, 2017

Genre: Mainline title

Developer: Game Freak

Nintendo

9. Pokemon X and Y

Forget experiencing the Pokemon world through video games — in 2016, we finally got a chance to catch our favorite pocket monsters in real life (well, in alternate reality, which is the closest approximation there is).

Pokemon Go was an instant hit, ushering in a brilliant summer in which it seemed everyone just wanted to discover virtual creatures together. People were mobbing Central Park for rare spawns, reporters were sneaking a peak at the game during White House press briefings and Hillary Clinton made a disastrous bid to get the youth to “Pokemon Go to the polls.”

Niantic’s biggest game might not be at the peak of its cultural relevance anymore, but Pokemon Go is more feature-complete than ever before. Players can catch wild Pokemon from generations one to nine, participate in cooperative raids to catch legendaries and mythicals, fight for dominance over gyms, and battle the nefarious Team Go Rocket. There’s a whole world out there to discover with your partner Pokemon.

Release Date: July 6, 2016

Genre: Real world AR Pokemon collector

Developer: Niantic

Nintendo

The first truly open world Pokemon game, Legends: Arceus, finally conveyed the awe and terror of life in a wild, untamed world with such powerful monsters. Players are integrated into the Galactic Expedition Team’s Survey Corps in Hisui, an ancient version of the Sinnoh region. It’s up to you to complete one of the first versions of the Pokedex, gather information about new Pokemon and try to figure out what has made them angry enough to rampage across the land.

Legends: Arceus demands ingenuity and quick thinking from players chasing dangerous Alpha Pokemon, as these monsters move quickly and won’t think twice about cutting you down. There are multiple approaches to battle outside of releasing your own Pokemon to fight, and you can sometimes avoid fighting altogether through light stealth gameplay. Pokemon Legends: Arceus feels like the first adventure highlighting more realistic wild Pokemon behavior, and the perilous Hisui region feels more alive than most other mainline game locales.

Release Date: Jan 28, 2022

Genre: Open world survival game with Pokemon creature collection and battling

Developer: Game Freak

Nintendo

The most recent mainline Pokemon games on the Nintendo Switch aren’t perfect. In fact, the frame rate and general performance on the console are pretty abysmal. But the Paldean adventure is a return to form for mainline Pokemon, blazing a new ambitious path for the franchise. Players take on three separate story paths in a true open world: a classic gym challenge, an investigation into powerful Pokemon in the region and a takedown of the villains in Team Star.

The main new battling mechanic introduced in Scarlet and Violet is Terastal Pokemon, which are Pokemon that can change their typing to a different Tera Type. Allowing Pokemon to change types and negate their weaknesses on the fly adds a new layer of depth to competitive battling. Competitive battling also happens to be more prevalent than ever in this title due to the fact that these games added online play, where four players can traverse the world together at once. If you’re looking for more postgame content, Scarlet and Violet also features a two-part DLC, The Hidden Treasure of Area Zero, closing out one of the most compelling Pokemon narratives we’ve seen yet.

Release Date: Nov. 18, 2022

Genre: Mainline title

Developer: Game Freak

Nintendo

5. Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Sky

Black and White 2 are unique in that they’re the only games that serve as direct sequels to another mainline entry in the franchise. Two years after Team Plasma’s failure to wield the power of Zekrom and Reshiram, the player is cut loose to collect eight gym badges as they explore new cities throughout the region. However, remnants of the villainous organization form Neo Team Plasma, and it once more falls to the player to prevent the return of Ghetsis as he summons a new legendary threat.

These fifth-generation games build on their predecessors the same way Pokemon Platinum and Pokemon Emerald do, rebalancing movesets, fixing bugs and adding new replayable content. Black City and White Forest provide unique challenges akin to the Battle Frontier from generations three and four. The Entralink feature was a compelling experiment in letting dozens of Pokemon players collaborate at once. The game also had a hard mode for Pokemon veterans to have a real single-player challenge. It’s a shame that many of these features never made a return after the fifth generation, because Black and White 2 was innovating in the right direction.

Release Date: June 23, 2012

Genre: Mainline title

Developer: Game Freak

Nintendo

3. Pokemon HeartGold and SoulSilver

The final mainline game in Pokemon’s third generation doesn’t hold up quite as well as Pokemon Platinum, but the Hoenn region is still one of the best places for budding Pokemon trainers to explore. Pokemon Emerald is all about the relationship between humans and nature, with the player conquering Groudon, Kyogre and Rayquaza (the deities of the land, sea and air). It only makes sense that the Hoenn region has some of the most diverse biomes of any Pokemon game, with grassy fields, dense forests, stormy deserts, ashen volcanoes and deep seas to dive into.

Within these biomes, players are able to find some of the most diverse Pokemon ever added to the Pokedex. A whopping 135 new Pokemon were added, including fan favorites like Blaziken, Metagross, Salamence and Gardevoir. Pokemon Emerald also had the first iteration of a massive, wholly realized Battle Frontier, laying the groundwork for Pokemon Platinum’s iteration of the postgame content. The game is also one of the last mainline titles that fostered an air of mystery, with secret locations like Mirage Island, Terra Cave and Marine Cave scattered about the map. Going into Pokemon Emerald completely blind feels like a genuine adventure, and making awe-inspiring discoveries with your Pokemon team is what the franchise was always supposed to be about.

Release Date: Sept. 16, 2004

Genre: Mainline title

Developer: Game Freak

Nintendo

1. Pokemon Platinum

Best Pokemon game FAQs

Pokemon fan games are custom games built from the ground up by fans that replicate some essential part of the experience of playing a mainline Pokemon game. The best Pokemon fan game will vary depending on what kind of experience you’re looking for. If you’re looking to discover new and exciting fake Pokemon designs, Pokemon Uranium and Pokemon Xenoverse are good choices. If you’re trying to play a game with a novel story that includes almost every mainline Pokemon game mechanic, Pokemon Reborn is for you. Pokemon Infinite Fusion lets you combine Pokemon together, introducing a totally new mechanic altogether.

What is the best selling Pokemon game?

Picking the best Pokemon game on the Nintendo Switch is subjective and answers will vary according to each gamer’s preferences. The author of this article, however, decided that Pokemon Legends: Arceus was the best Pokemon game on the Switch overall. The game is one of the most innovative takes on the franchise Game Freak has released, combining classic monster-catching action with survival elements to make the player feel the true danger of the Pokemon world.

Celebrate Pokemon Day by Playing the 25 Best Pokemon Games of All Time