Top 25 Best Pokemon Games of All Time, Ranked

Move over Fire Emblem: Pokemon Conquest is a tactical RPG about uniting warriors under one banner and overcoming great adversity to conquer the kingdoms of the Ransei region. Conquest derives its plot from historical events that took place during Japan’s Warring States period, though here our hero needs to defeat all opposing forces to seek counsel with the local legendary Pokemon and restore the peace.

Starting with a partner Eevee, players can add 200 species of Pokemon to their army. Each monster has a single skill to contribute to the battle, and warriors and warlords can provide one-time buffs to their Pokemon units. Players who are able to conquer the entire Ransei region will unlock an additional 16 postgame story chapters, many of which reference actual historical events.

If Fire Emblem fans or Japanese history buffs have yet to experience the Pokemon franchise, Conquest serves as their introduction to the monster battler phenomenon.

Release Date: March 17, 2012

Genre: Unit-based tactical RPG in the vein of Fire Emblem

Developer: The Pokemon Company, Koei Tecmo

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

Pokemon Colosseum was the first game to bring epic battles to the home console market, launching on the GameCube in 2003. The player is tasked with battling to the top of the ladder in the Orre region — a difficult task, considering the arid desert landscape prevents the main character from encountering any Pokemon in the wild. It’s up to you to snag new Pokemon from other trainers, piecing together a team through victory in battle.

While Pokemon Colosseum featured a smaller roster of pocket monsters than other mainline titles, it renewed interest in double battles and introduced shadow Pokemon for the first time. The villainous Team Cipher abused these corrupted pocket monsters, which made snagging and purifying each partner Pokemon feel more important.

Perhaps most importantly, Pokemon Colosseum laid the groundwork for Pokemon XD: Gale of Darkness, making it one of the most important stepping stones in the franchise’s history.

Release Date: Nov. 21, 2003

Genre: Evolution of Pokemon Stadium combining straightforward double battling with a novel redemption story

Developer: Genius Sonority

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

The Pokemon Ranger series took full advantage of the DS’s hardware to create a novel way to step into the role of some of the most important everyday heroes in the Pokemon world. Rarely were the touchscreen and stylus the main gameplay focus of a Pokemon game, but they were necessary peripherals to draw loops around wild monsters to recruit them to your cause in Pokemon Ranger: Shadows of Almia.

Throughout the region of Almia, the villainous Team Dim Sun is using new technology to bend Pokemon to their will, and only the Pokemon Rangers have the power to break the shackles placed on their minds. It’s up to the player to ascend the ranks of the Pokemon Rangers, and stop the nefarious plot to enslave every Pokemon in Almia.

Shadows of Almia vastly improves on its predecessor, allowing players to take on different partner Pokemon and upgrade their stylers, creating new gameplay styles and strategies. There are also 270 new Pokemon included in this version of Pokemon Ranger, creating hundreds of new situations for players attempting to tame out-of-control monsters. If you’re wondering how normal people keep the peace in the Pokemon universe, Shadows of Almia is the action-adventure game that answers your questions.

Release Date: March 20, 2008

Genre: Action-adventure with unique Pokemon-world interactions

Developer: Creatures Inc.

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

The most feature-complete version of Pokemon Pinball added the novel thrill of catching ’em all to an arcade classic. With two machines themed to emulate the feel of the generation three games, Pokemon Pinball: Ruby and Sapphire encouraged players to complete a massive Pokedex as they shot for a high score.

Special features across the board unlock Pokeball returns, a Pokemart opening and Pokemon-catching minigames that spawn pocket monsters from the third-generation games. Skilled players can activate special timed maps where they’ll have a chance to catch rare Pokemon like Dusclops or legendary Pokemon like Groudon and Kyogre. Pokemon Pinball: Ruby and Sapphire is an alternative arcade solution to catching ’em all, and its addictive gameplay loop will have players returning even after they complete the Pokedex.

Release Date: Aug. 1, 2003

Genre: Arcade pinball with a Pokemon twist

Developer: Jupiter Corporation

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

As the first mainline games to make the jump to 3D graphics from pixel art sprites, Pokemon X and Y are lauded for their contributions to modernizing the franchise. As players explore the Kalos region, they discover the secrets of Mega evolution and run up against the evil Team Flare. The team’s leader, Lysandre, aims to use an ancient weapon capable of destroying all life to strong-arm the region into submission. It’s up to the protagonist to wield the power of Yveltal and Xerneas to put a stop to his evil plans.

Pokemon X and Y introduced some of the best changes in modern Pokemon. Mega evolutions give new, inspired designs to older Pokemon — and sometimes make them competitively viable where they previously weren’t. The fairy-type is also an important counter to dragon-type Pokemon, which had few weaknesses across the type chart before generation six.

The following generations tried to replicate the success of X and Y with Z-Moves, Dynamaxing and Terastallization, but none of these mechanics carried games the way Mega evolution did.

Release Date: Oct. 12, 2013

Genre: Mainline title

Developer: Game Freak

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

The original Mystery Dungeon games proved that a roguelike dungeon crawler was a perfect fit for Pokemon, and Explorers of Time and Explorers of Darkness both improved upon the formula. They brought much-needed mechanical improvements, new Pokemon and an epic story. Explorers of Sky was the perfect iteration of Mystery Dungeon, exploring a new angle of Grovyle and Dusknoir’s relationship through new story chapters and rebalancing flawed mechanics from the previous games.

In addition to new dungeons, Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Sky introduced the remaining Pokemon from generation four, including Shaymin, Giratina and Arceus. New booby-trapped items with slightly altered names make dungeons more dangerous, but players have a new way to grow more powerful by taking on optional missions and earning rare items in the Spinda Cafe. Explorers of Sky is a straightforward upgrade to the Mystery Dungeon games with the best story and gameplay mechanics, making it a must-play for dungeon crawler aficionados.

Release Date: April 18, 2009

Genre: Narrative-heavy turn-based roguelike dungeon delve RPG 

Developer: Spike Chunsoft

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

Gold and Silver were ambitious undertakings for 1999. On top of the entirely new Johto region, the original Kanto region was also included in the game (thanks to the efforts of developer Satoru Iwata). But the original generation two games suffer from a lackluster variation of Pokemon in the early game, and a lack of sufficiently-leveled wild Pokemon to train a party in the late game. This killed some of the pacing of those much longer mainline titles. Luckily, fourth-gen remakes HeartGold and SoulSilver rectified some of these issues while building up a more robust postgame.

There’s no lack of content for Pokemon fans of all persuasions to enjoy. Competitive players have a Battle Frontier to test their might in, while the Pokeathlon allows trainers to enter their Pokemon in different athletic competitions instead. Folks who enjoy forging a bond with their Pokemon can walk with them inside and outside of the game thanks to the PokeWalker accessory (one of the more successful peripherals Game Freak has integrated into the mainline series).

HeartGold and SoulSilver refine games that are already bonafide classics, modernizing them so they stay relevant today.

Release Date: Sept. 12, 2009

Genre: Mainline title

Developer: Game Freak

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

This definitive version of the fourth generation of Pokemon added a new threat to the otherwise tranquil Sinnoh region. As the player collects gym badges to take on the Pokemon League, the villainous Cyrus looms in the shadows, collecting legendary Pokemon to tear the universe apart and remake it in his image. Team Galactic is the most intimidating team of Pokemon ne’er-do-wells to date, and it raises the stakes of Platinum’s otherwise standard narrative.

Platinum might also have the most content of any Pokemon game ever released: in addition to the base game story, there are Pokemon contests in Hearthome City, a vast underground that winds throughout the entire region with treasures to mine and secret bases to explore and a postgame Survival Area with challenging, rarer Pokemon — including the legendary Heatran in Stark Mountain.

Once you train up your team by taking on all of the other content, Platinum has a Battle Frontier composed of five separate facilities, creating the most complex competitive player-versus-AI battles in the series.

Release Date: Sept. 13, 2008

Genre: Mainline title

Developer: Game Freak

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.

The original Pokemon Red and Blue are the best-selling Pokemon games, having sold over 31 million copies worldwide. The second place spot goes to the contemporary Sword and Shield, which has sold over 26 million copies.

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.

Picking out the best Pokemon generation is subjective and answers will vary according to each gamer’s preferences. The author of this article, however, decided that generation four was the best Pokemon generation overall. Pokemon Platinum and Pokemon HeartGold and SoulSilver are challenging mainline games with a wealth of postgame content. Their Battle Frontiers are the most interesting repeatable content in the series, and additional features like Pokemon Contests, the Pokeathlon and the PokeWalker still feel fresh and worthwhile today.