Outside of Nintendo's flagship consoles, the franchise is still going strong across the animated series and the mobile game Pokémon Go.
So, if you're curious what order the Pokémon games released in, or where the latest entry, Pokémon Legends: Z-A, fits into the chronological story order, let's take a look!
Do you have to play the Pokemon games in order?
But if you want want to start from the beginning, there are two different ways to play in order: by release date or chronologically.
Reckon you're already a Pokémon master? Pit your wits against our Pokémon quiz below!
View Riddle on the source websiteWhich Pokemon games should I play first?
Read on for everything you need to know about Pokemon games in order of release.
Pokemon games in order of release
If it's the main saga of Pokémon that you want to play through, though, below you'll find the best order in which to do it!
Pokémon Red, Blue, Green and Yellow (1996)
Another thing to note is that, unless you're a true completionist, you only really need to play one game from each generation. These are your options to start off with:
Pokémon RedPokémon BluePokémon GreenPokémon YellowPokémon Gold, Silver and Crystal (1999)
The Game Boy Color was the home for the generation 2 games in the Pokémon series, with the graphics getting a much-needed colourful upgrade. The games released as part of this generation are:
Pokémon GoldPokémon SilverPokémon Crystal (an enhanced version of Gold and Silver)Pokémon Ruby, Sapphire and Emerald (2002)
This is also the generation that first introduced remakes to the mix, with the Game Boy Advance playing host to some new versions of the original generation.
Pokémon RubyPokémon SapphirePokémon Emerald (enhanced version of Ruby and Sapphire)Pokémon LeafGreen (remake of Gen 1's Green)Pokémon FireRed (remake of Gen 1's Red)Pokémon Diamond, Pearl and Platinum (2006)
Generation 4 moved us into the era of the Nintendo DS - a home for Pokémon games for several years until the 3DS and the current Switch console came along. The games you can play to catch all the gen 4 Pokémon are as follows - and remakes of Diamond and Pearl are meant to be coming to the Switch later in 2021.
Pokémon DiamondPokémon PearlPokémon Platinum (enhanced version of Diamond and Pearl)Pokémon HeartGold (remake of Gen 2's Gold)Pokémon SoulSilver (remake of Gen 2's Silver)Pokémon Black and White (2010)
The Unova region was the go-to destination for generation 5 of Pokémon and once again the games that came out for it were released exclusively for the Nintendo DS. Interestingly, this generation went down the route of giving itself a hasty brace of sequels, rather than remaking any old generations.
Pokémon BlackPokémon WhitePokémon Black 2Pokémon White 2Pokémon X and Y (2013)
Welcome to the world of 3DS! The evolution of the last Nintendo console gave us more Pokémon games and this time they were from the sixth generation! The games that were part of gen 6 were:
Pokémon XPokémon YPokémon Omega Ruby (remake of Gen 3's Ruby)Pokémon Alpha Sapphire (remake of Gen 3's Sapphire)Pokémon Sun and Moon (2016)
Pokémon SunPokémon MoonPokémon Ultra Sun (enhanced version of Sun)Pokémon Ultra Moon (enhanced version of Moon)Pokémon Let's Go Pikachu! (remake of Gen 1's Yellow)Pokémon Let's Go Eevee! (remake of Gen 1's Yellow)
Buy Let's Go Pokemon at Amazon
Pokémon Sword and Shield (2019)
Pokémon SwordPokémon ShieldSword and Shield's Isle of Armour DLCSword and Shield's Crown Tundra DLC
Buy Pokemon Sword and Shield at Amazon
Sword and Shield and its DLC are Nintendo Switch exclusives and the last of the mainline games to be released so far. But with Pokémon, remarkably, not showing any signs of slowing down, look for more to come along before too long.
Pokémon Legends: Arceus (2022)
Continuing on as part of Gen 8, players must find all Pokémon after instruction from none other than Arceus.
Buy Pokémon Legends: Arceus at Amazon
Pokémon Scarlet and Violet (2022)
In Paldea, a mysterious effect known as the Terastal phenomenon causes Pokémon to temporarily appear like precious stones and with new abilities.
You as the player have just moved to this strange land, whose secrets begin to unravel as you explore the phenomenon.
Buy Pokémon Scarlet at AmazonBuy Pokémon Violet at AmazonPokémon Legends: Z-A
Potentially the last game of Generation 9, Z-A sees players training their Pokémon to conquer the Battle Zone, a nightly competition between the city's trainers.
Buy Pokémon Legends: Z-A at Amazon
How to play Pokemon games in chronological story order
If you want to attempt to follow the convoluted chronological timeline, here are all of the mainline Pokemon games in chronological story-based order:
Pokémon Legends: ArceusPokémon Red, Blue and Yellow (or remakes)Pokémon Ruby, Sapphire and Emerald (or remakes)Pokémon Gold, Silver and Crystal (or remakes)Pokémon Diamond, Pearl and Platinum (or remakes)Pokémon Black and WhitePokémon Black 2 and White 2Pokémon X and YPokémon Legends: Z-APokémon Sun and MoonPokémon Sword and ShieldPokémon Scarlet and VioletIf you missed the video at the top of this page, you can also check it out below!
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