Play Order
0 / 12 playedOne entry per Pokemon generation plus key originals, all in release order.
About Game Freak
Game Freak defined handheld RPGs with Pokemon Red and Green on February 27, 1996 for Game Boy, followed by Gold and Silver in 1999 for Game Boy Color and Ruby and Sapphire in 2002 for Game Boy Advance. Diamond and Pearl continued the run in 2006 for Nintendo DS, with Black and White in 2010 pushing the same hardware further.
The 3DS and Switch eras added X and Y in 2013, Sun and Moon in 2016, Sword and Shield in 2019 for Switch and Scarlet and Violet in 2022. Pokemon Legends: Z-A arrived October 16, 2025 for Switch and Switch 2, set in Lumiose City with real time battles and returning Mega Evolution. Between generations the studio made smaller games like Drill Dozer in 2005 for Game Boy Advance and Tembo the Badass Elephant in 2015 for PC, PS4 and Xbox One with Sega.
Good to know
Release order is play order here. You only need one game per Pokemon generation, since paired versions share the same map and story. Little Town Hero from 2019 is a Game Freak RPG worth trying after Tembo but left out to keep this list tight. Remakes like HeartGold and Omega Ruby are optional replays, not required steps. Legends: Z-A is a standalone Lumiose City story, so play it after Scarlet and Violet.
