Nintendo’s Pokémon is the third-highest-selling video game franchise of all time. But what are the best Pokémon games in the series?
We’re now approaching the 9th generation of Pokémon games, Pokémon Scarlet and Violet.
Here’s our top 5 list of the best Pokémon games from the first 8 generations.
What better way to start our list of the best Pokémon games than with where it all started? Released between 1996 and 1998, these games are a nostalgia hit for the most avid Pokemon fans.
Allowing you to explore the Kanto region for the very first time, these games introduced the world to the first 151 Pokémon. We met Pikachu, Professor Oak, and many more.
Choosing from Bulbasaur, Charmander, or Squirtle to embark on your adventure, the protagonist must explore the different towns within the city and challenge their gym leaders.
When all 8 gym badges have been obtained, you can then challenge the Elite Four and the Champion to become the greatest Pokémon trainer in the region. Yellow is slightly different, as it gives the player a Pikachu to start with, as it’s loosely based upon the anime series.
It’s simple, but it’s beautiful. Pokémon is at its most pure, here, and we wouldn’t have it any other way. This list of the best Pokémon games simply wouldn’t be legitimate if it wasn’t included.
Heart Gold and Soul Silver are DS remakes of the second generation of Pokémon games, Gold and Silver. Both the original and the remake could be on this list of the best pokemon games, but we thought we’d just pick one.
This time around, the player would explore the Johto region, with three new starter Pokémon to choose from: Totodile, Cyndaquil, and Chikorita. Totodile and Cyndiquil are by far the easier options to pick. Chikorita is there for the players who want a bit of a challenge.
What makes Heart Gold and Soul Silver so good is that they allow the player to have a Pokémon follow them while they walk. This was doable in the original versions of the game too but had not been a feature since.
Heart Gold and Soul Silver are also the only Pokémon games where players get to explore a whole other region in its endgame.
After defeating the Elite Four and becoming the Champion, players are allowed to explore the original Kanto region. There they can battle the gym leaders from Gen 1, albeit with far tougher Pokémon than they had before.
The second remake to feature on our list of the best Pokémon games; Alpha Sapphire and Omega Ruby were remakes of the Gameboy Advance classics, Sapphire and Ruby. These remakes were made for the 3DS.
The third generation of Pokémon offered players arguably the three greatest starter pokemon: Mudkip, Torchic, and Treecko.
The third evolutions of all three are fan favorites. Mudkip’s final evolution, Swampert, is one of the most overpowered Pokémon of all time due to its Water/Ground type combo.
Not only does the game have great starter Pokémon, but it also has great legendary Pokémon. Kyogre and Groudon are two of the best legendary Pokemon of any game, both stand as formidable opponents worthy of your Master Ball.
The originals were the first Pokémon game to allow you to use the Hidden Move Dive, which quite literally added a new level of depth to Pokémon games. The remakes make the list due to their endgame content, which allowed you to capture the legendary DNA Pokémon Deoxys.
Unlike the previous two entries on our list of best Pokémon games, it’s the originals that make the list, not their remakes. Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl were good, but they weren’t true remakes. Their chibi-style aesthetic was also viewed as a mistake.
Diamond and Pearl are remembered fondly by almost every Pokémon fan, so much so that fans were calling for them to be remade for years. The three starters, Piplup, Chimchar, and Turtwig are all well received, and their third evolutions even more so.
Diamond and Pearl were the first generation of Pokémon games to be released on DS, and utilized the touch screen through the use of the Poketch. The Poketch was effectively a smartwatch and had a number of apps that would monitor your Pokémon or alert you to hidden items.
Pokémon Contests were also built upon during Diamond and Pearl. Contests now contained three stages, instead of the one they had on Gameboy Advance games.
There was the visual stage, where players would use the stylus to give Pokémon accessories. The final stage was the dance stage, this time the stylus would be used to make their Pokémon dance in rhythm with the music.
Pokémon Legends: Arceus is easily the best game to come out for the franchise in some time. It’s likely to go down as the perfect Pokémon on the Nintendo Switch, although the competition with the Let’s Go! games, Scarlet and Violet, and Sword and Shield isn’t terribly strong.
Still, what this game did might’ve saved the franchise. It wasn’t in danger of dying off, but it began the introduction of things that are now key aspects of the games and things players desperately wanted.
The open-world aspect that Scarlet and Violet ran with (arguably the best part of a very flawed entry) was debuted in limited capacity in Arceus. The catch mechanics that don’t require you to engage in battle were first introduced in Arceus, too. Those are two of the best mechanical changes the series has had in a long time.
It’s also just a really good game. The story is engaging and well-written. The art style is unique and strong. The Pokémon roster is fun, and the addition of Alphas adds a challenge that isn’t there in other games. Plus, shiny hunting is the absolute best in this game thanks to outbreaks.
It looks like Pokémon did learn the lesson, but we should all hope that future entries are a whole lot like Legends: Arceus.
Both of these games are similar to Pokémon Yellow, in that they are ‘enhanced’ versions of the games in their generation. Pokémon Emerald was released with generation two, while Platinum came with gen four.
In both games, gyms were adapted and the levels inside them were made more fun.
Both games also added a new legendary Pokémon, their box mascots. Emerald had Rayquaza, while Platinum had Giratina.
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