Pokémon is one of the biggest franchises in the gaming world. As of this moment, there is a total of 21 Pokémon editions in the main series. Whether you're a newcomer or a returning fan, here's the right order to play Pokémon games.
Pokémon games have become quite plentiful. Since the first Pokémon Red & Blue games were released back in 1999, the franchise has become a huge success with millions of loyal fans, and has produced no less than nine core Pokémon Generations so far.
Although it is not important to follow the chronology in Pokémon games, since the plot of the games has no significant connection to each other, it is interesting to see where the games fit in the history of Pokémon. Here is the chronological order of all Pokémon games.
Pokémon Games In Chronological Order
Released in 2022, Pokémon Arceus doesn't pick up where its predecessor, Pokémon Sword & Shield left off. It takes place many years before the first Pokémon edition at a time when the relationship between humans and Pokémon was still in its early stages. Thus, in the Pokémon calendar, Arceus starts things off.
- Pokémon Arceus
- Pokémon Red & Blue and Pokémon Yellow + new editions Fire Red & Leaf Green
- Pokémon Let's Go, Pikachu! & Let's Go, Eevee!
- Pokémon Gold & Silver and Pokémon Crystal + new editions HeartGold & SoulSilver
- Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire and Pokémon Emerald + new editions Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire
- Pokémon Diamond & Pearl and Pokémon Platinum + new editions Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl
- Pokémon Black & White
- Pokémon Black 2 & White 2
- Pokémon X & Y
- Pokémon Sun & Moon + new editions Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon
- Pokémon Sword and Shield
Since chronology hardly matters in Pokémon games, many fans simply go by the release date and buy one of the latest games to have better graphics and more modern gameplay mechanics.
Although not every one of the latest Pokémon games looks good:
Order Of Pokémon Games By Year Of Release
- Pokémon Red & Blue (1999)
- Pokémon Yellow (2000)
- Pokémon Gold & Silver (2001)
- Pokémon Crystal (2001)
- Pokémon Ruby & Sapphire (2003)
- Pokémon Fire Red & Leaf Green (2004)
- Pokémon Emerald (2005)
- Pokémon Diamond & Pearl (2007)
- Pokémon Platinum (2009)
- Pokémon HeartGold & SoulSilver (2010)
- Pokémon Black & White (2010)
- Pokémon Black 2 & White 2 (2012)
- Pokémon X & Y (2013)
- Pokémon Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire (2014)
- Pokémon Sun & Moon (2016)
- Pokémon Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon (2017)
- Pokémon Let's Go, Pikachu! & Let's Go, Evoli! (2018)
- Pokémon Sword & Shield (2019)
- Pokémon Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl (2021)
- Pokémon Arceus (2022)
- Pokémon Scarlet & Violet (2022)
Which Pokémon game is your favorite? Let us know in the comments!