How to Play the Pokémon Games in Chronological Order

The mainline Pokemon games make up one of the

The first game in the chronology is very clearly

As a true sequel to Black and White,

With the arrival of the Nintendo Switch came the first Switch-exclusive mainline Pokemon game: Sword and Shield. Featuring a brand-new region, new Pokemon, and the introduction of Gigantamax, Sword and Shield is essentially a soft reboot of the series. So that being said, we have no idea where it fits on the chronological timeline. There aren’t really any hard references to the previous games, so there is no way of accurately fitting it into the known Pokemon universe.

One of the only clues we have about the timeline comes in the form of new technology. The addition of the Rotom Phone seemingly places us further in the chronology than Red and Blue at the very least, but that’s all we can really gather. It’s possible that Pokemon Sword and Shield simply takes place in an entirely different universe than any of the other games.

11. Pokemon Scarlet and Violet

As the latest entry in the series, Pokemon Scarlet and Violet brings all-new Gen 9 Pokemon and the open-world Paldea region to the Nintendo Switch. There haven’t been any obvious clues revealed about where it lands on the timeline, so we unfortunately don’t have enough information to try to accurately place it. That being said, if it follows the chronological structure of previous mainline games, it’s possible that it takes place at the same time as the events of Pokemon Sword and Shield.

How to Play the Pokemon Games by Release Date

I you want to play the games in the order they were released rather than try to attempting to go through the convoluted chronological timeline, here are all of the mainline Pokemon games by release date:

1. Pokemon Red and Blue – February 27, 1996 – Game Boy
2. Pokemon Yellow – Game Boy – September 12, 1998 – Game Boy
3. Pokemon Gold and Silver – November 21, 1999 – Game Boy Color
4. Pokemon Crystal – December 14, 2000 – Game Boy Color
5. Pokemon Ruby and Sapphire – November 21, 2002 – Game Boy Advance
6. Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen – January 28, 2004 – Game Boy Advance
7. Pokemon Emerald – Sepember 16, 2004 – Game Boy Advance
8. Pokemon Diamond and Pearl – September 28, 2006 – Nintendo DS
9. Pokemon Platinum – September 13, 2008 – Nintendo DS
10. Pokemon HeartGold and SoulSilver – September 12, 2009 – Nintendo DS
11. Pokemon Black and White – September 18, 2010 – Nintendo DS
12. Pokemon Black 2 and White 2 – June 23, 2012 – Nintendo DS
13. Pokemon X and Y – October 13, 2013 – Nintendo 3DS
14. Pokemon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire – November 21, 2014 – Nintendo 3DS
15. Pokemon Sun and Moon – November 18, 2016 – Nintendo 3DS
16. Pokemon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon – November 17, 2017 – Nintendo 3DS
17. Pokemon Sword and Shield – November 15, 2019 – Nintendo Switch
18. Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl – November 19, 2021 – Nintendo Switch
19. Pokemon Scarlet and Vilolet – November 18, 2022 – Nintendo Switch
20. Pokemon Legends Z-A – TBA Late 2025

Upcoming Pokemon Games

We finally got an official gameplay reveal of the next mainline Pokemon game during this year’s Pokemon Day. Titled Pokemon Legends: Z-A, the upcoming game is set in Lumiose City, within the same Kalos region as Pokemon X and Y. The city itself is in the midst of a technological evolution to support trainers and Pokemon thriving together.

As a Legends game, Z-A’s starter Pokemon are a throwback: Chikorita and Totodile from Gen 2 alongside Tepig from Gen 5. Like in Legends: Arceus, these familiar starters will be getting new final evolutions. The gameplay trailer also showed off new battle mechanics, like positioning, dodging, and aiming your Pokemon’s attacks.

Pokemon Legends: Z-A will launch on the Nintendo Switch and Switch 2 on October 16, with a Switch 2 bundle with the game (sorry, no special edition) releasing on the same day.