How to get into (or catch up with) the mainline Pokémon games

27 Feb, 2025

So a friend of mine posed a question on bluesky:

Apropos of Pokémon day: I've only played gen 1 and a little bit of gen 2, but I really wanted to grab one of the "newer" games (anything after gen 2) to catch up.

Which games do you recommend and why?

(translation mine obvs)

This predictably sent me down a nerd spiral. I've been "catching up" myself by playing the 3DS Pokémon games, which were the only mainline ones I had never played. The question of which games in the series are "important" or "worth playing" is really complex, I think, and depends a lot on what you value! So this is a brief rundown of what each main game's "main deal" is.

Gen 1: Pokémon Red, Blue, and Yellow

These are, obviously, the original games. I think nowadays the main interest in them is in noting everything that didn't get carried over in future installments; so much of these games became a template repeated over and over that they can kind of lose their identity entirely.

Yellow is specifically notable in that it is the first "higher version", ie an improved remake. It's also by far the weirdest one, because it drastically changes the story of the original games to line it up better with the anime; it's "yellow" as in Pikachu, your main partner pokémon in this game.

I think Yellow nowadays is mostly a game to be viewed as an odd curiosity. It is actively worse than the originals in a lot of ways; for example, just like in the anime, you are given a full set of Bulbasaur, Squirtle, and Charmander as gift pokémon. This completely wrecks the game's balance and destroys any semblance of team building, because four slots in your party are basically decided for you unless you want to deliberately challenge yourself by not using the best pokémon available.

Gen 2 (Pokémon Gold, Silver, and Crystal)

Repetition legitimizes, and the gen 2 games establish the Pokémon formula by making the decision to repeat so many of the elements of the first games. Until those games came out, there really was no definition of what a "pokémon game" was; a sequel could have omitted catching, or have totally different battle mechanics. Or, conversely, it could have repeated entirely the original set of 151 pokémon, or taken place in the same locations again.

So, the fact that Gold/Silver take place in a new region with new pokémon, but faithfully repeat the exact catching and battle mechanics as well as the same overall campaign structure, is what functionally defines what the formula is.

But these games also introduce tons and tons of new mechanics that would become series staples, so they're as responsible in defining the formula by invention as by repetition.

To name a few, they add held items, berries, different specialized varieties of pokéball, the Dark and Steel types, breeding, and an extensive postgame.

These games really crammed absolutely everything that could be crammed into a Game Boy Color cartridge, including a reduced version of the entire original campaign from gen 1 (which acts as Gold/Silver's postgame).

Gen 3 (Pokémon Ruby, Sapphire, Emerald, Fire Red, and Leaf Green)

Gen 3 is the only generation on the relatively short-lived Game Boy Advance. The main overarching mechanical innovation is the introduction of abilities, unique powers that pokémon can have that change how they function in battle. This drastically changes what a pokémon even is; many pokémon introduced since gen 3 have their identities entirely tied up in their abilities.

It also continues the work of legitimizing, by repetition, the mechanical, narrative, and structural pattern set up in gen 2. Notably, this is the first generation to include remakes; Fire Red and Leaf Green are recreations of the original gen 1 games, but with the added inclusion of gen 3 mechanics.

This, of course, further legitimizes and solidifies the formula, because it 'retcons' the history of the franchise; there have always been abilities and held items. We have always been at war with Unova.

I actually think Fire Red/Leaf Green are really strong reintroductions to the series if you're a lapsed pokémon kid who only played the Gen 1 games.

Gen 4 (Pokémon Diamond, Pearl, Platinum, Heart Gold and Soul Silver)

Diamond/Pearl/Platinum are, to my mind, the last "classic" Pokémon games; that is, the last games before Game Freak started really tweaking the formula mechanically or conceptually. Their mechanical contribution is the special/physical split, a relatively quiet mechanical addition that actually does change the game a lot.

In gen III and before, whether a move uses the Attack or Special Attack stat depended strictly on the move's type. This basically meant that some pokémon were left out of having effective attacks; Gyarados, for example, is a powerful physical attacker, but in gen III and earlier, all water-type moves are special and so can't use Gyarado's actual attack stat.

Gen IV decouples those things. Ice Beam is a special ice-type attack, while Ice Fang is a physical ice-type attack. This creates a huge amount of novel design space, because all of sudden there's an extra layer to pokémon identities.

But, this is a fairly subtle shift that you wouldn't notice too much unless you were specifically paying attention to it. More noticeable is the fact that gen 4 is the first generation on the DS, and so it starts the series' long-running relationship to the DS's second screen; a relationship that would be at times fruitful, at times very awkward.

Gen 5 (Pokémon Black, White, Black 2, and White 2)

Gen 5 is notable as the first major shakeup to the formula; it takes place in Unova, a new region that's part of not-America (specifically, not-NYC and its environs) rather than not-Japan.

Particularly, Black and White feature no pokémon from older generations at all; every pokémon is a new one. This was widely derided at the time but I think many have since warmed up to it conceptually, and I do think it's a strong design decision that makes Black & White better than their sequels (which backpedaled this).

Perhaps because they had these two big, radical decisions at their heart, they are otherwise very conventional Pokémon games that follow the formula very closely.

B&W2 are also notable in that they are direct sequels, not remakes, to the original B&W games.

Gen 6 (Pokémon X, Y, Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire)

Most notable for the introduction of the first "generational battle gimmick", in this case Mega Evolution. Mega Evolutions are just forms pokémon take in battle that are more powerful and more ridiculous-looking than their normal ones; this would be dropped from the series as a feature starting with Gen 8.

This is also the first generation on the 3DS, so it's a big leap forward in modernity; these are the first pokémon games that do assume you might be online all the time, for example.

While the g en 6 games are graphically 3d, they are still '2d' in their design and approach; notably in these games you walk around with the d-pad, while in gen 7 (also on the 3DS), movement has been moved to the analog circle pad.

As such, these are the last non-remake games that use a "handheld RPG"-style presentation; characters are not rendered naturalistically in the overworld, but as squashed SD versions of themselves; the world is still made of tiles, etc.

X&Y also notably introduce the Fairy type. They're beloved for their vibes, characters, and story, but they are also the peak of another tendency that has plagued pokémon games: they really are very, very, very easy. Obviously, these are games for children, but X&Y really is a game where you can trivially beat it without catching any new pokémon or thinking at all about your team.

I'd also say that Gen 6 is the low point for the "second screen experiences" (ie, DS bottom-screen minigames) that Pokémon games had. They get substantially better in gen 7, the last generation on a DS family system.

Gen 7 (Pokémon Sun, Moon, Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon)

Generation 7 is the first generation of "truly 3D" pokémon games, as in, games that are designed with fully 3d environments not made out of tiles. Ironically this gen also drops support for the 3DS' actual 3D screen effect.

These games drop a lot of formula assumptions, and are probably the most "structurally weird" pokémon games up to that point; they don't have traditional gyms or gym badges, for example.

Ultra Sun/Moon is really, really good; it's beloved for a reason, and probably one of the pokémon games with the highest degree of just overall quality. Everything in that game really does sing, even the second-screen minigames.

Also of in Gen 7, technically: Let's Go Eevee Let's Go Pikachu, which are functionally remakes of the gen 1 games with a pared-down take on gen 7 mechanics but on the Switch. They are weird little games that probably merit their own writeup, but I'd consider them pretty inessential.

Gen 8 (Pokémon Sword, Shield, Legends: Arceus, Brilliant Diamond, Shining Pearl)

Just like how gen 2 set the template for the original pokémon formula by deciding which elements of gen 1 to repeat, gen 8 does the same for the "3D pokémon" template set up by gen 7. HM moves are still gone, there's still a greater emphasis on convenience and access to mechanics.

The most notable change here is a big move towards mechanical naturalism: pokémon now are no longer random encounters that just happen when you run into tall grass; rather, wild pokémon roam the overworld, and can be seen and interacted with as they are; you can avoid fighting them by just avoiding the pokémon themselves.¹

Gym leaders are back, but the overall structure of the game is once again adapted to this game's story. Sword & Shield leans into the "sports anime" aspect of pokémon hard, with pokémon gyms reframed as the equivalent of soccer stadiums in the England-inspired Galar region. While traditional gyms, gym leaders, and badges are back, the final pokémon league challenge is a knockout tournament rather than the traditional "elite 4" gauntlet.

It also further refines the "generational gimmick" idea. While gen 7 added its own gimmick (z-moves) on top of mega evolution, in gen 8 those are both gone and replaced with Dynamax, a phenomenon in which pokémon become gigantic, appropriate to the stadium setting of gym battles.

There's a lot to love about Sword/Shield and I still think that they are overall the best Pokemon games on the Switch (though there's a lot to recommend about Scarlet/Violet also). Particularly of note is that the music in this game is some of the best in the series, including one guest track from Toby Fox (who also went on to compose several tracks for Scarlet/Violet).

Gen 8 also includes Pokémon Legends: Arceus. 'Legends' is effectively a parallel side-series which has an even more mechanically naturalistic take on pokémon; you don't have to battle pokémon to catch them and can simply throw a pokéball from a neutral stance; you can sneak up on pokémon to catch them, etc. The game also has its own unique battle system that is very different (and, I'd say, not as good) as the normal pokémon battle system.

Legends: Arceus is functionally a prequel to the series, taking place in a sort of Meiji-era version of Sinnoh (the region depicted in Diamond/Pearl). All of the familiar pokémon technology - the pokédex, pokéballs and so on - is in its infancy. Pokémon are viewed as dangerous wild animals and not as friendly partners. It's a really fascinating entry in the series.

FInally, gen 8 also includes Pokémon Brilliant Diamond / Shining Pearl, which are remakes of the gen 4 games. These are notable mostly in that they are very faithful remakes, returning to the 2d pokémon conceit/format (but not to 2d sprite graphics). If anything, they disappoint because they faithfully recreate Diamond/Pearl to a fault, and not the much more beloved Platinum.

Gen 9 (Scarlet, Violet)

Gen 8 included the 'wild area', a large open area in the center of the Galar region that included several biomes/pokémon and connected to the rest of the world through gates that would gradually open over the course of the game. Gen 9 blows this concept up to a fully open-world setting; from the start of the game you can roam pretty much the entire Paldea region (roughly based on Iberia).

Gen 8 has, I'd say, probably the best narrative design of any pokémon game, with really strong integration between story, mechanics, and world design. Their main fault is that they do run horribly on the Switch's hardware. Even after patches the games struggle severely with hitching, pop-in, and vast stretches of plain repeated textures. But if you can look past the technical issues, they are fantastic games.

What you should actually play

Okay, here's base conclusions. I think that if you are completely new to the series and you want sort of a "highlighted tour" of the games that are most pivotal to the overall historical development of the series' design, I'd suggest playing, specifically:

• Pokémon Red/Blue
• Pokémon Emerald
• Pokémon Heart Gold/Soul Silver
• Pokémon Black/White
• Pokémon Ultra Moon/Ultra Sun
• Pokémon Sword/Shield
• Pokémon Legends: Arceus
• Pokémon Scarlet/Violet

If you are coming back to the series, skip earlier entries as needed. It is, of course, kind of insane to recommend several 20+ hour JRPGs as a "reading list", but those are games that fit really well to being played slowly over the course of a few weeks at a time.

If you just want to play one game to get into the mainline series, the ones I'd most highly recommend are Emerald, Black, Ultra Sun, and Scarlet; you can just pick one for a system that you want to play on, or decide how "retro" of an experience you want. But every single mainline game is designed as if it could be someone's first pokémon game, because they are games for children.

#pokémon #video games