It can be hard to know if you need to play all of the Pokémon games in order, especially when there are nine generations to explore. Whether you’re a long-time fan or have wide eyes like a freshly hatched Togepi, we’re here to lay out both the chronological order and release order of the entire main franchise so you know which game to start with.
We’re massive Pokéfans here at Pocket Tactics, so we’re full of opinions on the best starter Pokémon, mythical Pokémon, flower Pokémon, fish Pokémon, big Pokémon, small Pokémon, and dragon Pokémon, to name a few.
Let’s explore the vast world of Pokémon by traveling through all of the Pokémon games in order.
Table of Contents
- All Pokémon games in release order
- Pokémon Red and Blue
- Pokémon Yellow
- Pokémon Gold and Silver
- Pokémon Crystal
- Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire
- Pokémon Emerald
- Pokémon Diamond and Pearl
- Pokémon Platinum
- Pokémon Black and White
- Pokémon Black 2 and White 2
- Pokémon X and Y
- Pokémon Sun and Moon
- Pokémon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon
- Pokémon Sword and Shield
- Pokémon Legends: Arceus
- Pokémon Scarlet and Violet
- Pokémon Legends: Z-A
- All Pokémon games in chronological order
All Pokémon Games in Release Order
Here are all of the main series Pokémon games in order of release, not including remakes. Pokémon’s canonical timeline is fairly loose, but the release order isn’t exactly the same as the series’ chronological order.
- Pokémon Red and Blue – September 28, 1998
- Pokémon Yellow – October 19, 1999
- Pokémon Gold and Silver – October 15, 2000
- Pokémon Crystal – July 29, 2001
- Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire – March 19, 2003
- Pokémon Emerald – May 1, 2005
- Pokémon Diamond and Pearl – April 22, 2007
- Pokémon Platinum – March 22, 2009
- Pokémon Black and White – March 6, 2011
- Pokémon Black 2 and White 2 – October 7, 2012
- Pokémon X and Y – October 12, 2013
- Pokémon Sun and Moon – November 18, 2016
- Pokémon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon – November 17, 2017
- Pokémon Sword and Shield – November 15, 2019
- Pokémon Legends: Arceus – January 28, 2022
- Pokémon Scarlet and Violet – November 18, 2022
Pokémon Red and Blue
Initial US release: September 28, 1998 (Game Boy)
These are the games that spawned a media empire. Pokémon Red and Pokémon Blue, released as Red and Green in Japan, are the first pair of games in the Pokémon franchise. Game Freak developed this adorable monster-collecting RPG for the original Game Boy where you play as a young boy about to set out on his first journey across the Kanto region, where he battles gym leaders and the Elite Four and also stops the criminal organization Team Rocket.
Ever since this initial release, the main series Pokémon games have come out in pairs. Each version also has exclusive Pokémon to encourage you to trade with your friends to catch ‘em all. Back in the day, this involved physically meeting up with your pals to exchange ‘mons via a link cable, but thanks to the internet, Pokémon trading has gotten a whole lot easier in recent years.
The Pokémon Company has remade Red and Blue not once, but twice throughout the years: first with Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen for the Game Boy Advance in 2004 and then with Pokémon Let’s Go Eevee and Pikachu for the Nintendo Switch in 2018. Pokémon Let’s Go even incorporates motion-based catching mechanics, playing off the global success of Pokémon Go.
Pokémon Yellow
Initial US release: October 19, 1999 (Game Boy Color)
Pokémon Yellow was the first of the ‘retelling games’ – Pokémon games that typically come after a main series release like Red and Blue and tell a slightly altered version of those games’ story. In Yellow’s case, this version of the original journey through Kanto mimics many aspects of the ever-popular Pokémon anime.
Instead of the standard three starter Pokémon, your character’s partner is a Pikachu, just like Ash’s Pikachu from the show. Your little electric Pokémon follows behind you in the overworld and your relationship with it changes based on how well you treat it. Classic anime duo Jessie and James also make an appearance as part of Team Rocket and the whole game has slightly upgraded graphics compared to the original.
Pokémon Gold and Silver
Initial US release: October 15, 2000 (Game Boy Color)
Generation two introduces us to a second region and 100 new Pokémon to encounter. Gold and Silver (or their remakes HeartGold and SoulSilver for the Nintendo DS) are a lot of people’s favorite Pokémon games. Whether that’s due to its compelling plot, suite of improved features, or just pure nostalgia, generation two is up there with the best of them.
Much like in Red and Blue, you play as a young boy setting off on a Pokémon journey, this time across Johto, fighting powerful trainers along the way and re-encountering Team Rocket as they search for their leader, Giovanni. As well as this version’s enhanced graphics for the Game Boy Color, Gold and Silver added a bunch of features that are now considered Pokémon game staples.
All Pokémon Games in Chronological Order
As mentioned above, most of the events of the Pokémon games happen in the same order as release, but there are a couple of exceptions
