Pokemon as a franchise has grown up alongside me. I remember being restricted from watching the Pokemon anime as a child, to the point where, when my elementary school rolled a TV in and let us watch an episode or two, I got legitimately scared I would develop seizures, so I kept my eyes shut. Fast-forward 2½ decades and I just spent an irresponsible amount of money on Pokemon media.
So, you can see how long that irrational fear lasted.
In any case, we’re in the midst of Pokemon fever these days, with the launch of Scarlet and Violet, as well as the two expansions for those titles. And, with what seems to be a collective desire amongst the fandom for Nintendo to bring the series’ older entries to the Nintendo Switch Online service, the want to experience — or re-experience — the Pokemon franchise has never been higher.
Here’s a breakdown of the chronological order you can play the Pokemon series in. It should be noted that while the games seem to take place in the same continuity, they rarely intersect. So, theoretically, you are free to play them in any order so long as you understand this. It’s also important to note that it’d seem as if there are multiple timelines and/or universes in the story of Pokemon. I won’t be considering those in this list — what we’re more focused on is the order you should play the games to fully grasp all of that timey-wimey mumbo jumbo. Nintendo should stop retrofitting their older games into a timeline.
All Pokemon games in chronological order
- Pokemon Legends: Arceus (2022)
- Platform/s: Nintendo Switch
- Pokemon Red / Pokemon Blue / Pokemon Green / Pokemon Yellow (1996—1998)
- Platform/s: Game Boy
- Also Includes: Pokemon FireRed / Pokemon LeafGreen (2004), Let’s Go Pikachu! / Let’s Go Eevee! (2018)
- Pokemon Ruby / Pokemon Sapphire / Pokemon Emerald (2002—2004)
- Platform/s: Game Boy Advance
- Also Includes: Pokemon Omega Ruby / Pokemon Alpha Sapphire (2014)
- Pokemon Gold / Pokemon Silver / Pokemon Crystal (1999—2000)
- Platform/s: Game Boy Color
- Also Includes: Pokemon HeartGold / Pokemon SoulSilver (2009)
- Pokemon Diamond / Pokemon Pearl / Pokemon Platinum (2006—2008)
- Platform/s: Nintendo DS
- Also Includes: Pokemon Brilliant Diamond / Pokemon Shining Pearl (2021)
- Pokemon Black / Pokemon White (2010)
- Platform/s: Nintendo DS
- Pokemon Black 2 / Pokemon White 2 (2012)
- Platform/s: Nintendo DS
- Pokemon X / Pokemon Y (2013)
- Platform/s: Nintendo 3DS
- Pokemon Sun / Pokemon Moon (2016)
- Platform/s: Nintendo 3DS
- Pokemon Sword / Pokemon Shield (2019)
- Platform/s: Nintendo Switch
- Pokemon Scarlet / Pokemon Violet (2022)
- Platform/s: Nintendo Switch
