Although Pokémon has been around for twenty-four years, Nintendo and Game Freak have been able to keep the franchise at the forefront of the gaming industry. Additionally, while the franchise started as a handheld series, even people that don’t play video games know several of the Pokémon through the franchise’s anime, trading card game, or just from its relevance in popular culture.
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Although some of the spin-off titles have not reviewed well, nearly every mainline game in the franchise has been appreciated by fans and critics.
10 Fire Red/Leaf Green (81)
In 2004 Game Freak and Nintendo released Pokemon Fire Red and Pokémon Leaf Green on the Game Boy Advance. Although this title is not recognized as one of the best games in the series, this generation three installment marked the first time the companies decided to release enhanced remakes of old titles.
By the time generation three rolled around, little Pokemon fans were still playing their original game boys. This game allowed old and new fans to visit the original Pokemon region of Kanto.
9 Ruby/Saphire (82)
By the time Pokémon Ruby and Pokemon Saphire hit the market, the franchise already had a dedicated fan base around the world. Although many fans had expectations for the series, Ruby and Saphire made exciting changes to the franchise, like adding in double battles and 135 new pokemon to catch and battle.
Although the game is not viewed as having stunning visuals by today’s standards, the Game Boy Advance allowed for Ruby and Saphire to have far better visuals than any Pokemon game before it.
8 Omega Ruby/Alpha Saphire (83)
Eleven years after the original Pokemon Ruby and Saphire, Nintendo decided it was time for fans to revisit the Hoenn region. While this game is a remake of the original titles, there are a few tweaks, like the addition of the “Delta Episode”, that give older fans a reason to return.
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Unlike the original title, Omega Ruby and Alpha Saphire use the new visuals that were introduced in Pokemon X and Pokemon Y, as well as, Mega Evolutions. With the new 3D art style the Hoenn region is a visual treat for new and old fans alike.
7 Platinum (83)
During the fourth generation of Pokemon games, Game Freak released a follow-up to Pokemon Diamond and Pokemon Pearl, named Pokemon Platinum. In this title, players once again visit the Sinnoh region. Although the company thought it was making a better version of what they thought was the best pokemon title to date, fans and critics faulted Pokemon Platinum for being too similar to the other titles.
Some small changes were made in Platinum, like the addition of the “Wi-Fi Plaza”, however, if you had already picked up one of the other Sinnoh region titles, this game may be one of the more skippable games in the series.
6 Ultra Sun/Ultra Moon (84)
Pokemon Ultra Sun and Pokemon Ultra Moon were the last games released on the 3DS before the franchise made the jump to the Nintendo Switch. Although the game built off of the foundations laid by the original Sun and Moon, the game failed to gain as high a score.
While the game still scored fairly high among critics, very little changed among the story and gameplay. Despite being an excuse to revisit Alola, fans of the series easily could just play the original Sun and Moon a second time.
5 Diamond/Pearl (85)
Released on the Nintendo DS as the first generation four titles, Pokemon Diamond and Pokemon Pearl introduce fans to the Sinnoh Region. While these games did very little to change up the Pokemon formula, the addition of the second screen on the DS allowed the games to add the Poketch which essentially worked as a smart device for the player.
Although the Diamond and Pearl are thirteen years old, fans still love these titles because they took everything from early Pokemon titles and tweaked them for the better.
4 HeartGold/SoulSilver (87)
Much like Diamond and Pearl, Pokemon HeartGold and SoulSilver show why the fourth generation of Pokemon games are still loved by fans to this day. Although the games are a remake of the original Pokemon Gold and Pokemon Silver, HeartGold and SoulSilver are recognized as some of the best games in the franchise.
While the remake gave the older title some much needed visual enhancements, the best part of the remake is that it allowed fans to go and capture some of the most iconic Pokemon that were unobtainable on any newer game.
3 Black/White (87)
When asking a fan of the series what Pokemon game is their favorite, there is a good chance that they will say Pokemon Black and Pokemon White. While the game is not the highest-rated game according to Metacritic, other sites like IGN and Famitsu Weekly praised the titles.
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Although many of the games before Black and White took place in regions based on Japan, Black and White’s New York-inspired Unova region changed up the setting just enough to visually entice fans while keeping the game very familiar.
2 Sun/Moon (87)
Up until the release of Pokemon Sun and Pokemon Moon, the franchise had revolved around the players beating several gym leaders before taking on the Elite Four. With Sun and Moon taking place in a more relaxed setting the Alola region, based off of Hawaii, Game Freak chose to implement a new Island Challenge Trails system instead.
While most of the game was the same, these trials have players do different things before facing off against a large Pokemon called a Totem Pokemon. In addition to the new trails system, Sun and Moon incorporate the new Z-moves, Poke-finder, and Pokemon Refresh, as well as, X and Y‘s Mega Evolutions.
1 X/Y (88)
Although the Pokemon franchise has been around for decades now, Pokemon X and Pokemon Y are examples that the franchise still can turn out incredible titles. While the series up until the release of X and Y had stuck with a 2D top-down art style, the games’ new 3D visuals worked as a visual “renaissance” of the franchise. For the first time in the series, X and Y took players to the Kalos region. Despite the core game in X and Y being the same as every other game in the series thus far, the addition of the Mega Evolutions changed the traditional battle just enough to keep the game’s battles interesting to long time fans of the series.
Additionally, the game also introduces players to 72 new pokemon, a new type of pokemon called Fairy-type, and Polygonal 3D versions of pokemon for battles instead of the traditional sprites. While many games have arguable a better story than X and Y, these titles have changed the franchise far more than any other.
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