If you are part of us who have lived and breathed Pokémon ever since childhood, it can be pretty easy not to remember the many best Pokémon games that have been released so far. The titles to choose from are endless, even if you exclude dual releases and spin-off titles.
Pokémon was developed exclusively for the Nintendo console. With the console having gone away and being too expensive to acquire, you may be wondering how you can catch all the fun. You can enjoy Pokémon games online today on your computer or laptop by downloading a Nintendo console emulator and Pokémon ROMs for colorful adventures.
As a longtime fan considering the titles to relive the nostalgic entries or a new fan looking to start Pokémon titles, here are our top 10 best Pokémon games for you.
Pokémon Go
Ask any Pokémon fan, and they will tell you that this was the Pokémon mobile game that took charge in its days. The initial premise of seeking out Pokémon to get a glimpse of Pokémon in a realistic world became an expansive game offering much more than Pocket Monsters. This game was robust, with various upgrades, unique spawn events, and an opportunity to engage in an entertaining Pokémon Go Fest with other worldwide players.
Pokémon Crystal
This game was the final entry to the Game Boy Color. Many fans still consider it the perfect swan song. Featuring a vast range of new features over other Pokémon base games like tweaked graphics, the first female characterization, tweaked UI, and an enhanced challenged department, Pokémon Crystal did it for many. The game marvelously took what Pokémon Silver and Gold did while making Johto and Kanto worthwhile explorations.
Pokémon Conquest
This was an unmissable game of the Pokémon series. Pokémon Conquest paired Pokémon strategically, making the game top of the most acclaimed Pokémon spin-off titles. The game existed in its world with distinct rules. Instead of catching Pokémon, warriors linked up grew, and evolved with them. The game’s environmental positioning and obstacles gave it a unique flare and an additional layer of strategy to what many knew as an everyday element-focused battle.
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Pokémon Sword and Shield
Grounding you in the Galar region, Pokémon Sword and Shield also gave you plenty of British references and a poignant array of quality life improvements. Pokémon frolicking in the over-world replaced random encounters, something that made backtracking and exploration at large easy and smooth. You could willingly alter how Pokémon moved at whichever Pokémon center without being shadowed by severe consequences. The mechanics and new features like Nature mints also made battle-ready Pokémon more realistic and reachable.
Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen
These games were the ultimate proof that even rose-colored game originals can be improved. The remakes introduced new features like activity recaps, wireless battling and trading, a new Sevii islands area, and excellently improved moves. FireRed and LeafGreen proved that even the nostalgia Pokémon Red and Blue brought was not everything. The remakes were the best way to relive or re-experience the Kanto region.
Pokémon Black 2 and White 2
This is the point I let you know that you were solely mistaken if you ever brushed off these titles under the notion that they were more of the same thing. These were good games. Honestly, the foundation in Pokémon Red and Blue was enchanting and incredibly solid. However, the additions and tweaks that came with these games grew the Pokémon series further than its monochromatic descent, regardless of how glacial the change might have seemed for some. The status and naming of these entries and the fact that they weren’t favored for the new 3DS console may have masked their superbness, but they still remain among the finest Pokémon games.
Pokémon: Let’s Go Pikachu! and Let’s Go, Eevee
These games brought you back to Kanto but not in an ordinary way. They offered a more interactive adventure. Even though the titles adapted particular features like Pokémon’s Yellow partner and Pokémon Red and Blue’s story, they were not straightforward remakes like FireRed or LeafGreen. The Let’s Go entries were meant for Pokémon Go enthusiasts. If you owned any of these games, you could expect bonus Pokémon alongside a modern feeling with 3D graphics and interactions.
PokémonEmerald
Pokémon Emerald for GBA is arguably the ultimate way to experience the Generation 3 Pokémon games. The excellent monster variety and the clean visuals were just part of this game’s fundamentals. Still, the Battle Frontier elevated this game from other Generation 3 remakes to give a complete and rewarding game. Diehards might be convinced that this game potentially had the most significant challenge among the Pokémon mainline franchise. The water you had to surf through was a lot!
Pokémon Heart Gold and Soul Silver
If you want to play a Generation 2 Pokémon game, Heart Gold and Soul Silver for the DS is the way to go. Talk about a killer soundtrack and a peculiar day-and-night system. These remakes gave original Gameboy titles a new touch with new events and dungeons. Additionally, the Generation 4 mechanics made these games feel modern with unique attack splits. The games went hard, and it is not shocking that even the used copies have sold for more than $70.
Pokémon Legends: Arceus
Pokémon Legends: Archeus was a mainline entry of the Pokémon games that made you feel like the developers had undergone decades of lessons. The game featured an advanced formula and finally took the Game Freak Franchise in a new and immensely exhilarating direction. The exploration was enriching, the catching mechanics were highly addictive, and the sense of scale was simply authentic, unlike what we had seen in the series.
Final Thoughts
Ranking the best Pokémon classics can be deemed a bit difficult, given how many ended up being among the best games of that console generation. Pokémon titles always did and have continued to give players a challenge and the zeal to be the best. Why don’t you check out the Pokémon titles on our list to understand the kind of power we are talking about?
