Pokémon Games Play Order – Chronological and Release Date Guide

Want to jump into the Pokémon series but have no idea where to start? The Pokémon games have been sending players on monster-catching adventures since 1996, and with nine generations of games across over a dozen consoles, figuring out the right play order can feel overwhelming. Let's walk through all the Pokémon games play order, both chronologically and by their release dates.

Pokémon Games in Chronological Order

The Pokémon universe doesn't follow a super strict timeline, but there is a general story order that fans have loosely confirmed. Here's how the games line up based on when their stories actually happen:

1. Pokémon Legends: Arceus (2022)

Legends: Arceus starts the timeline in a surprising way. A trainer from the modern world is suddenly sent back to ancient Hisui, which later becomes Sinnoh, by Arceus. Back then, people were scared of Pokémon, so instead of collecting gym badges, your goal in this game is to create the first Pokédex by studying, catching, and battling wild Pokémon.

The gameplay is also very different from older Pokémon games. You explore big open areas, hide in tall grass, and avoid attacks from wild Pokémon in real time.

2. Pokémon Red and Blue (1998)

In Pokémon Red and Blue, you play as a kid from Pallet Town who dreams of becoming the Pokémon Champion while helping Professor Oak complete the Pokédex. During the journey, you battle gym leaders, face your rivals, and stop Team Rocket.

The game first launched as Pokémon Red and Green in Japan. When they were released worldwide, Green was replaced with Pokémon Blue and included better visuals. Many of the biggest parts of Pokémon, like catching Pokémon, earning gym badges, and battling the Elite Four, all started here.

3. Pokémon Ruby, Sapphire, and Emerald (2003–2005)

According to the official timeline, the events of Hoenn happen at roughly the same time as Kanto, just in a different region. Ruby and Sapphire introduced the tropical Hoenn region and two new villain teams, which are Team Magma and Team Aqua. These teams want to use the legendary Pokémon Groudon and Kyogre to reshape the planet by expanding land or flooding the oceans.

Emerald is the definitive version of Generation Three. You face both Teams Magma and Aqua and get to battle the sky dragon Rayquaza on top of all of it.

4. Pokémon Gold, Silver, and Crystal (2000–2001)

Gold and Silver are set three years after the events of Red and Blue. You play as a new trainer in the Johto region and travel across a brand-new map. Later in the game, you can also return to Kanto, which adds a big second adventure for you. Team Rocket also returns as they try to find their missing boss, Giovanni.

Pokémon Crystal added moving Pokémon sprites, let players choose between a boy or a girl character, and gave more attention to the legendary Pokémon Suicune. These games are still fan favorites today.

5. Pokémon Diamond, Pearl, and Platinum (2007–2009)

Sinnoh is based on Japan's northern island of Hokkaido, and it comes with colder weather, snowy mountains, and one of the most ambitious villain plots in the Pokémon series. Team Galactic's leader, Cyrus, doesn't just want world domination, but also wants to destroy the current universe and build a new one by controlling the legendary Pokémon Dialga and Palkia, who govern time and space.

Platinum is the enhanced version and adds the Distortion World, an alternate dimension with broken physics tied to the ghost dragon Giratina.

6. Pokémon Black and White (2011)

Black and White takes players to Unova, a region based on New York City, complete with skyscrapers, bridges, and a busy metropolis vibe. The games also introduced the biggest batch of new Pokémon since the original 151, and while some fans loved the fresh designs, others were not as impressed.

In this series, Team Plasma's leader, N, stands out because of his unique story. He believes that Pokémon should be free from humans, and some of his arguments actually make sense. Later, the game reveals a bigger villain working behind the scenes, which gives the story an even darker turn.

7. Pokémon Black 2 and White 2 (2012)

These are the only direct sequels in the mainline series. Set two years after the events of Black and White, you play as a brand new trainer in a changed Unova with new areas, new characters, and a reformed version of Team Plasma called Neo Plasma, causing trouble again.

Don't skip these games if you care about the Generation Five story. They actually continue and wrap up the narrative in a satisfying way.

8. Pokémon X and Y (2013)

X and Y are believed to happen around the same time as Black 2 and White 2, just in the European-inspired Kalos region, based on France. These were the first fully 3D Pokémon games and introduced the Fairy type, a brand new Eeveelution, and Mega Evolutions that let certain Pokémon temporarily power up into stronger forms.

The villain team AZ and the story behind the legendary weapon give Kalos one of the more tragic backstories in the series.

9. Pokémon Legends: Z-A (2025)

The second Legends game, Pokémon Legends: Z-A, brings you back to Kalos and drops you entirely inside the city of Lumiose as it undergoes renovations to make it more Pokémon-friendly. Instead of traveling across a region, you climb through a battle ranking system called the Battle Zone, working your way from Rank Z to A by battling trainers and defeating spontaneously appearing Mega Pokémon.

10. Pokémon Sun and Moon (2016–2017)

Sun and Moon move the series to the Alola region, a chain of tropical islands based on Hawai'i. The island challenge replaces gym badges here. In this game, you take on trials run by Trial Captains and face off against powerful Totem Pokémon instead of gym leaders.

Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon are the expanded versions that add new legendary Pokémon forms, more Ultra Beasts, and an expanded post-game where Team Rainbow Rocket assembles every villain team leader from past games. If you're going to play one version, Ultra Sun or Ultra Moon gives you more content overall.

11. Pokémon Sword and Shield (2019)

Sword and Shield brought the mainline series to the Nintendo Switch, and to the Galar region, a place based on Great Britain, complete with football stadiums turned Pokémon arenas. The Dynamax mechanic lets Pokémon grow giant during battles, which looks cool, but didn't land as well as Mega Evolution for a lot of fans.

12. Pokémon Scarlet and Violet (2022)

Scarlet and Violet are the first truly open-world Pokémon games. The Paldea region is based on the Iberian Peninsula and lets you tackle gyms, tytan Pokémon, and Team Star bases in any order you choose. It's the most freeform structure the main series has ever had.

The games launched with some performance issues, and the graphics got a lot of criticism, but the adventure itself is enjoyable.

Pokémon Games by Release Date Order

If you want to play the games in the order they got released, here is the complete list:

Pokémon Games Remake

Several games in the series have been remade for newer hardware. These happen at the same time as their original story-wise, so they are not a separate point in the timeline. They are just updated ways to experience the same generation:

Pokémon Spin-Off Games

These games are not part of the main Pokémon story timeline, so you can play them in any order. They’re great if you want to try something different outside the main RPG series.

Which Pokémon Game Should You Play First?

That's the end of our Pokémon games play order. This very famous series has grown from a simple Game Boy RPG into one of the biggest franchises on the planet, and there's no wrong place to jump in. You can literally pick whatever sounds most fun and start catching. Gotta catch 'em all!