10 Best Mainline Pokémon Games, Ranked (2024)

Since 1996, the Pokémon franchise has spawned a blockbuster multimedia property, with the mainline video games being among the biggest fan favorites. Red and Green were released on the Game Boy and revolutionized handheld gaming for the era.

Subsequent Generations built on this lucrative success with new regions, stories, and unique Pokémon species that struck chords with players to different extents. The most recent flagship installments, Scarlet and Violet, were controversial for their technical and optimization issues. Still, there are plenty of excellent titles across its nine-generation history, including the Game Boy Advance Kanto remakes and the more ambitious Legends: Arceus for the Nintendo Switch.

10 Pokémon Let's Go, Pikachu! & Eevee! Are Charming New Takes on Yellow

Though there's yet to be any sign of these core entries spawning a series, Pokémon Let's Go, Pikachu! and Eevee! were endearing experiments on the Nintendo Switch. The pair of games were effectively remakes of Pokémon Yellow for the Game Boy but with new protagonists journeying through Kanto to collect Badges, complete the Pokédex, and become the League Champion.

Pokémon Let's Go, Pikachu! and Eevee! don't introduce anything revolutionary, but it plays into the nostalgia factor well. They're still the best-looking mainline games for the Switch, and the Pokémon GO-like catching mechanic was a fun diversion from the usual mechanics. While the controls were occasionally clunky and the content was familiar, seeing features like Mega Evolutions, overworld encounters, and riding Pokémon in Kanto was a welcome sight.

9 Pokémon Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon Are the Best Ways to Play Through the Colorful Alola

The Generation VII games Pokémon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon were the swansong for the mainline series on Nintendo 3DS and the ideal choices for the region. These games keep much of Sun and Moon's core story with minor changes involving the mascot Legendary creature Necrozma.

Like other third -- and technically 4th -- version games, Pokémon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon earned positive reviews with criticisms aimed at feeling more of the same. Despite this, they remain admirable additions to the series and the best way to explore the breathtaking Hawaiian-inspired Alola region. They didn't do much to alleviate the grating rival or the occasionally intrusive cutscenes and dialogue sequences. But the expanded post-game content, new Pokémon species, and some genuinely tough boss fights make them worthy games.

8 Pokémon Black 2 & White 2 Were a Solid Pair of Direct Sequels

When Pokémon Black and White were released for the Nintendo DS, the games received strong critical reception albeit some mild fan criticisms for not moving onto the 3DS. Similar things applied to the lack of older wild species during the main story, but Black 2 and White 2 were proper sequels that addressed these critiques.

Pokémon Black 2 and White 2 are rare direct sequels and introduce meaningful changes to the landscape of the Unova region. Like the preceding pair of DS games, they also featured some of the best stories in the mainline series, and it was littered with classic species mixed in with the Gen V natives in the core questline. Even better was the post-game content, featuring multiple facilities like the World Tournament, more older Pokémon to find, and new storylines.

7 Pokémon Gold & Silver Were Leaps and Bounds Over Its Predecessors

Though it's undoubtedly more obvious today, Pokémon Gold and Silver's vast improvements over the Gen I series were clear even in the late '90s/early '00s. Set after Red and Blue, these games introduce a new protagonist exploring the Johto region to stop a resurgent Team Rocket and take on the Elite Four challenge.

Pokémon Gold and Silver were widely acclaimed for their technical enhancements over the preceding Game Boy titles. The Game Boy Color games featured greatly improved visuals, better inventory management, 100 new Pokémon species, and two new Types -- Dark and Steel. Most famous, of course, is the post-game story allowing players to take on Kanto's eight Gym Leaders and eventually battle Red himself.

6 Pokémon Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire Were Solid 3D Reimaginings of Hoenn

Though they don't outright replace the classic feel and experience of the Game Boy Advance games, Pokémon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire are worthwhile Hoenn remakes. The Nintendo 3DS games build on the GBA titles' core plot and add exciting twists to the main and post-game stories to take advantage of Gen VI features.

Pokémon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire aren't without their faults, with the lack of the Battle Frontier almost feeling like a taunt, but these games are refreshing ways to make Hoenn accessible. Obtaining Pokémon up to Gen VI, imaginative new Mega Evolutions, and the post-game Mega Rayquaza storyline do enough to justify their existence alongside Gen III's Ruby, Sapphire, and Emerald.

5 Pokémon Emerald Still Holds Its GBA Charms

Despite being a Game Boy Advance title from 2005, Pokémon Emerald is still an enjoyable and replayable experience today. The third-version game to the similarly great Ruby and Sapphire, Emerald makes a strong case for being the go-to Hoenn game -- even after the 3DS remakes.

Pokémon Emerald received an overall positive albeit mild reception compared to its predecessors due to sticking so close to Ruby and Sapphire's scripts. Even so, the improved wild Pokémon availability and expanded post-game content via the debut of the Battle Frontier make it the best of the Gen III GBA games. Players can't go wrong between Emerald or the 3DS remakes, but for nostalgia and a gritty post-game battling facility, the former still holds up in 2024.

4 Pokémon FireRed & LeafGreen Are the Definitive Kanto Experiences

Pokémon Red and Blue are landmark games that can be enjoyed today as time capsules of their time, but quirks like slower movement speeds, blocky sprites, and constrained inventory management make them hard to revisit. While Let's Go, Pikachu! and Eevee! are respectable reinterpretations, FireRed and LeafGreen for the Game Boy Advance remain the definitive Kanto experiences.

Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen refresh the Generation I world on the GBA, ironing out all technical limitations of their predecessors with then-modern sensibilities. Timeless pixel art, smoother traversal, and more in-depth turn-based combat mechanics made these games age wonderfully. They even added the Sevii Isles region to give Kanto a substantive post-game story where the original titles lacked almost any.

3 Pokémon Legends: Arceus is the Bold New Direction the Series Needs

After Sword and Shield doubled down on extremely linear story progression and even simpler gameplay, Legends: Arceus was the breath of fresh air the Pokémon franchise needed. Created as a prequel to Pokémon Diamond, Pearl, and Platinum, the Switch title took players hundreds of years in the past to a time when humanity was still learning about their dynamic with the Pokémon they shared the world with.

Pokémon Legends: Arceus boldly expanded the setting into a semi-open world format akin to Monster Hunter, along with a clever mix of action RPG and turn-based RPG mechanics. For many fans, it was how they imagined being able to interact with the Pokémon universe in real time, exploring unique biomes with a multitude of wild species to encounter in their natural habitats.

2 Pokémon Platinum is the Definitive Sinnoh Experience

Pokémon Diamond and Pearl were strong starts for Generation IV on the Nintendo DS, but Platinum ironed out the pair's odd quirks that held them back. It's the "third version" game for the Sinnoh-region installments. It retains much of the same story except for an intriguing new plot line focusing on Giratina and its ominous Distortion World.

Pokémon Platinum keeps the vibrant pixel-art aesthetic from Diamond and Pearl and adds new quality-of-life features, including faster dialogue and text speed to quicken the game's pace. It also gives the Sinnoh region much-needed diversity in its wild Pokémon, greatly expanding potential team compositions. Complete with the challenging Battle Frontier in the post-game, Platinum quickly becomes the go-to Sinnoh game -- even above the Switch remakes Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl.

1 Pokémon HeartGold & SoulSilver Are Gold Standards For Mainline Remakes

Pokémon remakes have become a tradition with most console generations since the Game Boy Advance, but few games -- remakes or otherwise -- measure up to HeartGold and SoulSilver's standards. The Nintendo DS titles refresh their Game Boy Color predecessors, taking players across Johto and Kanto.

On top of the stunning pixel art, HeartGold and SoulSilver's streamlined turn-based combat, stats, and more diverse wild Pokémon are excellent additions to the classic experience. Not everything is perfect, like the infamous low-level curve from the GBC. However, these new features, plus the Safari Zone and post-game Battle Frontier, make HeartGold and SoulSilver timeless and benchmarks for Pokémon remakes.

Pokemon

Expanding across a multitude of media, including TCGs, video games, manga, live-action movies and anime, the Pokémon franchise is set in a shared world of humans and creatures with a wide variety of special abilities.

Created by

Satoshi Tajiri

First Film

Pokemon: The First Movie

Latest Film

Pokémon the Movie: Secrets of the Jungle

First TV Show

Pokémon (1997)

Latest TV Show

Pokémon Horizons (2023)

First Episode Air Date

April 1, 1997

Video Game(s)

Pokémon GO , Pokemon X and Y , Pokémon Legends: Arceus , Pokémon Scarlet and Violet , Pokémon Sword and Shield , Pokémon Diamond & Pearl , Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl , Pokemon Red and Blue , Detective Pikachu , Detective Pikachu Returns , Pokémon: Let's Go, Eevee! , Pokémon: Let's Go, Pikachu!