What order should you play the Pokémon games in?

The practical order for a first series run

You do not need to finish every paired version. Pick one game from each row below, then move on when you want a new region. This is a suggested tour of the series, rather than an official story timeline or a ranking.

If you want a short list to save: FireRed → HeartGold → Emerald → Platinum → Black → Black 2 → X → Sun → Sword → Scarlet. The partner versions work as alternatives. This example is a reading route through the regions, not a claim that these versions are better than their counterparts.

It also spans several systems. Do not buy a stack of old cartridges before checking what your hardware can run. Our game and platform finder and DS-versus-3DS guide explain those constraints. Choosing a newer remake can mean moving between older and newer mechanics along this route; use release order below if you want a smoother historical progression.

If you only have a Switch or Switch 2

Start with the games available to you. There is no need to stop at Johto or Unova because the regional tour includes DS games you cannot currently play on that console.

1. Sword or Shield if you want a directed first adventure, or Scarlet or Violet if exploring an open world is the main attraction. Either can be your first Pokémon RPG.
2. Play the other pair when you want a different structure. You only need one version from each pair to follow its adventure.
3. Try Legends: Arceus for a catching-and-research-focused change of pace.
4. Try Legends: Z-A for its Lumiose City setting and different battle approach. X/Y provide background if you have access to them; they are not a hardware requirement for Z-A.

Add FireRed or LeafGreen when you want the classic Kanto journey: their standalone Switch rereleases are available, rather than being an assumed part of the Nintendo Switch Online GBA catalog. Let’s Go is another way to visit Kanto, with different catching mechanics. Add Brilliant Diamond or Shining Pearl when you want Sinnoh on Switch. You can fit these detours in whenever that region interests you.

These are Switch releases; Legends: Z-A also has a Switch 2 Edition. For Switch 2, check the exact game and edition and Nintendo’s compatibility information before buying. A Switch 2 does not accept DS, 3DS or GBA cartridges. See the FireRed/LeafGreen availability guide for the rereleases’ specific features and language choices.

The core Pokémon adventures in release order

Use this order if you want to see the games’ design develop over time. Paired titles share a row. The platform column identifies the original version listed here, not every later rerelease or compatible device. Expansion passes and spin-offs are outside this table.

The first row groups the original Kanto releases for an English-speaking reader; it is not a separate checklist of the Japanese Red, Green and Blue editions. Regional release dates differ, so this table deliberately gives a sequence rather than mixing Japanese launch years with US dates.

FireRed and LeafGreen’s later Switch rereleases make the existing Kanto adventure accessible on newer hardware. They do not move its original place in the series’ development. Likewise, buying an older game today does not make it a new generation.

Do you need both versions, the third version and the remake?

Usually, one version gives you the main adventure from that pair. Version-exclusive Pokémon and other differences can matter if you want a particular team or a complete collection, but buying both is not required to understand the story. Check the specific pair’s differences before choosing rather than assuming only the cover Pokémon changes.

Yellow, Crystal, Emerald and Platinum revisit their respective regions with changes. For a first tour, choose the version you want to experience; playing Red, then Blue, then Yellow is an optional comparison project.

Remakes are another route through an earlier region. FireRed/LeafGreen revisit Kanto, HeartGold/SoulSilver revisit Johto, Omega Ruby/Alpha Sapphire revisit Hoenn, and Brilliant Diamond/Shining Pearl revisit Sinnoh. A remake can change the available Pokémon, mechanics and side activities. It should not be treated as a promise to include every feature from every earlier version.

Black 2 and White 2 are the exception to the “choose one telling” shortcut. Nintendo’s developer interview explicitly describes sequels set two years after Black and White. Play Black followed by Black 2, or White followed by White 2, for a straightforward matching route. You start a separate adventure; this order is about story context, not importing a completed save to unlock the sequel.

Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon are alternative Alola stories. Nintendo describes them that way. You can start with an Ultra game without first finishing Sun or Moon. If comparing the stories interests you, play an original first and an Ultra version later; otherwise, one Alola playthrough is a reasonable first pass.

Where do Legends: Arceus and Legends: Z-A fit?

For a first series tour, place Legends: Arceus after a Sinnoh game and Legends: Z-A after X or Y when those games are available to you. You will recognize more references and settings. This is a recommendation about context, not a required unlock sequence.

Arceus’s Hisui setting belongs to an earlier era than the modern Sinnoh adventures. That does not make it the necessary starting point for the whole series. Its catching and research systems differ enough that a player seeking the traditional Gym journey may prefer another first game. Our Legends: Arceus beginner guide explains that change in focus.

Z-A uses a different battle approach from the usual turn-by-turn adventures. Read the Z-A battle guide if you are deciding whether that is the kind of Pokémon game you want next.

Is there one correct story chronology?

Release order is the clearest complete sequence. A suggested region route is the clearest way to avoid repeating broadly similar adventures. A single precise timeline for every version, remake and Legends game would need assumptions beyond those two lists.

For story context, preserve the clear local connections: an original Unova game before its numbered sequel, and an earlier visit to a region before a related return if you enjoy recognizing references. You can still understand the basic adventure in most entries without working through decades of games first.

Pokémon GO, UNITE, TCG Pocket, Snap, Mystery Dungeon and other spin-offs do not form required chapters between these RPGs. Choose them for the activity they offer. Pokémon HOME is a storage and transfer service, not a campaign to finish between regions. If carrying a collection forward matters, check the transfer route separately before committing to a hardware plan.

What about Winds and Waves?

The official announcement names a worldwide 2027 release on Switch 2. They are upcoming games at this guide’s check date, so they are not a playable step in the list above. Do not postpone a first adventure because a later game is coming; choose an available game whose structure suits you.

Our release profile retains the publisher’s date precision. If you see an exact day or a claimed prerequisite elsewhere, check its source rather than assuming it follows from the announcement year.