Pokémon Games

[Tommy Boy]

After a little nudge to finally get this done, I present my overly detailed ranking of Pokémon games. I will bold the specific game I've played in each line, or both if I've played both.

1. Generation 6 - Hoenn (Omega Ruby/Alpha Sapphire)
   1. Hoenn was, by far, the most full and rewarding Pokémon experience I've had in any of the games to this day. The music, the story, the remaster. It is both a mix of nostalgia and something new. Taking the magic of Hoenn and the new power of Mega Evolutions took this game to new heights. It will be really hard to dethrone this game from the number 1 spot.
2. Generation 3 - Hoenn (Ruby/Sapphire/Emerald)
   1. This would be number 1 had it not been remastered to make it better. At its core, this is my favorite Pokémon game, but the remaster gets the top slot because of its additions. Otherwise, this is a perfect game. No notes.
3. Generation 8.5 - Hisui (Legends: Arceus)
   1. I am including this game on here because I can. Legends be damned, this is as much of a mainline title than the normal games. I cannot and will not accept this as a spin-off. This was the best god damn thing Gamefreak has done in years, and I am really excited to see what they cooked up with Legends: Z-A.
4. Generation 9 - Paldea (Scarlet/Violet)
   1. The poopsauce barren wasteland of an open-world Pokémon game took a while to be loved, but eventually, I really came to terms with the shortcomings and learned to love it for what it was. Yeah, Gamefreak sucks at modernizing, and this game is no excuse, but even so - I still hecking love this game. Shiny hunting and tera raid battles are a daily activity, still to this day. I actively play this game more now in 2025 than I did in 2022 - 2023, and that's largely because of the Switch 2 upgrade. The game still needs a lot of work visually, but it's actually playable with no frame drops, and I find the actual game and story to be engaging and fun. No complaints about the DLC, it fit great with the story and gave it an actual end. People who missed this generation for its initial hardships should reconsider. I love this game.
5. Generation 8 - Galar (Sword/Shield)
   1. Even I find it kind of strange that this game is ranked so high, especially over all of the handheld titles. I really made sure this is where it belonged, and it is not from recency bias. I actually like this game, and though the story got a little dumb sometimes, the DLC stories were very nice, and the visuals of this game were a neat step in the right direction. We got our first taste of open world, albeit just a giant outside field area, but it was still really nice to see the towns were still being handcrafted. Something I miss in SV.
6. Generation 7 - Alola (Ultra Sun/Ultra Moon)
   1. After the terrible experience I had with Sun, I thought I would hate this "attempt at a redo". Well, I was wrong. This game is wayyyyy better than Sun/Moon in a lot of ways, but primarily the story. I thought the story in SM was... interesting to say the least, but USUM was a lot more cohesive. The entire reason I gave up on Sun for was how slow it was. Seriously, every 5 seconds was a text box with something I didn't care about. Still a lot of text in USUM, but not as much of a slog. I really enjoy the Ultra Space mechanic in this game, as well as Z-Powers. I also use this game to breed.
7. Generation 4 - Johto (HeartGold/SoulSilver)
   1. A beautiful remaster of another perfect game. The only reason this isn't higher is because of how dang hard this game can be sometimes. I'm down for a challenge, but I have nightmares of Miltank from my childhood still. The remaster took the art style to a whole new level - it might be the most beautiful looking 2D Pokémon game next to BW.
8. Generation 5 - Unova (Black/White/Black 2/White 2)
   1. I was late to the party with this generation, only finally playing it for the first time this year. I was impressed by the story and the animated 2D sprites - this game really made the Pokémon have such personality in battle. I also liked how this game had a sequel that was the same but very different - not like USUM since that was technically a remake. This was a true sequel, allowing you to get both box legendaries. I thought that was pretty cool.
9. Generation 8 - Sinnoh (Brilliant Diamond/Shining Pearl)
   1. He is ranking this higher than Platinum? Yeah, dumb. But I had a lot more time in this game than I did in Platinum because I didn't play Platinum until this year either, and kind of ran through it/still playing. I didn't have the knowledge of everyone hating this game so I actually liked it. Even the art style lol. Apparently, they just carbon copied DP instead of including the QoL fixes from Platinum - which I had no reference for - so it ended up working out. But yeah, I'm sure if I played Platinum first, I would have ranked that here instead.
10. Generation 1 - Kanto (Yellow)
    1. I liked this version better than RB, and this was the first Pokémon game I owned. I still have it.
11. Generation 7 - Kanto (Let's Go, Pikachu/Eevee!)
    1. A refreshing remix to a classic game. I digged the story and the differences, and thought it was cool to incorporate the catching mechanic from PKGO. But I only played through once and felt that was enough forever.
12. Generation 4 - Sinnoh (Diamond/Pearl/Platinum)
    1. See above - currently playing this now and I'm sure my feelings will change, but the differences in the story already seem better.
13. Generation 6 - Kalos (X/Y)
    1. Meh, I was bored with this game. I wanted to love it for the Mega Evolution aspect, but I just didn't care when I played. I played to know the story and to get more familiar with the Pokémon introduced in this generation - that's pretty much it. Rollerskating was cool, but it was obvious there was way more planned for this generation that never came to light. We now know this is true after the giant Gamefreak leak. Oh well, here's to Z-A!
14. Generation 7 - Alola (Sun/Moon)
    1. Eh fuck this game and fuck Hau lol
15. Generation 2 - Johto (Gold/Silver/Crystal)
    1. Down so low only because it was remastered into something great again
16. Generation 1 - Kanto (Red/Blue)
    1. All the way down here, yep. The OG. I never owned this game but was perpetually renting the game from a friend who eventually took it back when I got Yellow. This game is not my least favorite game, but it's still down here. I will never, ever play this game again. The amount of hours I put into this game as a child is criminal. I've done everything, seen everything, and I have zero reason to ever return to this game. The series needed a starting point, and this was it. It set the stage and it did it well. I ran this game into the ground and back for more. It is not last, it is unrated. But yeah never ever booting this game up again in my life.

Please share your rankings if you'd like, or ask questions, or whatever. Doesn't have to be as detailed, I just went in on this lol

 

[Benzine]

I wish you didn't leave gen 1 in then!!!

I think your top ranking is right, I agree, it was a great game and probably the one I played the most.

But, as a kid, the feeling I got when playing Crystal, going back to Kanto, has rarely been topped gaming wise.

 

[shortkut]

1. Blue - it’s the one I had first
2. Red - it’s just like blue
3. Heartgold - it’s the one @VashTheStampede recommended I play
9. 
   
10. Yellow - felt like cheating to get all the starters so easily

Those are all the ones I’ve played

 

[Smacktard]

This list shook me to my core. It's almost the reverse order of my list, although I haven't played anything since Ultra Moon.

I might be in the minority that prefers G/S/C over the remakes. I can't remember exactly what I disliked about the remakes, but I think sloppy sprites and worse music (I know you can get an item that changes the music back to OG, but that's later in the game).

I did enjoy the R/B remake more than the OG games though. It's just better made, fewer glitches, more versatility, etc.

 

[Smacktard]

1. G/S
2. FR/LG
3. R/B/Y
4. Black/White
5. Diamond/Pearl
6. X/Y (totally forgettable)
7. Sun/Moon (not forgettable, but for the wrong reasons)

 

[Crazy Jamie]

I appreciate the ranking, even if I didn't understand half the words. I played a lot of whichever one of Red or Blue I had when I was 12 (I think it was Red). I'm pretty confident that I finished it. There was certainly a time when I was familiar with all of the original Pokemon. I then played a bit of Yellow. And I think that's it. It's so strange because pretty much all of the games are physically in my collection and I recognise them as being an integral part of video game history. I just didn't play any of them after the originals, and I don't even really know why that is. There were times when I played a lot of GBA and DS games, including long RPGs. Just never went back to this series. Weird one.

 

[Benzine]

I appreciate the ranking, even if I didn't understand half the words. I played a lot of whichever one of Red or Blue I had when I was 12 (I think it was Red). I'm pretty confident that I finished it. There was certainly a time when I was familiar with all of the original Pokemon. I then played a bit of Yellow. And I think that's it. It's so strange because pretty much all of the games are physically in my collection and I recognise them as being an integral part of video game history. I just didn't play any of them after the originals, and I don't even really know why that is. There were times when I played a lot of GBA and DS games, including long RPGs. Just never went back to this series. Weird one.

Hugely popular game series that we haven't played would be a good thread

 

[Crazy Jamie]

Hugely popular game series that we haven't played would be a good thread

I think we nearly started one of those after a discussion in another thread. Feels like it needs to happen.

 

[Smacktard]

Hugely popular game series that we haven't played would be a good thread

I thought that thread already happened

 

[dimmerwit]

R/B/Y is always going to rank well since it's the OG even as I accept it's outdated. I have played a bit of FR/LG on emulator and the demo of Let's Go, but I don't really think I need to play this one again. I played Yellow back in the day as well which is fine but not one I like as much.

G/S/C is interesting. I will freely admit that my first copy of this one (before the western release) was a bootleg copy which had an almost unintelligible unofficial translation and that probably clouded my feelings for it. I did play through a proper copy later which I liked but not as much as R/B/Y, even as I accept it's the better game. I've not played the remake.

I played one of R/S/E on emulator and enjoyed it quite a bit. I just didn't play as much not having the hardware as it's never as fun on a PC, except perhaps the ability to play the game really fast by speeding up the emulation. Again, not played the remake.

I've never owned a DS and never really emulated it so I've never played D/P/P, BW or BW2. I heard that the remake of D/P/P wasn't that good so I've not played it.

I got a 3DS cheap on sale in early 2014 and played X/Y (think it was X). I think it's the most relentlessly average game I've ever played. The music is quite nice I guess, but having not played the series in a while it did reinforce how little the games had changed. I've never liked the mega evolution stuff to be honest. I didn't bother with Sun & Moon or their enhanced versions probably from the bad taste this one left me.

As for Sword/Shield I got Sword I think? It's fine. It's still very conservative in its design but it does take some baby steps in the right direction and I thought the visuals (sans the open area) and the soundtrack were really good. I thought the open world area wasn't that great and was clearly a harbinger of the S/V open-world issues.

I didn't consider Scarlet/Violet on Switch as it's a technical wreck. I have the Switch 2 console and whilst the upgraded game still looks a bit shit it does at least have a proper framerate, a decent resolution and no embarrassing animation update rate cuts. That said, I still haven't bought it yet. @Tommy Boy which is the one to get?

 

[Tommy Boy]

I wish you didn't leave gen 1 in then!!!

I think your top ranking is right, I agree, it was a great game and probably the one I played the most.

But, as a kid, the feeling I got when playing Crystal, going back to Kanto, has rarely been topped gaming wise.

True, I probably should have omitted Gen 1 & 2. As much as I'd like to think, it would be impossible to measure the amount of time actually spent on these two titles. By the time I was through with my silver version, it straight up didn't work. I played Yellow until I got Silver, and then Silver until I got Ruby. I never got FR/LG, though. It was the only game I didn't rank because I have zero experience with it. These two games set the stage for the rest of the series, but at their core, these are the original 1-2 punch combo.

1. Blue - it’s the one I had first
2. Red - it’s just like blue
3. Heartgold - it’s the one @VashTheStampede recommended I play
4. 
   
5. 
   
6. 
   
7. 
   
8. 
   
9. 
   
10. Yellow - felt like cheating to get all the starters so easily

Those are all the ones I’ve played

Thank you for only listing games you played lol

This list shook me to my core. It's almost the reverse order of my list, although I haven't played anything since Ultra Moon.

It shook me too, since this list would be dramatically different about 3 years ago. Modding my 3DS let me jump back into worlds I missed or worlds I never explored. I thought my tried and true would remain on top, but even with recency bias aside, I genuinely enjoy the newer generation of games. I had to convince myself I wasn't gaslighting myself into thinking this, but I really thought long and hard before pressing the post button.

I might be in the minority that prefers G/S/C over the remakes. I can't remember exactly what I disliked about the remakes, but I think sloppy sprites and worse music (I know you can get an item that changes the music back to OG, but that's later in the game).

Not at all in the minority - plenty love the OGs for good reason. If you prefer the original presentation, then hell yeah. I honestly thought that would be your preference, anyway. I've always struggled to stay hooked in retro games in my adulthood, but you have always been able to jump back into the oldies and have a blast. I envy that ability as I find myself bored easily on older titles, or ones that I've ran into the ground. I truly think that's why I ranked HGSS higher than GSC.

I did enjoy the R/B remake more than the OG games though. It's just better made, fewer glitches, more versatility, etc.

I think I just have to play it despite not really wanting to play through Kanto again. I primarily want to try it because of the Physical/Special split this game was finally given. Finally, Nidoking or Alakazam are not completely OP lol. I would probably give Leaf Green a shot sometime.

1. G/S
2. FR/LG
3. R/B/Y
4. Black/White
5. Diamond/Pearl
6. X/Y (totally forgettable)
7. Sun/Moon (not forgettable, but for the wrong reasons)

It really sucks that XY was so forgettable. I wanted to like it but it was so half-baked.

I appreciate the ranking, even if I didn't understand half the words. I played a lot of whichever one of Red or Blue I had when I was 12 (I think it was Red). I'm pretty confident that I finished it. There was certainly a time when I was familiar with all of the original Pokemon. I then played a bit of Yellow. And I think that's it. It's so strange because pretty much all of the games are physically in my collection and I recognise them as being an integral part of video game history. I just didn't play any of them after the originals, and I don't even really know why that is. There were times when I played a lot of GBA and DS games, including long RPGs. Just never went back to this series. Weird one.

LOL I can assure you these are all my words and not a bot It definitely has to do with age, I think. I was born in 1990 and felt like the golden, target demographic at the time. I played the game daily while watching the anime every Saturday. I didn't lose interest until they jumped to the next handheld, and at the time I had given my DS to my little brother who broke his. That pretty much caused my entire shift away from Pokémon inadvertently. I think if I had kept it, I still would have played them as they came out. But I don't blame you for losing interest. I was seriously obsessed when I was younger. It was all I thought about, dreamed about, drew pictures about, etc. History or not, if it didn't personally grasp YOU, then I don't think it's weird to not be engaged; then or now. The good thing is that you can jump back in anytime! But uh we're up to 1,025 Pokémon now lol. (1,164 if you count regional variants and additional evolutions introduced )

I got a 3DS cheap on sale in early 2014 and played X/Y (think it was X). I think it's the most relentlessly average game I've ever played. The music is quite nice I guess, but having not played the series in a while it did reinforce how little the games had changed. I've never liked the mega evolution stuff to be honest. I didn't bother with Sun & Moon or their enhanced versions probably from the bad taste this one left me.

Makes sense. I enjoyed the Mega gimmick in ORAS way more than in XY. The Gamefreak leak shows how much of a change this game was going to bring to the series, but they simply dropped the ball. Now it's a shell of what it was supposed to be. The only thing that got me in this game was a note on a bench left from the professor to his older self. The rest of the game can go in the trash. AZ is cool I guess.

As for Sword/Shield I got Sword I think? It's fine. It's still very conservative in its design but it does take some baby steps in the right direction and I thought the visuals (sans the open area) and the soundtrack were really good. I thought the open world area wasn't that great and was clearly a harbinger of the S/V open-world issues.

The music is great, totally agree. You can see what they were going for in this game, but by the time SV came out I thought it would be more polished..... lol.

I didn't consider Scarlet/Violet on Switch as it's a technical wreck. I have the Switch 2 console and whilst the upgraded game still looks a bit shit it does at least have a proper framerate, a decent resolution and no embarrassing animation update rate cuts. That said, I still haven't bought it yet. @Tommy Boy which is the one to get?

I won't sugar coat it dude. The environment still looks like absolute shit compared to a normal video game in Scarlet/Violet. The charm of the customized cities and towns are gone in this, but in my opinion, it is a trade off for what it brings. The 60 FPS lock is necessary to enjoy this game, and I would never recommend it to someone on S1 hardware. If you're able to get past the Minecraft-ass open world look to the game, it's where I believe the game truly shines.

The story in this game might be one of my favorites - a decently written story with good characters who are not overly friendly but not stupid either. The world is not ending and the player character is not god. The rival is not some malevolent ruler with insane plans. Everything felt pretty grounded and reasonable. I cried a few times lol. Then, the DLCs actually wrap the story up in a complete way. The end game is basically a farm for hardcore players or just an open world for the casuals. Multiplayer is not required but can help get some tedious stuff done. The battle animations are good, no drops, and everything is smooth and clean. I just wish the Pokémon in battles were more animated and had more personality, but that's always been a plague with 3D sprites. At the very least, they did add a lot of motion to some, but not all.

I would recommend this game to anyone that loves Pokémon and wants to stick to the "traditional" format with a few changes. There are still Pokémon gyms in this, but there are also two other branches of the story to explore and complete, which has to do with your school and your ride Pokémon. Get whichever ride Pokémon you think you'll like better. Scarlet has "past" Pokémon, and Violet has "future" Pokémon.

If you wanted to try a Pokémon game that is completely different than anything you have played before, then Pokémon Legends: Arceus is a must-buy. This game did not get an S2 upgrade, but the game runs way faster than it did before. The frames are locked to 30 (womp womp) but this game is unmatched to any other modern Pokémon title. Catching Pokémon and building the first ever Pokédex is the main focus of this story, and they fucking COOKED with this game. If you're going to get one or the other, I'd say get this. It's the most fun I've had with a Pokémon game since I played Omega Ruby for the first time.

 

[Nae'blis]

I basically haven't played a Pokemon game since Red...

Does Pokemon Go count? I played that for a brief period of time.

 

[Smacktard]

I've always struggled to stay hooked in retro games in my adulthood, but you have always been able to jump back into the oldies and have a blast.

Tbf almost all the retro games I play now are games I'd never played/finished before. I just find the gameplay is tighter and there's less focus on drawn-out, obnoxious tutorials or awful HUD elements that clutter the screen and overcomplicate the gameplay. Don't get me wrong -- I love complex modern games, too, but I like balancing between the modern and the retro. Short bursts for retro, long sessions for modern games.

I envy that ability as I find myself bored easily on older titles, or ones that I've ran into the ground

If I were to play a game I'd played to death (Gold, for example), I don't see myself even getting to the E4. I played those games to exhaustion as a kid.

I primarily want to try it because of the Physical/Special split this game was finally given. Finally, Nidoking or Alakazam are not completely OP lol. I would probably give Leaf Green a shot sometime.

I like the 1st gen remakes because they make the experience fresh still, with the Phys/Special split, natures, proper EVs and IVs, hold items. It's like a whole new game.

It was all I thought about, dreamed about, drew pictures about, etc

Hahah same bro, I was obsessed. Collected the cards, played the games, even rented fkn Hey You! Pikachu from Blockbuster. Printed some Pokemon Stadium stickers at Blockbuster, too -- I still have some stuck on a light switch in my childhood room haha. Kids at school would ask me to trace their favorite Pokemon for them from a guide I had.

Makes sense. I enjoyed the Mega gimmick in ORAS way more than in XY. The Gamefreak leak shows how much of a change this game was going to bring to the series, but they simply dropped the ball. Now it's a shell of what it was supposed to be

tl;dr on this one?

If you wanted to try a Pokémon game that is completely different than anything you have played before, then Pokémon Legends: Arceus is a must-buy.

I've heard people really sing this game's praises, but I just... don't care. I lost interest in the series with Sun/Moon, and seeing the reception Sw/Sh got just pushed me further away. Maybe I'll try Arceus some day, but I don't see myself buying before trying.

 

[Tommy Boy]

I like the 1st gen remakes because they make the experience fresh still, with the Phys/Special split, natures, proper EVs and IVs, hold items. It's like a whole new game.

I really should give it a go once I'm done with Platinum.

Hahah same bro, I was obsessed. Collected the cards, played the games, even rented fkn Hey You! Pikachu from Blockbuster. Printed some Pokemon Stadium stickers at Blockbuster, too -- I still have some stuck on a light switch in my childhood room haha. Kids at school would ask me to trace their favorite Pokemon for them from a guide I had.

Wow, Pokémon card tracing was my first "business" I ever set up in 4th grade. People would give me a card to trace and then a card to keep. It worked fantastically for me lol

tl;dr on this one?

What I meant was X/Y is a shell of what it was supposed to be, and that's not even from the absence of Z. There are YT videos that can explain far better than I, but I agreed with dimmerwit on how average the game is. It had cool moments but ultimately missed for me. (This is what you meant by tl;dr right?)

I've heard people really sing this game's praises, but I just... don't care. I lost interest in the series with Sun/Moon, and seeing the reception Sw/Sh got just pushed me further away. Maybe I'll try Arceus some day, but I don't see myself buying before trying.

Totally fair, it is an entirely new thing but that doesn't mean it's going to be the thing for you to hop back in. If you have the chance to rent it or try it for a bit, it's worth checking out. It focuses on the catching and Pokédex aspect rather than battling (without removing it). With your previous experiences in mind, I think trying before buying makes the most sense for you, but whenever you're ready for that. I wish I could just share the dang game with you digitally but papa N said no

I basically haven't played a Pokemon game since Red...

Does Pokemon Go count? I played that for a brief period of time.

Heck yeah it counts! It connects to the current generation of games, which is pretty cool. You can catch Pokémon on your phone and transfer them into your main game. Pretty dang neat!

 

[Benzine]

I thought that thread already happened

I don't pay attention I probably missed or forgotten

 

[Quagmire]

Red/blue /yellow are the ones I've really only played

I played a little of gold or silver on an emulator more than 20 years ago but didnt beat it

As someone who likes stories and characters I pretty much skip over the series as it's not for me

 

[Smacktard]

What I meant was X/Y is a shell of what it was supposed to be, and that's not even from the absence of Z. There are YT videos that can explain far better than I, but I agreed with dimmerwit on how average the game is. It had cool moments but ultimately missed for me. (This is what you meant by tl;dr right?)

Nah I meant what were the leaks that suggested X/Y was supposed to be an ambitious, interesting game that would change the series?

 

[Tommy Boy]

Nah I meant what were the leaks that suggested X/Y was supposed to be an ambitious, interesting game that would change the series?

https://imgur.com/a/pokemon-x-y-beta-leak-TtJ9wE6

At the time of the post, it was a rumor, but a few months later the actual Gamefreak leak happened where the terabytes of data got out and people mined the shit out of it. We found out that XY was supposed to be completely different - story, elements, the whole nine. It seems like around 50% of the game was cut, even removing South Kalos entirely.

TL;DR: XY was supposed to also have Z in the traditional 3 release format. Aliens. Ride Pokémon before Gen 7. Kalos was supposed to have gyms like Galar. Camera mechanics for hunting. Pokémon size and weight were to get more important. Color palettes ultimately swapped at the 11th hour. Secret locations and easter eggs pointing to other games. It goes on and on, but I'd recommend a comprehensive YouTube video to throw on it the background sometime. It seems like a lot of the changes they were going for in XY ended up making it in pieces to the other titles, but never all in one. Legends Z-A will not be the Z we were not given, and it likely will not fill in the blanks left behind by Kalos, but I still think they will be referencing source material from the XY beta for this new game.