How to Play the Pokémon Games in Chronological Order

How to Play the Pokémon Games in Chronological Order Southeast Asia Home Amazon Deals Pro-tips by Codashop PC PS4 Xbox One Nintendo Mobile Entertainment EsportsMoreSearch Home More About IGN SEAContactAdvertisePressUser AgreementPrivacy PolicyCookie PolicyRSSIGN Southeast Asia is operated under license by Media Prima Digital Sdn Bhd (199901014126) Change Region United States United Kingdom Australia Africa Adria Serbian/Croatian Adria Slovenian Benelux / Dutch Brazil China / 中国 Czechia / Slovakia France Germany Greece / Ελλάδα Hungary India Israel Italy / Italia Japan / 日本 Korea / 한국 Latin America Middle East – English Middle East – الأوسطالشرق Nordic Poland Portugal Southeast Asia Spain / España Turkey / Türkiye world.ign.com Register / Login Register / Login Login Register Pokemon Legends: Arceus How to Play the Pokémon Games in Chronological Order Unraveling the chronology of the Pokémon game universe. This post might contain affiliation links. If you buy something through this post, the publisher may get a share of the sale. By Jacob Kienlen  Updated: Feb. 27, 2026, 10:46 p.m. Related reads:MapleStorySEA Celebrates 20th Anniversary With Massive Summer Updates The mainline Pokemon games make up one of the best-selling video game franchises of all time. From Pokemon Red and Blue to the Pokemon Legends, these games have amassed a huge audience that just keeps coming back for more year after year.More like thisOpen Back Headphones: A Sound Experience Like No OtherIf you haven’t played all of the Pokemon video games in the series, however, you may find yourself in a bit of a dilemma trying to figure out where to start in 2026. Most of the major titles in the series are excellent standalone games to dive into, but if you want to start from the beginning, there are two different ways to play in order: Chronologically or by release date.Jump to:How to Play by Release OrderHow to Play in Chronological OrderWhich Pokemon Games Should You Actually Play First?Choosing where to start boils down to what Nintendo console you currently have. If you only have a Nintendo Switch, you can start with Let’s Go Pikachu or Let’s Go Eevee, which are kind of like remakes of the original Yellow version from 1998. You can also play Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl for another remake experience. Pokemon Legends: Arceus is also an option (and technically first up on the timeline), but it is very different from the other mainline games.If you’re wanting to dive right into Pokemon Scarlet and Violet or Legends: Z-A, it’s worth noting that you likely won’t be missing out on any overly pertinent information from the previous games. The only games in the main series you might not want to jump right into is Black 2 and White 2 as those are sequels.Pokemon Games in Release OrderI you want to play the games in the order they were released rather than try to attempting to go through the convoluted chronological timeline, here are all of the Pokemon games by release date:Pokemon Red and Blue – February 27, 1996 – Game BoyPokemon Yellow – Game Boy – September 12, 1998 – Game BoyPokemon Gold and Silver – November 21, 1999 – Game Boy ColorPokemon Crystal – December 14, 2000 – Game Boy ColorPokemon Ruby and Sapphire – November 21, 2002 – Game Boy AdvancePokemon FireRed and LeafGreen – January 28, 2004 – Game Boy AdvancePokemon Emerald – Sepember 16, 2004 – Game Boy AdvancePokemon Diamond and Pearl – September 28, 2006 – Nintendo DSPokemon Platinum – September 13, 2008 – Nintendo DSPokemon HeartGold and SoulSilver – September 12, 2009 – Nintendo DSPokemon Black and White – September 18, 2010 – Nintendo DSPokemon Black 2 and White 2 – June 23, 2012 – Nintendo DSPokemon X and Y – October 13, 2013 – Nintendo 3DSPokemon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire – November 21, 2014 – Nintendo 3DSPokemon Sun and Moon – November 18, 2016 – Nintendo 3DSPokemon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon – November 17, 2017 – Nintendo 3DSPokemon Sword and Shield – November 15, 2019 – Nintendo SwitchPokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl – November 19, 2021 – Nintendo SwitchPokemon Scarlet and Violet – November 18, 2022 – Nintendo SwitchPokemon Legends Z-A – October 16, 2025 – Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch 2How to Play the Pokemon Games in Chronological OrderThe Pokemon timelne may seem pretty linear at first glance, but without enough obvious details to go off of, it can be pretty confusing to try to follow the chronology from title to title. Luckily, a now deleted tweet from Toshinobu Matsumiya has given us a starting point for some of the games. For the rest, we can only make educated guesses based on a few key details witin the games.1. Pokemon Legends: ArceusThe first game in the chronology is very clearly Pokemon Legends: Arceus seeing as it’s set in a time when the relationship between humans and Pokemon was only just starting to form. You spend a large portion of your time running around a vast open wilderness catching and battling wild Pokemon, and the people you interact with are clearly just beginning to understand the world of Pokemon. This game features crafting and research tasks, which greatly differentiates it from the usual gym battle formula we are used to.Though we don’t know just how long ago Pokemon Legends: Arceus takes place compared to the other games in the series, we do atleast know that it seems to feature the ancestors of Diamond and Pearl characters.2. Pokemon Red, Blue, and YellowAs the original games in the series, Pokemon Red, Blue, and Yellow are up next in the timeline. Bringing the first-generation Pokedex and introducing us to the classic Pokemon game formula, these best-selling games are what started it all.Although we can’t know for sure that these Game Boy games are up next in the timeline, the deleted Tweet from Game Scenario writer Toshinobu Matsumiya confirmed that the series starts with these. The technology featured in the game is also fairly limited compared to some of the newer games — though still advanced enough to bring fossils back to life!Bonus: Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreenPokemon FireRed and LeafGreen are remakes of the original Red and Blue games and thus are at the same exact point in the timeline. Much of the plot is the same as the originals with some key differences — including visiting the Sevii Islands after becoming champion of the Elite Four.3. Pokemon Ruby, Sapphire, and EmeraldPokemon Ruby, Sapphire, and Emerald brought all new Pokemon and throws you into the Hoenn region — which is some distance from both the Kanto and Johto regions. Considering this game features the third generation of Pokemon and some new technology, it seems most likely that it would take place after both Red and Blue and Gold and Silver. However, according to that same deleted tweet from Matsumiya, Pokemon Ruby and Sapphire take place at the same point in time as FireRed and LeafGreen.This also means that Pokemon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire are at the