It has been 22 years since Pokémon first came onto the market with its Red and Green editions. Since then, the saga has become a synonym of success, selling millions of units with each of its main deliveries and producing a multitude of spin-offs that have allowed us to enjoy our favorite creatures in a variety of different genres, Not to mention the gigantic merchandising machinery that has always been associated with the license.
With so many releases under his belt, it’s hard to choose between so many best pokemon games , so taking advantage of the fact that this year we will receive the first title of the main series for Nintendo Switch, we decided to make a selection of the top 20 best pokemon games, by our team.
To make things a little more interesting and varied, we have self-imposed some small rules when designing this list. In this way, we will only choose one delivery of each series of the spin-off (although here we will make a small exception, as you will see), while of the main titles we will include all the editions (including its definitive one) as one. Also, if there is a game that has a remake, such as Silver and Gold or Red and Blue, we will only select the remake or the original version, but never both. With all this said, we finally give way to our list of the 20 best Pokemon games: we hope you enjoy it!
20. Pokemon GO (2016 – iOS, Android)
Probably many of you have raised your eyebrows a little when you see Pokémon GO on this list. Not in vain, if we judged it only as “game”, probably would not go too well , since its gameplay cannot be simpler and basic: the gym matches do not go much beyond beating the screen of our mobile to all speed and the rest consists basically of walking through our city locating Pokémon and launching Poké Balls left and right.
But despite this, this peculiar application has managed to do what no video game so far: remove half of their homes to play and take walks in the company in one of the most amazing social phenomena of 2016, which has left all kinds of curious anecdotes. Although now things have calmed down and the collective madness has passed, it is still a title played and used by both Android and iOS users who know how to make our daily walks much more entertaining by capturing these charismatic pocket monsters.
19. Pokemon Ranger: Strokes of Light (2010 – Nintendo DS)
The Pokémon Ranger trilogy may not have been the best pokemon fan games that came out of the license, but it must be recognized that they are far from being bad games, offering very simple adventures, enjoyable and enjoyable to play.
In addition, his proposal was, at least, quite curious, because here our goal was not to “capture” these creatures, but to make friends with them and “calm them” by drawing circles at full speed , something that against the bosses had more crumb of what it might look like In fact, here the Pokemon with which we are friends did not fight, but simply supported us during the confrontations, giving us various advantages with their abilities.
Unfortunately, their low difficulty, the low rhythm of their scripts and the monotonous that came to be made their main mechanic prevented these games from reaching further. Of all of them, we are left with Trazos de Luz, the most polished and complete of all.
18. Pokemon Colosseum (2004 – Nintendo GameCube)
At first, Pokemon Colosseum was going to be the equivalent of Pokemon Stadium of the third generation, but in the end what we received was a much more ambitious and experimental game that, in addition to offering us the possibility of fighting three-dimensional combats on desktop with our cartridges Pokemon Ruby, Sapphire, Emerald, Fire Red and Green Leaf in all types of stadiums, also brought with it an exclusive and surprisingly original role adventure .
In fact, it was not the typical game of Pokemon, because here we incarnated one of the “bad guys” (who, obviously, was not so much) and instead of capturing pocket monsters we had to steal them from other trainers to purify them, as long as these were corrupt. Thanks to this premise, the title presented a story and a somewhat more mature and dark tone of what we were accustomed to seeing in the saga, in addition to completely away from its typical clichés, as “get all” or get all the gym medals.
The downside is that the main plot was extremely short and the selection of Pokemon that we could steal was too limited. We also missed something more exploration, since the scenarios were too small and linear. Of course, all this did not prevent it from being a very entertaining and recommendable experience for any fan of the series.
17. Pokken Tournament DX (2017 – Nintendo Switch)
We will not deny that we wanted a Pokemon fighting game practically since we were able to get our hands on Red and Blue for the first time, so the announcement of Pokken Tournament was something we received with open arms, especially when the team behind him had such renowned names in the genre as Katsuhiro Harada, creator of Tekken.
Although the final result was not as satisfactory as we would have liked, we have to admit that it offered us a very original and unique fighting game that divided the action into open phases with three-dimensional free movement with a more closed duel and with the classic camera lateral of the genre. Both did not stop exchanging constantly, which favored very dynamic and entertaining clashes, especially if we take into account the care and care that had been put in representing each of its playable Pokemon.
However, its character template was too low, the gameplay seemed insufficient and very unattractive, and the title suffered an alarmingly playable depth that made us tire of it before time. Luckily, it’s DX version for Switch solved some of these problems (relatively), becoming an interesting purchase option for anyone wanting to give themselves cakes with their favorite pocket monsters.
16. Detective Pikachu (2018 – Nintendo 3DS)
Detective Pikachu is the most recent and pleasant surprise that the saga has left us in a very long time. In essence, it is a very easy and simple graphic adventure whose puzzles offer everything but a challenge, but in spite of that, he managed to conquer us for only one reason: his charismatic protagonist.
Unlike the Pikachu we all know, this peculiar detective speaks with a hoarse and serious voice, is addicted to coffee, does not know how to run on all fours and goes everywhere always tired, does not hesitate to try to flirt with any cute girl that crosses on his way, he is unable to perform Pokemon movements and resolves cases and crimes like nobody else.
Thanks to his constant presence, the adventure gains an interest and charm in his narrative as we had never seen before in a game of the series, getting us hooked and enjoy each step we take until the end and solve all the mysteries that are they raise us.
15. Mysterious World Pokemon: Blue and Red Rescue Team (2006 – Game Boy Advance)
Pokemon Mysterious World is another of the most prolific spin-offs that have left us the license, with several deliveries already to its credit. Here the idea is to turn ourselves into a Pokemon (something that is usually done with a personality test) to establish a friendship with the rest of creatures that live in a world without humans and where they have developed their own society. And all this while we overcome dozens of challenging dungeons with random design in which we move in turns.
Although its gameplay is extremely repetitive (we will do the same from the beginning to the end), they are very entertaining games with surprisingly complex and elaborate scripts that usually capture our interest with relative ease. And all this not to mention the gigantic amount of hours that will take us to complete them 100% and meet all their optional challenges.
If we had to stay with one of them, the thing would be between Pokémon Megamisterioso World (overwhelmingly complete and polished) and its first delivery, Blue and Red Rescue Team , which is why we have opted for its entertaining story and its difficulty, higher than normal and much more stimulating, especially in its more advanced optional challenges.
14. Pokemon Stadium (1998 – Nintendo 64)
Although the logic tells us that we should have chosen its sequel, since it offers twice as many playable Pokémon, we have finally stayed with the first Pokémon Stadium for several reasons.
In essence it was a game where all we did was fight , either with rented Pokémon and predetermined or with which we had trained in our cartridges of Red and Blue in Game Boy (the transfer could do it thanks to an accessory that was included with the title), although of course, this was the first time we could see our favorite monsters re-created in 3D, a jump that for many of us was really shocking after having become accustomed to the pixels of Nintendo’s veteran laptop.
In addition to this impact, which obviously was largely lost with its continuation, it should also be noted that all the battles were commented by a commentator who left us one of the most mythical dubbings of the time (they look like fires of artifice!), who was changed for the sequel without reaching the same level.
Finally, in addition to fighting, both titles included a surprisingly addictive selection of mini-games, although these were much more inspired in the first part, which is why we have stayed with her for this list. In short, a very iconic and brutally challenging game (complete all the glasses was not turkey mosque) that allowed us to experience the battles of the saga with all the spectacle they deserved.
13. Diamond, Pearl and Platinum Pokemon (2007,2009 – Nintendo DS)
Here we have the first game of the main saga to appear on our list. The fourth generation Pokémon left us an extremely conservative title that was unable to advance the saga in the slightest. Until the graphics jump, we came to crave a little scarce for what we expected.
Despite this, the formula of the series has been more than proven in these two decades, so it continued offering an extremely addictive adventure, very complete and with many hours of fun, even if it was limited to doing the usual and its post-game did not reach the level of its predecessors, not to mention a somewhat irregular creatures design.
Here we must highlight its Platinum edition, which solved many of the problems of Diamond and Pearl, leaving us a much more memorable, complete and interesting title that also gave us the joy of recovering the Battle Front of Pokemon Emerald.
12. Pokemon Pinball (2000 – Game Boy Color)
Pokémon Pinball had the honor of being the first spin-off of the series and, at the same time, one of the most addictive. An idea as simple as combining the capture of creatures that has characterized the license with the fun of a good pinball table ended up curdling perfectly.
The title counted on two boards (red and blue), each one with its own characteristics and exclusive Pokémon to capture, whereas our ball was, evidently, a Poké Ball. As we played, we could activate the trip various mechanisms to improve it, travel between regions (in each appeared different monsters) and, of course, find these iconic creatures to capture them ball clean and even evolve.
Of course, the goal was to get the original Pokemon and complete our Pokedex (the data was kept from one game to another), giving us the perfect excuse to throw us one game after another and always feel that we were progressing at the same time We had a great time. An authentic vice that included a special cartridge to add a vibration function to the console and that we felt each of the blows that we gave.
11. Pokemon Puzzle Challenge (2001 – Game Boy Color)
Although many may only know Intelligent Systems by Fire Emblem and Paper Mario, the truth is that this veteran and the renowned studio have participated in many Nintendo games, and these have always shown an enviable level of quality. His contribution to the Pokemon world was to create the Puzzle League saga by retaking the gameplay of Panel of Pon , which resulted in two addictive puzzle games (later there would be more, but would no longer be related to the creatures of Game Freak), one for Nintendo 64 ( Pokémon Puzzle League ) and Pokemon Puzzle Challenge for Game Boy Color.
Both titles boasted the same gameplay, consisting of aligning three equal pieces to make them disappear and thus create combos with which to take life to our opponent in a really intense duel in which we had to prevent our chips touching the top of the screen.
We opted for the portable version, as it seemed much more complete and entertaining, in addition to adapting better to the console for its style of play, offering a multitude of challenging long-lasting modes, capture elements, and an enviable soundtrack, plus to be based on the best pokemon games ranked, Gold and Silver instead of the anime, as it happened in sobremesa. What was said: addictive and complete a few. Its quality was such that no subsequent attempt to make a new spin-off of Pokemon puzzles has even come to overshadow it.
10. Pokemon X / Y (2013 – Nintendo 3DS)
Thanks to Pokémon X / Y the interest for these iconic creatures of Nintendo, which seemed to have declined with his previous deliveries, returned to the big thing, becoming one of the best Pokemon fan games of the whole series.
The sixth generation did many things well, including giving a necessary and spectacular graphics jump that became its main claim. In addition, the new creatures had a great design, recovering to some extent the style and charm of the first two games of the series
Unfortunately, at a playable level, it did not contribute much, offering the same (and fun) formula as always, and its contents were not up to par, leaving us with one of the most decaffeinated and empty post-game of the whole saga. Nor did it help the huge downturn that brought in the difficulty of the main adventure, making our journey through Kalos in a real walk.
But, as usually happens in this series, his virtues ended up overcoming his flaws widely, so it remains a highly recommended and enjoyable game for every fan of Pikachu and company.
9. Pokemon XD: Dark Tempest (2005 – Nintendo GameCube)
With this game, we broke the rule of not including more than one installment of the same spin-off saga, since, despite what its title might suggest, it is a sequel to Pokemon Colosseum, although much more focused on the role adventure part than on the Stadium style fighting.
Thanks to it, Tempestad Oscura is presented as a game much bigger, complete, long and polished than its predecessor in every way. The story was much more interesting, the characters were better treated, there were more Pokemon that we could “steal” (almost double), the process of purification of them was considerably improved, and so on. And all this while maintaining the tone and playable bases of Colosseum, as well as its multiplayer modes and compatibility with Game Boy Advance and games of the third generation to give us cakes in 3D.
8. Black and White Pokemon (2011 – Nintendo DS)
With the arrival of the fifth generation, Game Freak returned to the fray with a new game that, in spite of following the same formula as always, knew how to offer us a lot of fun and what is, without a doubt, the best story and narrative that has never had a major installment of the series so far , leaving us with a character as memorable and elaborate as N, who gets us to question many of the conceptions of the Pokemon world.
Not in vain, the final stretch of this title is probably the most epic and surprising of the whole saga, distancing itself from the traditional Pokemon League to culminate in a much more elaborate climax. And all accompanied by a graphic section completely renovated and with really surprising effects for what we were used to seeing in Nintendo DS.
The bad news is that, at the design level of creatures (not in the case of humans), it is the weakest delivery, and the region of Teselia lacked some charm, but, in general, it is a very fun adventure and very complete that gave us many hours of pure entertainment.
7. Black and White Pokémon 2 (2012 – Nintendo DS)
Unlike what usually happens, Pokemon Black and White did not receive the third edition. Instead, Game Freak opted to make a direct sequel to them to take us once again to Teselia, but a few years later, with new players and a completely new story.
The interesting thing is that, despite the obvious recycling and not include a new generation of creatures, rediscovering this region became a very enjoyable adventure since the passage of time had caused many changes in most areas, so that still retained some freshness.
As if that were not enough, the title had a really hard and challenging post-game that recovered the best traditions of the saga, offering us a challenge to match that motivate us to continue playing and strive to overcome it. A pity that from here the difficulty of the series plummeted.
6. Pokemon Conquest (2012 – Nintendo DS)
What if we were to join the historical figures of feudal Japan and bring their wars to the Pokemon world in a turn-based role-playing game? This strange question was the one that had to be made in Koei Tecmo and Nintendo before developing this unusual crossover between Nobunaga’s Ambition and Pokemon , which, unfortunately, never had official distribution in , so the only European version that existed was that of United Kingdom, forcing us to resort to importing to enjoy this great game.
As we say, the result could not be more satisfactory , becoming a warlord with an Eevee that, based on strategic Pokemon battles, had to conquer and unify the Ransei region, challenging other historical warriors and recruiting new troops to join our cause, and all this while we managed our army to be able to ensure the defense of our territories while attacking others.
At an audiovisual and playable level, the title is a real wonder. Perhaps his argument was too simple and it would not have hurt a little more depth and difficulty to the battles, but in general, it was a hilarious adventure, very satisfying and exceptionally long until we proposed to complete all his campaigns after the main story Without a doubt, of the best Pokemon games that have ever been made.
5. Sun and Moon Pokemon / Ultrasol and Ultra Luna (2016,2017 – Nintendo 3DS)
Pokémon Sun and Moon, the most recent generation so far, benefited greatly from the resurgence of Pokemon fever that we live with Pokemon GO since it came out just a few months after the mobile phenomenon, but beyond that, it is the best pokemon games ranked of full right by its own merits.
In fact, in it we have one of the most ambitious deliveries of the entire series , with which Game Freak tried to give a facelift and break with some of its traditional conceptions, giving a new structure to the development of the adventure with the Insular Tour and creating really unique Pokemon with very exclusive details that brought all kinds of new and unprecedented strategies in the competitive field.
In addition, the narrative was enhanced with spectacular video sequences and the “good vibes” breathed in the way of life and understand the relationship with the Pokemon of the inhabitants of Alola was as refreshing as contagious. And let’s not forget the elimination of the heaviness of the Hidden Machines in favor of the best pokemon fan games!
Of course, all this was accompanied by a graphic improvement that exploited the capabilities of Nintendo 3DS to its ultimate consequences, abandoning the style “stubborn” of its predecessors for a more proportionate and stylized. Perhaps his biggest blight was the null difficulty that presented his main adventure, as well as a post-game something scarce and not too interesting, defects this last one that was solved with his Ultrasol and Ultraluna editions.
4. Pokemon Snap (1999 – Nintendo 64)
And we come to the last spin-off of this list, one of the strangest and most surprising that you would expect. How HAL Laboratory was able to make a real game of taking pictures of the Pokemon? It is something that we still ask, but the truth is that its quality and its ability to entertain is beyond doubt.
Actually, the title was a kind of rails shooter in which we were moving through different routes automatically while we photographed the creatures with whom we were in while doing their normal life in their natural habitat. Obviously, our reel was limited and depending on our photos, we would get more or fewer points to complete each tour.
We were evaluated with many criteria, such as the pose of the Pokemon, that there is more than one in the same photo, the size, that we captured a unique or special situation, our technique, and so on. To achieve this, we had different objects that we could use with the environment and pocket monsters to promote these conditions, encouraging us to constantly experiment to solve the “puzzles” that gave us the key to get the best possible picture.
Each tour was so full of secrets and exclusive details that we could repeat them dozens of times and continue discovering new things, something that managed to hook us with astonishing ease and to put hours and hours into the game almost without us noticing. An authentic jewel unique in its kind.
3. Red Fire and Green Leaf Pokemon (2004 – Game Boy Advance)
Finally, we come to the game that started it all or, being more specific, the remake that it received in Game Boy Advance. We will not deny that it has cost us a lot to opt for this version or for the original, as the merit of creating this phenomenon, its global impact and its grateful “simplicity” in nurturing are things that nobody will take away, but valuing it with something more coldness and removing the nostalgia, finally we have bet by Red Fire and Green Leaf in front of Red and Blue.
In general, we find the same mythical adventure that we already lived in the veteran Game Boy, but with completely renewed graphics and including all the playable improvements and content brought by the second and third generation : more creatures, the possibility to run, to play as a boy or girl, the EV and IV, the upbringing, et cetera. Obviously, there were also new areas to explore, challenges to face and a much more interesting and long post-game.
That is, not only was it a much more beautiful game visually, but also playable was much more polished and balanced, making your competitive something much more interesting and fair, but retaining at the same time all the enormous charm that made this adventure all a mass phenomenon.
2. Ruby, Sapphire and Emerald Pokemon (2003,2005 – Game Boy Advance)
Probably many of you surprised that we preferred to stay with the original versions of Ruby, Sapphire, and Esmeralda before with their remakes for Nintendo 3DS, but, to be honest, we believe that the editions of Game Boy Advance came out more round, especially with regard to Pokémon Emerald.
While the graphics jump was not as big as we expected and the playable formula remained somewhat immovable , Ruby and Sapphire were the first titles in the saga to introduce a major conflict related to certain legendary Pokemon that came to put the world in danger, increasing the scale and epic of our adventures to levels that we had not known until then.
They also playfully introduced certain novelties that ended up defining the entire competitive sector of the series, such as the matches in pairs and the possibility of controlling the upbringing of our creatures through IV and EV. In addition, Esmeralda introduced one of the most exciting and hard post-game of any delivery with the Battlefront, where we expected an infinity of really challenging and complicated matches with special rules, something that was inexplicably removed from his remake.
1. Pokemon Gold HeartGold and Silver SoulSilver (2010 – Nintendo DS)
And the crown is, as many of you have imagined, for the remake of Pokemon Gold and Silver. Anything that we tell you about this game will probably fall short, so if you like Pokémon and have never had the chance to get your hands on it, we encourage you to try to change that.
The editions of Game Boy Color are still, today, the best that has given the saga, offering a gigantic adventure that introduced not one, but two complete regions in all a technical prodigy that we should thank the incredible skills as a programmer of the sadly deceased former president of Nintendo: Satoru Iwata.
New types of Pokemon, 100 new creatures brilliantly designed, a well-adjusted difficulty, an expanded story, Pokémon varicolored, epic and unequaled moments, cycle day and night in real time, and so on. And if that were not enough, thanks to its third edition, Cristal, the story was expanded, the possibility of being able to play as a girl was introduced for the first time and the post-game was extended considerably with the challenging and long Battle Tower.
With all this, it is easy to understand that a game that collects all this base and improves it with all the advances that the saga had made until the fourth generation (graphics included) has become our favorite. And not only that, but it also expands its contents and brings us back a renewed and challenging Battlefront! An authentic pass and, without doubt, the most complete title of the series (and by far). Hopefully, we will see something similar soon.
