The Nintendo Switch is the best-selling Nintendo home console of all time, and with the success of merging the home and portable console market, Nintendo and GameFreak have broughtPokémoninto the living room for the first time this generation.
The endeavor hasn’t been completely smooth sailing for the two companies, but the result is that Switch owners have been feasting gloriously on mainlinePokémonentries. Here is our ranking of every mainlinePokémongame on the Nintendo Switch.
#5:Pokémon Sword& Shield
The eighth generationPokémongames were the first entirely new entries to be released on the Nintendo Switch, following thePokémon YellowremakeLet’s Go Pikachu & Eevee. That also madeSword & Shieldthe first new mainlinePokémongames to be released on a home Nintendo console, something that many Pokéfans had been waiting up to two decades for.
Unfortunately,Sword & Shieldsufferedfrom a combination of high expectations and poor execution. Fans who had dreamt of aBreath of the Wild-like revolution of thePokémonseries were disappointed by the comparatively bland semi open-world and technical issues that the games had at launch.
Sword & Shieldalso marked the first time that players wouldn’t be able to have every Pokémon in a single game, which may have been inevitable due to the sheer number of Pokémon now in existence, but that didn’t quell the internet’s fury.
Pokémon Sword & Shielddid introduce some great new features to the series, such as Gigantamax Pokémon, the Wild Area, and the Champion Cup. But there had to be a last-placed game, and that’sSword & Shield.
#4:Pokémon Brilliant Diamond& Shining Pearl
ThePokémon Diamond & PearlremakesBrilliant Diamond & Shining Pearlare some of the more fun-loving reimaginations of olderPokémongames. Just look at that art style. How cute is that? That’s pretty much what you’ll be thinking the entire time you’re playing the games, and it doesn’t get old.
Despite being released in 2021,Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearlutilize a similar top down perspective to the original Nintendo DS games to maintain the now decidedly retro style ofPokémongames from that era.
In a vacuum,Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearlare excellentPokémongames. However, by today’s standards,they can feel dated. If you’re looking for a retroPokémonexperience on the Nintendo Switch, then look no further, but if you want everything thatPokémonhas offered this generation, keep reading.
#3:Pokémon Let’s Go Pikachu& Eevee
Pokémon Let’s Go Pikachu & Eeveemay not be the most in-depth, or longestPokémongames ever, but they do have one key thing going for them: innovation. TheLet’s Gogames aren’t your average Pokémon remake. Based onPokémon Yellow,Let’s GoPikachu & Eeveeare one of the biggest divergences from traditionalPokémongames in the series.
That’s because theLet’s Gotitles tookPokémonas we know it, the wildly popularPokémon Go, and the beloved original games, then smushed them all together. The result? Awonderful mixtureofPokémon Go‘s catching mechanics, a beautiful reimagining of Kanto, and the original 151 Pokémon.
There was some concern from long-term fans that allPokémongames would follow thePokémon Goformula, which wouldn’t be good. But as we know now, that hasn’t been the case. Instead,Pokémon Let’s Go Pikachu & Eeveeremain a wonderful little offshoot in the Pokémon series. An offshoot that’s well worth revisiting every year or two.
#2:Pokémon Scarlet & Violet
Pokémon Scarlet & Violetare the latest evolution in thePokémonseries as the ninth generation of games. The games built upon what GameFreak did withSword & Shieldwhile also incorporating a lot of what madePokémon Legends: Arceusso popular.
Compared to the eighth generation games,Scarlet & Violetmade some big strides forward. Though,technical limitations remainedand, in some cases,even worsened. If you want the best performingPokémonentries,Scarlet & Violetaren’t it.
However, what they do have is an excellent new generation of gameplay, an open world that feels much more alive thanSword & Shield, and one of the better stories in the history of the franchise. Itdoes feel likeScarlet & Violetare destined to perform better on Nintendo’s next generation console. But while we all wait for that, there’s a lot to love about the latestPokémongames on the Nintendo Switch.
#1:Pokémon Legends: Arceus
What do you get when you combine time travel andPokémon?Surprisingly enough,greatness. That’sPokémon Legends: Arceus, the perfect Pokémon game, not just on the Nintendo Switch but even when compared across the entire franchise history.
Fans who wanted aBreath of the Wildrevolution withSword & Shieldbut didn’t get it. Little did they know theBreath of the Wildrevolution would arrive two years later in the form ofArceus. The change to ancient Sinnoh revitalizes the world, from the hand-written Pokédex to the Apricorn Poke-Balls. Everything feels fresh.
That translates into the gameplay, too. TheMonster Hunter-esque hubs, player damage from battles, andRPG features make it one of the most replayablePokémongames ever.
If there’s onePokémongame to get on the Nintendo Switch, it’sArceus. We can only hope thatPokémon Legends: Arceusgets a follow up soon.
