With eight generations of Pokémon titles to choose from, many lapsed fans may be wondering which is the best game to play to get back into the Game Freak series. In 1996, the Pokémon franchise originally made its debut with Pokémon Red and Green in Japan before releasing worldwide two years later with the iconic Pokémon Red and Blue Kanto RPGs. Decades after its launch, Pokémon now expands across eight regions of mainline titles and remakes. As a result, fans who walked away from the series in the past now have many games they can play to jump back into the Pokémon franchise.
In Pokémon Red and Blue, players were tasked with discovering and encountering the original 151 Pokémon in the Kanto Pokédex. Eight generations later, the Nintendo franchise now boasts a total of 905 Pokémon that can be caught. Although most Pokémon games still stick to the traditional Pokémon League story structure established in Kanto, the series has also seen major changes over the years that would surprise lapsed players who stopped playing in previous generations. For example, 2022's Pokémon Legends: Arceus transformed Pokémon Diamond and Pearl's Sinnoh region into Hisui, a semi-open-world map that even featured a free-aim catching mechanic.
Gen 9's Pokémon Scarlet and Violet launches this November and looks to have the series' most drastic changes to date. According to early marketing material, the new region will be the first seamless open-world Pokémon game, and will even have a story campaign that can be completed in any order. Pokémon players looking to get back into the franchise before the new Generation should dive into Pokémon Sword and Shield as it includes many features that can get old fans up to speed. Below is a breakdown of why Gen 8's Galar region RPGs, are the best game's lapsed Pokémon fans should play to get back into the series.
Pokémon Sword & Shield Is The Perfect Game To Get Ready For Gen 9
When Gen 8 was first announced, some fans were critical of the Pokémon Sword and Shield Galar region RPGs due to Game Freak cutting the National Pokédex. The Nintendo Switch titles were also seen at the time, as not being a big enough jump in quality from 2016's Sun and Moon. However, Gen 8 holds up really well for newcomers and returning fans who haven't played Pokémon for many years. Galar's "Wild Area" feature gives players a taste of Game Freak's new modern open-world direction, without being too drastic of a change from previous classic titles.
Pokémon Sword and Shield's online multiplayer Dynamax Raids is also a great transition to Gen 9 Scarlet and Violet's new co-op mode and will prepare trainers for teaming up with other players. While not as good as Mega Evolutions, Pokémon Sword and Shield's Dynamax mechanic makes for exciting battles and isn't too far removed from the beloved Pokémon X and Y feature. The real star of the Gen 8 titles, however, is the Pokémon Sword and Shield expansion pass, which gives the Galar region RPGs one of the series' best post-game content in decades.
Pokémon Sword & Shield Isle Of Armor & Crown Tundra DLC Can Catch Players Up
For the first time in the Pokémon franchise's history, Game Freak created an expansion pass instead of making a third edition of Gen 8. Although the lack of a National Pokédex was initially disappointing, the Isle of Armor and Crown Tundra DLC allows lapsed players to catch a wide range of popular Pokémon from every generation. The Pokémon Crown Tundra Dynamax Adventure mode even gives returning fans a chance to catch the majority of the franchise's Legendary Pokémon such as Mewtwo and Lugia.
Although Sword and Shield isn't every Pokémon fan's favorite game, the Gen 8 RPGs and their DLC have become the easiest entry point for lapsed fans to get back into the Game Freak series. With its accessible connectivity to the Pokémon Home storage app, Pokémon Sword and Shield allows old Pokémon players to quickly rebuild their living Pokédex collection and catch up with other trainers. Because many of its features are also transitions to Gen 9, the Galar region RPGs are the perfect games for fans to jump back into the modern Pokémon series.