As a huge fan of the Pokémon games who has played every mainline entry, in most cases more than once, it’s safe to say I have a good level of familiarity with every generation that has released over the past 25 years. I skipped a couple of games when they were new but took the time a few years ago to complete the story of every main game, creating a team in each that predominantly featured my type of choice – Poison – as well as using each starter and box Legendary in their respective generation to give them, and their game, a chance to really shine.
I like how nobody I speak to ranks the games in any way similar to anyone else, demonstrating just how wildly the opinions of players sharing an experience can differ. Be sure to let me know your top picks in the comments below, but before that let’s get into mine!
9) Diamond / Pearl – Generation 4
Beginning with the fourth gen, I never clicked with these games and only really enjoyed Platinum, but even then, not much. They don’t do anything really wrong that I can criticise, and despite being in last place I can still see that they are well designed and solid enough games.
I do feel less attention was paid to the roster of new Pokémon than in previous and future generations, though the decision to provide evolutions to Electabuzz and Magmar was unmistakably great. Unfortunately any brownie points earned for these is tarnished immediately by making them evolve only by holding a one per game item and then trading. While it may be sacrosanct to say as a long term fan of the franchise, the fourth generation does nothing for me, and aside from Electivire and Magmortar I struggle to name anything from gen 4 which aren’t Legendary or starters.
I confess I took a little sadistic delight in watching the interminably bland looking remakes in 2021 get panned, and I sincerely hope any potential remakes in the future receive much better treatment.
8) Scarlet / Violet – Generation 9
Recency bias may be the only thing keeping these games from the bottom of the pile, as I have just started playing Scarlet after spending 30 hours with Violet. I can’t help but find the open world direction the franchise has moved in to be dull and uninteresting. I am hopeful generation 10 will either do away with this idea or pull out all the stops to make it more palatable for players, as the bare bones region of Paldea stops way short of the quality I would expect from the ninth generation of these games.
Despite the years which have passed since release, Scarlet and Violet remain buggy with ugly graphical issues which constantly interrupt gameplay and spoil immersion. While Miraidon has a smooth and unobtrusive riding animation, Koraidon’s by comparison is irritating with the fact it bobs around while in motion.
Criticism of the open world aside, I do like the way you can tackle the gyms and side challenges in whatever order you choose. I also appreciate that the Pokémon which appear in each area can feel distinct from one another while also keeping a variety on display walking, flying or swimming where applicable. Having the Paradox Pokémon only become accessible in the brief endgame is an annoying misstep, and although I like a lot of their designs, their lack of story fanfare dampens my overall appreciation of them.
7) Ultra Sun / Ultra Moon – Generation 7
I’m surprising myself by putting these above gen 9, but the simple fact remains that I’ve been willing to play these games multiple times where I only played previous entries on this ranking once. The Ultra games drop a portion of the incessant hand-holding from the base Sun and Moon, as well as make welcome changes to the story to make it less boring; resulting in a much improved and streamlined final product.
The Ultra Beasts are a cool idea that I doubt we’ll ever see again, but the games are really let down by the gimmick of Z moves, which are a thoroughly under-baked concept. Some of the new Pokémon have my all time favourite designs within this generation, with even basic ideas producing exceptionally cool results – namely in Palossand and Dhelmise.
I also believe this gen has one of the best starter lineups out of all of them, and while Primarina appears at first glance to be the weak link of the three this time around, I think it was my favourite of them to use.
6) Red / Blue / Yellow– Generation 1
It’s not slander to put the originals this low down, as having not too long ago replayed Red, it is clear time has not been kind to these games. They’re still fine to play, but when it comes to ranking Pokémon games in 2024, they don’t hold up anywhere near as well as your rose tinted glasses would have you believe.
As odd as it is for me to praise something like this, where the original games indisputably hold up today is in their challenge; as in that they have any difficulty at all. You can’t just sprint from gym to gym here without a considerable risk of getting flattened, especially where Lt. Surge and Giovanni are concerned.
The music for the first generation was also considerably ahead of its time, with Lance’s theme in particular being an excellent and eternally memorable piece.
5) X / Y – Generation 6
X and Y, the first 3D games to release back in the Stone Age of 2013, were games which stayed consistently fun and interesting to explore right up until the defeat of their Elite Four. After this point the game stares at its feet for a minute before admitting it has no endgame whatsoever, which absolutely sucks. I do like their Elite Four but it takes no time at all for them to crumble before the strength of even a mid-levelled team, and the faintest whiff of challenge in these games goes up in smoke never to return.
I think generation 6 has one of the best rosters when it comes to Legendary’s, and Yveltal remains to this day my favourite ever Legendary. You can’t have an overpowered move called Oblivion Wing with the added benefit of restoring your health upon use, and slip under my radar.
Generation 6 is where the best of the gimmicks, Mega Evolution, was introduced through X and Y as well as Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire. I think I speak for every Pokémon player when I say we’re more than ready for their return in the upcoming Legends: Z-A game!
4) Ruby / Sapphire – Generation 3
Despite the fact these games have too much water (IGN lol) I find the progression feels the most satisfying through them, especially in the Gym Leader design and above average story quality against the relevant villainous team. I am a fan of how Ruby and Sapphire allow the apocalyptic event its antagonists want to carry out to happen, even if scaled back a bit. The relentless harsh sun or hammering rain for a time as Team Magma or Aqua’s story winds down adds extra atmosphere while the story is wrapping up.
I think of all generations for new Pokémon, the third just pips the rest to the post for the best introduction of new ‘mons. Salamence, Metagross, Exploud, Shiftry, the Regis.. I could go on and on with examples. On top of that, alongside Sun and Moon, this generation boasts one of the best lineup of starters to date, with Sceptile being my favourite Grass starter of all time.
3) Gold / Silver – Generation 2
Any game which includes an entire separate region as its endgame content is always going to rank highly on a list feature. While this game is let down somewhat by being what I believe to be the easiest generation (Whitney’s Miltank notwithstanding), even more so than the tutorial heavy seventh gen, its map remains fun to explore throughout its suspiciously brief – until you beat the Elite Four – length.
Gold and Silver succeed in feeling like a jumping off point from the hugely successful original games, and the new Pokémon introduced alongside a more rural setting allowed for encountering different creatures in their home habitat.
2) Sword / Shield – Generation 8
Though not quite perfect games, there’s a magic to the eighth generation that never ceases to absolutely captivate me. From an unparalleled offering of new monsters to a clear delight in its colourful art style, the Pokémon games set in a way cleaner depiction of Britain than the real thing is an absolute triumph in game design.
Setting every gym challenge in a huge spectacular setting has been something I’ve wanted since the Pokémon Stadium games for Nintendo 64. Even the first gym managed to be absolutely epic with hundreds of chanting fans as my little Water goblin stared down a perplexed sheep.
I adore that the post-game content is essentially a constantly refreshing tournament in the capital city’s stadium, and the thrill of facing down the final challenger took an age to wear off; which is how I accumulated over 100 hours in Pokémon Shield alone.
1) Black 2 / White 2 – Generation 5
Pokémon Black 2 isn’t only my favourite ever Pokémon game, it’s one of my all time favourite RPG’s; comfortably one I’ve completed the most times and sunk (almost) the highest amount of hours into.
First off, this game is l o n g. The endgame alone clocks in close to eight hours, and the fact I absolutely love about it is how you can almost organically train a team to level 100 with minimal grinding required!
There’s so much detail and variety to the Unova region that as soon as you begin to get even slightly tired of an area the game will whisk you away to an entirely different setting. Truly, the sequels to the tragically underwhelming base Black and White are comfortably head and shoulders above the rest, to take the crown(s) as the best Pokémon adventures I have ever played.
That’ll do it for this list, and thanks for sticking with it for this long! I’m confident I will have more ranking list features lined up for the near future so I will catch you again with one of those. In the meantime my Get Low Gaming channel has uploaded full Let’s Plays of both Days Gone and Maneater, with a new series starting very soon for spooky season!
Written and edited by Alexx.
Days Gone Let’s Play – Get Low Gaming
Maneater Let’s Play – Get Low Gaming
Liberty Lives in the Execution