The Exploration Age in Civilization 7 is all about expanding your reach across the map while contending with rivals and allies at home and abroad. Building on the foundation you laid in the Antiquity age, this is your chance to get ahead and start looking at opportunities to set yourself up for eventual victory in the Modern age.

Of course, your choice of Exploration age civ is going to be extremely impactful. There are eleven Exploration age civs in the game, all with different traits and strengths. You may not have access to all of them every game, as they each have specific unlock requirements, but no matter how many options you’re dealing with, our Civ 7 Exploration civs tier list can help you make that crucial decision.

Civ 7 Exploration Civs Tier List

S-tier – Mongolia, Shawnee, Norman

A-tier – Chola, Ming

B-tier – Abbassid, Hawai’i, Inca, Songhai

C-tier – Majapahit, Spain

S-Tier Exploration Civs

These are the best of the best Civilization 7 has to offer. Whether it’s their particularly strong military units, or their very powerful resource access, you can largely dominate maps with these choices.

S-Tier: Mongolia

• Bokh – When you capture an opposing Settlement gain the strongest Cavalry Unit you can train, but -50% Production towards training Settlers. Gain 1 Point towards training Settlers. Gain 1 Point towards the Non Sufficit Orbis Legacy Path for controlled. Settlements in the Distant Lands and conquered Settlements in the Homelands. +30% Production towards constructing Erdene Zuu.
• Keshig – Mongolian Unique Ranged Unit. Has +1 Movement and heals 15 HP after defeating an enemy Unit. Counts as a Cavalry Unit and ignores Zone of Control.
• Noyan – Mongolian Unique Army Commander. +50% Flanking to Cavalry Units in the Command Radius.
• Örtöö– +5 Gold. Restores movement to any Mongol Unit at its location. Mongolian Unique Improvement. Ageless. Does not remove Warehouse Bonuses on a tile. Cannot be placed on Rough, River, or a tile with a Feature.

Mongolia is the perfect continuation of the Persia civilization’s ideals from the Antiquity Age – namely, bash your head against other civilizations aggressively to take their land. There’s nothing here that’s flashy, but as a show of brute strength, you will become the bully of a map when taking control of Mongolia.

One interesting thing about Mongolia is that it directly feeds into the Military Legacy Path by providing boosts for the Non Sufficit Orbis path. The more you take as well, the stronger your army grows with Cavalry, so you can snowball maps pretty hard, especially with the Keshig and Noyan adding extra firepower. If you are planning to go for a Military victory, Mongolia is a direct path to get there.

S-Tier: Shawnee

• Nepekifaki – Settlements built adjacent to Navigable Rivers gain +2 Food on River Terrain, but Cities not built adjacent to a Navigable River receive -10% Food. +30% Production towards constructing Serpent Mound.
• Kispoko Nena’to – Shawnee Unique Infantry Unit. +1 Combat Strength for every unique Empire Resource.
• Hoceepkileni – Shawnee Unique Missionary. +1 Movement and Rivers do not end movement.

The Shawnee unique trait of Nepekifaki is easy to keep active, as most Settlements will likely end up being built around rivers. By doing so, you will get a nice boost of Food, helping your population grow, and allowing you to grab even more land. You have to avoid having cities not on Navigable Rivers, but even in cases where you have a Town not on one, you can just leave it as a Town.

Elsewhere, the Kispoko Nena’to could become one of the strongest Infantry in the game under the right circumstances. If you get your hands on multiple Unique Resources, they will become very, very strong. This makes Shawnee a military force to be reckoned with, but also one that will be expanding its borders through population growth too.

S-Tier: Norman

• Normannitas – Land Units receive +1 Movement when Embarked and Land Units adjacent to Coast receive +5 Combat Strength. +30% Production towards constructing the White Tower.
• Chevaler – Norman Unique Cavalry Unit. +3 Combat Strength against slower Units. Ignores Zone of Control
• Sokeman – Norman Unique Settler. Civilian Unit capable of founding new Towns. Receive Medieval Walls in the City Center when a new Town is created.
• Donjon – Norman Unique Quarter. Created by constructing the Bailey and Motte in the same District. Receive a free Chevaler Unit when completed.
• Bailey – +4 Culture. +1 Culture Adjacency for Medieval Walls and Wonders. Norman Unique Culture Building and Fortification. Ageless. All Fortified Districts must be conquered to capture a Settlement.
• Motte – +4 Happiness. +4 Happiness if placed on Rough Terrain. Happiness adjacency for Wonders. Norman Unique Happiness Building and Fortification. Ageless. All Fortified Districts must be conquered to capture a Settlement.

The Normans are a great option for almost anyone in the Exploration Age as they provide buffs that feed into most of the age’s Legacy objectives. Land Units receiving +1 movement when embarked is going to be super useful when trying to get a foothold in Distant Lands. Not only will you be able to get Settlers over faster, but you can move your Military Units quicker so you won’t be defenseless after you arrive. This makes them very nimble during this Age, which is surprisingly valuable.

They are also supported by a very good Cavalry Unit in the Chevaler, which will be strong against armies that rely heavily on Infantry units. By just creating the Unique District, the Donjon, you’ll get free one of those units, making the Normans a military force to be feared. On top of this, the Sokeman Army Commander gives new Towns automatic City walls, which feed into both the power of the Bailey and Motte.

A-Tier Exploration Civs

A-Tier: Chola

• Samayam – +1 Trade Route from the Improve Trade Relations Action. +30 % Production towards constructing the Brihadeeswarar Temple.
• Kalam – Chola Unique Naval Unit. +1 additional attack per turn if movement allows.
• Ottru – Chola Unique Naval Commander. Has +1 Movement and greater sight. Opposing Military Units in the Command Radius receive -3 Combat Strength.
• Five Hundred Lords – Chola Unique Quarter. Created by constructing the Anjuvannam and Manigramam in the same District. +5 Land Trade Route range and +15 Naval Trade Route range.
• Manigramam – +4 Happiness. +1 Gold Adjacency for Coastal Terrain, Navigable Rivers, and Wonders. +50% Production towards Naval Units. Chola Unique Gold and Military Building. Ageless. Must be placed adjacent to Coast.
• Anjuvannam – +5 Gold. +1 Gold Adjacency for Coastal Terrain, Navigable Rivers, and Wonders. +50% Production towards Naval Units. Chola Unique Gold and Military Building. Ageless. Must be placed adjacent to Coast.

The Exploration Age is where a strong Navy can dominate, and the Chola have access to some serious firepower in this regard. Kalam can attack twice in many instances, while the Ottru debuffs enemy units too. When used in tandem, there’s not many who will be able to withstand a sea-based assault like this.

The Chola also get access to a lot of Trade buffs, increasing the number of Trade Routes they can establish, and also their radius. You should be able to build quite a treasury and maintain decent relations with other civilizations with this. That said, the Chola will struggle to keep up with Science, so pacts will be important to stay relevant. On top of that, they are also not a civilization to pick if you ended up building a very landlocked empire in the Antiquity Age, as access to coasts is fairly essential.

A-Tier: Ming

• Great Canon of Yongle – +50% Science in the Capital. -15 Science per turn for each Social Policy, but not Tradition, slotted. +30% Production towards constructing the Forbidden City.
• Xunleich – Ming Unique Infantry Unit. +4 Combat Strength in Featureless tiles. Has a Ranged attack.
• Mandarin – Ming Unique Merchant. Civilian who can establish a Trade Route to import Resources from a foreign Settlement. +100 Gold when using the Create a Road Action.
• Ming Great Wall – +5 Culture. +1 Gold Adjacency for Fortification Buildings and Improvements. Ming Unique Improvement. Ageless. Counts as Fortification, +6 Combat Strength when defending. Does not remove Warehouse bonuses on a tile. Can only be built in a line. Cannot branch or fork.

The Ming civilization has enormous upsides. With some careful management, they can absolutely run away with technological advances in the Exploration Era, as they get a straight 50% buff to all Science in your Capital. However, you can end up hurting yourself. You get -15 Science for every Social Policy, so you will want to lean on Tradition wherever possible. If you manage this, though, the benefits are enormous.

The Ming Great Wall is a versatile building offering great fortification defense, as well as Culture and Gold. The Mandarin is also a great unit for a quick burst of Gold when building Roads, and while not the strongest military unit in the Age, the Xunleichong is a good option if you can station them on featureless terrain.

B-Tier Exploration Civs

In this tier, you’ll find good civilizations with a decent amount of benefits. They’re generally strong, and may be situationally extremely powerful, but tend to be more specialized.

B-Tier: Abbassid

• Madina – Receive 30 Gold for each Rural Population of the City when you create a Specialist. (Scales by Game Speed).+30% Production towards constructing the House of Wisdom.
• Mamluk – Abbasid Unique Cavalry Unit. When stationed in your territory, receive +1 Combat Strength for each Urban Population in that Settlement. Ignores Zone of Control. Has lower combat strength than other Cavalry units.
• ‘Alim – A Great Person with one charge. Can only be trained in Cities with an Ulema, and the specific ‘Alim receives is random. Each ‘Alim can only be received once. Cost increases per ‘Alim trained.
• Ulema – Abbasid Unique Quarter. Created by constructing the Madrasa and Mosque in the same District. +1 Science to all Specialists in this City.
• Madrasa – +5 Science. +1 Science Adjacency for Quarters, Science Buildings, and Wonders. Abbasid Unique Science Building. Ageless.
• Mosque – +4 Happiness. +1 Culture Adjacency for Happiness Adjacency for Cultural Buildings and Wonders. Unlocks the ability to found a Religion. Abbasid Unique Happiness Buiding. Ageless.

The Abbassid civilization can be excellent, and when used correctly, it offers a variety of benefits. But to get these benefits, you’re going to need to manage your Settlements and properly set them up. You get 30 Gold for each Rural Population of a city whenever you create a specialist. You can also boost Science quite a lot by completing the Ulema District, providing +1 Science for all Specialists in the city. The Mamluk are also decent and can become quite powerful defensively. The Cavalry gains +1 Combat Strength for every Urban population in a Settlement while stationed there.

This civilization is an excellent option if you’re confident in producing and placing Specialists while managing districts. However, if you’re less confident in how these mechanics work, many other, plug-in-and-play civilizations require less finessing.

B-Tier: Hawai’i

• Moananuiakea – Gain 25 Culture each time a Settlement expands to Marine Terrain.+1 Happiness on Fishing Boats. +30% Production towards constructing Hale o Keawe.
• Leiomano – Hawaiian Unique Infantry Unit. +3 Combat Strength against Infantry and Cavalry Units. Receives Culture from defeating enemy Units.
• Kahuna – Hawaiian Unique Missionary. Has an action to heal adjacent Units. Receive 25 Gold when you convert a Settlement.
• Lo’i Kalo – +3 Food and +2 Production. Adjacent Farms receive +1 Culture. Hawaiian Unique Improvement. Ageless. Does not remove Warehouse bonuses on a tile. Must be placed on Grassland or Tropical.

The Hawai’i civilization is a great choice for those who find themselves by the ocean. Considering the Exploration Age is all about getting in your boats and finding Distant Lands, this can synergise nicely. The Moananuiakea trait means you gain 25 Culture each time a Settlement expands in Marine Terrain. You’ll also get +1 Happiness on Fishing Boats. Neither is an enormous buff, but if you can incorporate a lot of sea into your borders, this will undoubtedly add up.

Elsewhere, the Leiomano is a very solid Infantry unit, getting a +3 combat buff against Infantry and Cavalry Units. Considering that’s the majority of land units they will be going up against, it’s just a nice edge that doesn’t require a complex initiation. The Lo’i Kalo is also just a solid producer of Food, Production, and Culture in most cases, making it a versatile building. There’s nothing particularly flashy or hard to use about Hawai’i past just being on a coast, but the civilization has a nice slew of solid benefits that are easy to get consistent value out of.

B-Tier: Inca

• Apus – Can work Mountain Terrain. +2 Food and +1 Production on Mountain Terrain. +30% Production towards constructing Machu Pikchu.
• Warak’q – Incan Unique Ranged Unit . Has +1 Movement and ignores movement penalties from Rough Terrain. +5 Combat Strength when attacking from Rough Terrain.
• Chasqui – Incan Unique Scout with +1 Movement. Has increased sight that ignores Mountains and Rough Terrain.
• Terrace Farm – +6 Food. Incan Unique Improvement. Ageless. Does not remove Warehouse bonuses on a tile. Must be placed on Rough Terrain adjacent to a Mountain.

The Inca civilization is best utilized with a bit of forethought, but if you build correctly, you can do a lot of really good things with them. Choosing this civilization is best if you’ve built your borders with them in mind in the Antiquity Age. This is because their power comes from utilizing mountain tiles. If you built your cities around big ranges though, you will get a lot from the Incas.

This civilization lets you work Mountain terrain, and get extra food and production when doing so. On top of that, the Terrace Farm improvement is just a significant +6 to Food, meaning you will be able to expand your borders even faster. The Chasqui scout is also great for exploring Distant Lands, getting extra movement, and ignoring mountains and rough terrain, allowing you to chart new continents really fast. That all said, if you don’t have a lot of mountains within your lands, you’re going to be missing out on a lot of value, making them quite situational.

B-Tier: Songhai

• Tarikh al-Sudan – +2 Resource Capacity in Cities on Navigable Rivers and your Trade Ships cannot be Plundered on Navigable Rivers. +30% Production towards constructing the Tomb of Askia.
• Gold Bangles Infantry – Songhai Unique Infantry Unit. +5 Combat Strength on Resource tiles. +100% Gold from pillaging Trade Routes.
• Tajio – Songhai Unique Merchant. Civilian who can establish a Trade Route to import Resources from a foreign Settlement. When you create a Trade Route receive 100 Gold if this is a Trade Route with at least 1 Navigable River.
• Caravanserai – +5 Gold. +1 Resource Adjacency for Navigable Rivers and Resources. Songhai Unique Improvement. Ageless. Does not remove Warehouse bonuses on a tile. Must be built on Desert or Plains.

The Songhai are all about making money. If you’re looking to make Gold, this Civilization will do it for you – that said, it’s relatively one-dimensional. The Tarikh al-Sudan trait that gives them +2 Resource Capacity in Cities on Navigable Rivers is nice as those slots do come at a premium. Also, the Caravanserai improvement as well as the Tajiro merchant are very good Gold generators.

That being said, there is no real variety here. Other yields like Influence, Happiness, Culture, and Science might struggle. Of course, you can buy these buildings in towns with all your Gold, but expect some difficulty keeping up with everyone else. Also, the Gold Bangles Infantry, which gets +5 combat on Resource tiles, is a decent defensive option if you set up like that specifically, but considering you’re at the whims of the map, and not your Settlement placement, it can be a little awkward to utilise fully.

C-Tier Exploration Civs

While not bad civilizations, these are often more situational civilizations or civilizations that require a unique playstyle that might be best for more experienced players.

C-Tier: Majapahit

• Negara – All Cities except the Capital receive +1 Specialist Limit. After the Exploration Age the Specialists become inactive until you increase the Limit. +30% Production towards constructing Borobudur.
• Cetbang – Majapahit Unique Naval Unit. +5 Combat Strength against Naval Units. Can pillage within 2 tiles for 1 Movement.
• Pedana – Mahapahit Unique Scout with +1 Movement. Has increased sight that ignores Mountains and Rough Terrain.
• Pura – Majapahit Unique Quarter. Created by constructing the Candi Bentar and Meru in the same District. Receive 1 Relic when completed.
• Meru – +5 Happiness. +1 Happiness Adjecency for Mountains and Wonders. +2 Happiness on Natural Wonders. Majapahit Unique Happiness Building. Ageless.
• Candi Bentar – +5 Culture. +1 Culture Adjacency for Coastal Terrain, Navigable Rivers, and Wonders. Majapahit Unique Culture Building. Ageless.

The Majapahit are a decent choice if you live in a relatively varied landscape. The Meru provides Happiness on Mountains, Wonders, and even more on Natural Wonders. The Candi Bentar is a great producer of Culture on Coasts, Rivers and Wonders. That said, it can be hard to really incorporate all of that, and even if you build the Pura district by combining both, receiving 1 relic isn’t often going to tip the scales for you. On top of that, the Negara does let you have an extra Specialist, but again, this likely isn’t going to be a massive deciding factor for you.

The Majapahit is not without merit. Altogether, it can be a decent producer of Culture if the circumstances are right, and if you get more Puras it can be a decent source of Relics. The Cetband Navel unit is excellent too, getting +5 combat strength against enemy Naval Units is strong in an Age when a lot of sailing is happening. That said, the Majaphat lack a little cohesiveness, and can be a touch situational, making it tougher to get full value out of them at all times.

C-Tier: Spain

• Siglo de Oro – +15% Gold towards converting a Town to a City, or +30% in Distant Lands. +30% Production towards constructing El Escorial.
• Tercio – Spanish Unique Infantry Unit. Has a higher Combat Strength. Adjacent Units receive +3 Combat Strength against Cavalry Units (bonus is only applied once.)
• Conquistador – A Great Person with one charge. Can only be trained in Cities with a Wharf, and the specific Conquistador received is random. Each Conquistador can only be received once and can only be activated in Distant Lands. Cost increases per Conquistador trained. Can always Embark in Ocean.
• Plaza – Spanish Unique Quarter. Created by constructing the Casa Consistorial and Casa de Contratacion in the same District. +2 Gold in this Settlement for every Settlement in Distant Lands.
• Casa Consistorial – +5 Culture. +1 Culture Adjacency for Quarters and Wonders. Spanish Unique Culture Building. Ageless. Must be built in the Homelands adjacent to the Coast.
• Casa de Contatacion – +5 Gold. +1 Gold Adjacency for Navigable Rivers, Resources, and Wonders. Spanish Unique Gold Building. Ageless. Must be built in the Homelands.

Spain is not a bad civilization by any means. They provide a lot of avenues for Gold, with the Plaza Quarters being a big source of it if you make a lot of Settlements in Distant Lands. However, outside of that, and considering a couple of other Civilizations have access to powerful Gold-generating facets, there’s not much that really sets Spain apart.

The cost reduction on turning Towns into Cities from the Siglo de Oro is nice to have but probably isn’t going to have a massive impact on how your Age goes. The Tercio is also a good unit against militaries that have gone a little too hard on Cavalry but are outpaced by many other strong military units of other civilizations in this Age.

Patrick is a freelance journalist with over 13 years of experience who loves going deep on games and getting into their systems. His four-figure hours into both Overwatch 2 and Destiny 2 are a testament to that.

Often cited as one of the world’s most valuable media franchises, Pokémon is a household name that’s been a Nintendo staple since the Game Boy. The beloved series is home to hundreds of amazing creatures you can catch in-game or collect as trading cards, with each new generation bringing loads more to discover. Every console released by Nintendo has had plenty of Pokémon games released for it, and the Nintendo Switch is no exception.

With Nintendo’s official Switch 2 announcement confirming the console’s backward compatibility, you can feel confident picking up any existing Pokemon games on the Switch, knowing they’ll carry over to the new system. Below, we’ve compiled every Pokémon game that has been released on Nintendo Switch and the information we have on upcoming Pokémon games releasing on the Switch 2.

How Many Pokémon Games Are There on Nintendo Switch?

In total, 12 Pokémon games have been released for the Nintendo Switch. This includes the mainline games for the 8th and 9th Pokémon generations as well as plenty of spinoffs. For the sake of this list, we’ve counted mainline entries with two versions as a single release. We also don’t include the Pokémon games offered through Nintendo Switch Online, but you can check out that list below.

What Pokemon Game Should You Get in 2025?

If you’re wondering which game is worth picking up on the Switch in 2025, my recommendation is Pokémon Legends: Arceus. It’s not going to give you that OG Pokémon game feeling, but that’s what the older generation games are for. Instead, Legends: Arceus introduces more action and RPG elements to the Pokémon series, offering the freshness of open areas to explore, more control over encounters, and plenty of polish for the handheld. If you’re looking to pick up new Switch games on sale, it’s worth checking out Presidents’ Day game deals this weekend.

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 Scarlet and Violet, these games have amassed a huge audience that just keeps coming back for more.

If 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 2025. 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 in Chronological Order
• How to Play by Release Order

Which Pokemon Games Should You Actually Play First?

Choosing where to start boils down to what Nintendo console you currently have, though the recent Delta emulator may change that for you. 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, but it is very different from the other mainline games.

If you’re wanting to dive right into Pokemon Scarlet and Violet, 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.

How to Play the Pokemon Games in Chronological Order

The 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: Arceus

The 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 Yellow

As 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 LeafGreen

Pokemon 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 Emerald

Pokemon 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 same point in the timeline here seeing as they are remakes.

4. Pokemon Gold, Silver, and Crystal

As the second game in the series (in terms of release date) Pokemon Gold and Silver take place three years after the events of Red and Blue. With some exciting new Gen 2 Pokemon and some of the best post-game content in the series, Gold, Silver, and Crystal were an excellent follow up to the original games. By traveling to the Kanto region after becoming the champion of Johto, you get a firsthand look at the passage of time. You even get to battle the protagonist from the first games, Red, who is quite strong.

This placement in the chronology also applies to the remakes: HeartGold and SoulSilver. Although the remakes offer some additional content, they are essentially just updated versions of the originals.

5. Pokemon Diamond, Pearl, and Platinum

In terms of series release order, Pokemon Diamond and Pearl came a few years after Ruby and Sapphire. However, we now know from that deleted tweet from Matsumiya that Diamond and Pearl actually takes place at the same time as HeartGold and SoulSilver. This may seem a little bit confusing considering the advancements in technology we see in Diamond and Pearl, but we can likely just chalk it up to the actual date the games were created rather than the chronology within the Pokemon universe.

This would also mean that the remakes, Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl are set in the same point of the timeline. Though the timeline gets a bit wonky with the inclusion of Fairy-type Pokemon considering those weren’t introduced until X and Y.

6. Pokemon Black and White

Featuring the fifth-generation of new Pokemon, Black and White was the second mainline game to come out on the Nintendo DS. Although we don’t know exactly when the story takes place in the Pokemon universe, we do that it takes place after Diamond and Pearl thanks to Matsumiya’s tweet. Since there aren’t any obvious links to the previous games, we can only assume that Black and White takes place more than 3 years after Red and Blue.

7. Pokemon Black 2 and White 2

As a true sequel to Black and White, Pokemon Black 2 and White 2 offer a fairly obvious transition through the chronological timeline. We see changes where gym leaders pass on their duties to the next generation, Team Plasma has advanced their plot, and there is a new Champion. Between all of these things, we know that roughly two years have passed since Black and White, progressing the timeline forward in an uncharacteristically linear fashion.

8. Pokemon X and Y

As the first game in the series to allow payers to explore and battle in 3D, Pokemon X and Y was a fresh take on the classic Pokemon formula. While this is largely due to it being the first title in the series to be a Nintendo 3DS game, it definitely helped set up future games. While we don’t know exactly when the game fits in the chronology, thanks to Matsumiya we atleast know that X and Y take place at the same time as Black 2 and White 2. However, it’s possible that it is set in a different universe due to Mega Evolution being a thing.

9. Pokemon Sun and Moon

Happening a few years after X and Y, Pokemon Sun and Moon takes us to the Alola region. While we don’t have any information from Matsumiya about where this game fits in the timeline, it features a few characters from X and Y that indicate that time has passed between games. An adult Red and Blue also make an appearance, though their exact age isn’t revealed, so we still don’t know exactly how much time has progressed since Red, Blue, and Yellow.

This also means that Pokemon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon take place at the same point in time as they are essentially remakes of Sun and Moon with some additional content.

10. Pokemon Sword and Shield

With the arrival of the Nintendo Switch came the first Switch-exclusive mainline Pokemon game: Sword and Shield. Featuring a brand-new region, new Pokemon, and the introduction of Gigantamax, Sword and Shield is essentially a soft reboot of the series. So that being said, we have no idea where it fits on the chronological timeline. There aren’t really any hard references to the previous games, so there is no way of accurately fitting it into the known Pokemon universe.

One of the only clues we have about the timeline comes in the form of new technology. The addition of the Rotom Phone seemingly places us further in the chronology than Red and Blue at the very least, but that’s all we can really gather. It’s possible that Pokemon Sword and Shield simply takes place in an entirely different universe than any of the other games.

11. Pokemon Scarlet and Violet

As the latest entry in the series, Pokemon Scarlet and Violet brings all-new Gen 9 Pokemon and the open-world Paldea region to the Nintendo Switch. There haven’t been any obvious clues revealed about where it lands on the timeline, so we unfortunately don’t have enough information to try to accurately place it. That being said, if it follows the chronological structure of previous mainline games, it’s possible that it takes place at the same time as the events of Pokemon Sword and Shield.

How to Play the Pokemon Games by Release Date

I 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 mainline Pokemon games by release date:

1. Pokemon Red and Blue – February 27, 1996 – Game Boy
2. Pokemon Yellow – Game Boy – September 12, 1998 – Game Boy
3. Pokemon Gold and Silver – November 21, 1999 – Game Boy Color
4. Pokemon Crystal – December 14, 2000 – Game Boy Color
5. Pokemon Ruby and Sapphire – November 21, 2002 – Game Boy Advance
6. Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen – January 28, 2004 – Game Boy Advance
7. Pokemon Emerald – Sepember 16, 2004 – Game Boy Advance
8. Pokemon Diamond and Pearl – September 28, 2006 – Nintendo DS
9. Pokemon Platinum – September 13, 2008 – Nintendo DS
10. Pokemon HeartGold and SoulSilver – September 12, 2009 – Nintendo DS
11. Pokemon Black and White – September 18, 2010 – Nintendo DS
12. Pokemon Black 2 and White 2 – June 23, 2012 – Nintendo DS
13. Pokemon X and Y – October 13, 2013 – Nintendo 3DS
14. Pokemon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire – November 21, 2014 – Nintendo 3DS
15. Pokemon Sun and Moon – November 18, 2016 – Nintendo 3DS
16. Pokemon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon – November 17, 2017 – Nintendo 3DS
17. Pokemon Sword and Shield – November 15, 2019 – Nintendo Switch
18. Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl – November 19, 2021 – Nintendo Switch
19. Pokemon Scarlet and Vilolet – November 18, 2022 – Nintendo Switch
20. Pokemon Legends Z-A – TBA Late 2025

Upcoming Pokemon Games

While a new Pokemon Legends game was technically announced last year, we finally got an official gameplay reveal during this year’s Pokemon Day. Titled Pokemon Legends: Z-A, the upcoming game is set in Lumiose City, within the same Kalos region as Pokemon X and Y. The city itself is in the midst of a technological evolution to support trainers and Pokemon thriving together.

As a Legends game, Z-A’s starter Pokemon are a throwback: Chikorita and Totodile from Gen 2 alongside Tepig from Gen 5. Like in Legends: Arceus, these familiar starters will be getting new final evolutions. The gameplay trailer also showed off new battle mechanics, like positioning, dodging, and aiming your Pokemon’s attacks. Unfortunately, the one thing the trailer didn’t confirm is a release date: the game is still set for a tentative “late 2025” release, most likely on Switch and Switch 2 consoles.

That wasn’t the only game reveal from the 2025 Pokemon Day announcements. Game Freak and The Pokemon Company also announced Pokemon Champions, a new battle game for both Switch and mobile devices. This is most likely the “multiplayer Pokemon game” that was alluded to in earlier leaks. More like Pokemon Showdown than other Pokemon releases, Pokemon Champions will allow trainers to battle with Pokemon they’ve caught and trained in other games through the Pokemon Home app. No release date information has been revealed.

Looking for additional Pokemon content? Check out our guide to the best Pokemon movies and Pokemon Video Games for more. You can also shop for the coolest Pokemon merchandise at the IGN Store for some of our favorite Pokemon toys.