Feature: Best Pokémon Games Of All Time

The Ultra games in last place?! Wow...

Until let’s go comes out I’m gonna stick the game anywhere in my top 5. Personally I’d have a tough decision on which would be first, between Black/White and HeartGold/SoulSilver.

I... am actually pretty okay with this list. I'd probably shuffle a few things around a bit, but overall the games I'd put in the top 5 are there and the games I'd have at the bottom of the list are there.

I see the shuffling I'd do to be more nitpicking than anything else.

I was a bit worried seeing D/P in last, almost thought you'd got the list the wrong way around, but at least Platinum made it high up.

I think it depends a lot on when you started playing, Emerald was my first game and will forever be the best for me.

Black and White are the worst imo (if D/P graphics were dodgy, B/W were atrocious!)

These lists would be better with more info on why you chose to place them where they are

Pokemon XY will always be best in my heart.

Wow. Pokemon 2019 is gonna be sick

@Aloy
I agree, I really don't like Black and White. XY are so much better. XY are like the underrated gyms.

This doesn't seem like a real list, it's just a random order and then your reasons for their placement is usually a list of new features...

And I don't see why D/P and Platinum are on opposite ends of the list, Platinum did make improvements but they are still a similar game.

I absolutely hate Gold and Silver. I never understood why people liked it so much. To me that would be at the bottom right above Diamond and Pearl.

No.

@StephanDLW @Aloy I think they ranked it a lot around what these games added to the series or rather what unique features they still have after 20 years. That's the only way I can explain why Crystal ranked a bit lower than G/S and HG/SS but Platinum did way better. Crystal lost a lot of it's unique features to HG/SS.

And let's be honest: Other than Wifi and a graphic update D and P didn't offer much unique traits. B/W had seasonal cycles and added roatation battles and tripple battles while also being the first game with fully animated monsters, and with its sequel they are the only games with fully animated sprites.
Personally, I also like the idea of not encountering old Pokémon until you cleared the game and N's castle as the finale.

But after all: NLife stated that none of these are bad games, they are all good, but they wanted to place it on a list. So since these are probably all differ only by the matter of comma.decimals in terms of points, personal preference certainly does a lot to shift these games around.

Bump up XY, Red & Blue, and Pokemon Yellow higher on this list and move Sun & Moon farther down the list due to its lack of innovation on what X & Y brought to the series before it, its removal of trainer clothing options, and its generally slow pacing in terms of traversing the world and accessing the PC and the difficult to navigate bike path around the Pokemon Nursery, and you've got yourself a ranked list of Pokemon games.

@StephanDLW they probably created this top list with someone from ign or someone who escaped from the looney bin.

While this ranking doesn't really specifically say anything about this, I'll use this platform to rant a bit about something that's always really ticked me off when people talk about the Pokemon games...

While they're not my favorite games of the franchise, I think X/Y get very unfairly maligned for having "no story" and whatnot. I have never once even remotely understood that complaint. Sure your character's involvement in the story is quite minimal compared to some of the other Pokemon games, but on top of having basically just as much story with the villains as most other games do, it also adds quite a lot to the overall lore and world building of the main series Pokemon games too. Personally I still hold them in regard as my favorite 3DS era games, although ORAS is very close competition.

The Pokémon series lost me when entering the DS/3DS era, though I played most of the ones released on those platforms. My favorites (maybe tinted a little bit by nostalgia) are still the original games I played as a kid way back when they were originally released, and the follow ups to GBC and GBA. Especially love Pokémon Yellow as it was the first video game I bought with money I had earned myself and I played the living hell out of it. Sadly I don't have my original game, but about two years ago I bought another copy at a retro store. I think it holds up pretty well. While it's pretty primitive compared to more recent entries and misses a lot of the added features that newer games have introduced, it still has a lot of charm.

Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver are sitting at the top of the list.
All is well in the world.
Here's a GIF that will make @ThanosReXXX all giddy and at the same time shows how I feel about the placement.

I adore Sun and Moon the most, not much for their "Ultra" renditions though. Ruby and Sapphire aren't far behind too.

S&M + USUM should both be at the bottom of the list. Absolute excrement.

Also, if I go into another article that's spread across multiple pages, I'm using adblock.

Hard disagree with Sun and Moon's placement. I grew up with Pokemon, Gen I came out when I was in 4th grade and I was hooked. That being said, you can't simply overlook all the huge improvements to about everything in Sun and Moon. No HMs being a big one and the overall pace of the game feeling much less like a grind even when you are grinding. I struggle to play earlier entries more because they all feel slow in comparison. I'll look back at old games with rose-colored glasses, sure, but I don't let that cloud my judgement.

Wonder what list is next? 'Guide: Every list ever made by NL ranked' list?

I kind of feel like everyone's favorite Pokemon game is always the one they played first, and lists like this are usually really subjective and pointless. Also, each game on this list only has about two sentences that just state the game's features and don't at all defend its ranking.

This list seems... Lazy.

Ranking the Pokémon games for me is very difficult. Played them all, starting with yellow. While Silver is my favourite, I really enjoyed Sun, Platinum and Emerald just as much. The only one I didn't really like is XY and B&W(2), but I think I was just very Pokémon tired after. I should give them another try.

Pokemon Yellow should be number 1

Glen 'Four Page' Fox strikes again.

Heart Gold and Soul Silver are my favorite pokemon games of all time. Wish they would remake them again with whatever new engine they are using on next year's pokemon I'm sure it would look amazing.

Ultra Sun & Moon should probably not be 7 spots behind the original Sun & Moon. The order I'll leave up to you, but having them so far apart is very strange. The third version placement is also all over the place when they're really not that different...

Also in my opinion Sun & Moon are the best 3DS entries.

I fully agree with the top 2

(Clicks article and sees Gen IV in dead last)

Edit: Came back to find out why Diamond and Pearl were #16 out of 7 generations. So Gen IV is last, but also takes two spots in the top 3? What kind of logic is this?

FireRed and Ruby are my favourites but that's just me I guess.

How dare you not include pokemon pinball... the greatest of all jk

cracks knuckles

Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire are literally the worst.

Black and White were the best, and then the series went downhill afterwards.

Wow. This order is totally out of whack. Diamond & Pearl last? Sun & Moon this high? Black & White number 10? Yo, did you guys even play these games?

Eh, opinions.

X and Y should be dead last. Mega Evolutions completely broke the game, the region was dull and the game was way easier than others.

I don't think I can agree with this placing...It's just odd. Would you really go back and play SUMO over USUM? Yellow lower than Red & Blue. Is this list based on legacy? Or quality? Or opinion? Because it isn't consistent in any category. Please, someone explain

Pokemon Sun/Moon was the lowpoint of the series for me. The game was pretty bland and there was no sense of exploration. Pokemon Gold/Silver definitely are the best games in my opinion because they perfected the formula. The games that followed just built on that.

Black and White should be near the top, imo. That generation was the closest Pokemon has come to providing a proper single-player JRPG campaign, with a decent difficulty curve, more nuanced characters than in previous games, and a surprisingly involved plot, given the series.

As someone who recently played every single game and has no bias, Pokémon Ultra/Sun/Moon are the best games in the series they have the fairy type balance, more character choices including clothing, best presentation of story, a way to see your IV and EV, bottle caps help to make old Pokémon useful again and more that a lot of nostalgic people fail to see and obviously gen one (Red/Blue/Yellow) it's the worst by today's standards and yea this list has Zero sense having almost all Gen 2 games on the Top including remakes

This list is absolute nonsense. Ruby and Sapphire being marked so far from Emerald? Diamond and Pearl being at the bottom with Platinum near the top? Theyre practically the same game. Besides which, you literally just listed the games’ features instead of giving any reasons for why you ranked them in this order. Awful, poorly-written list.

My personal favourite: Pokèmon Silver.
The most “fresh” since that: Pokèmon B/W.
The smoothest player experience: Pokèmon Sun/Moon.
Never played USUM.

The only thing I hate almost as much as genwunners is people who think GSC and HGSS are the best games. At least Platinum is high enough. B2W2 should be a lot higher. And I'd say XY and Sun/Moon as well.

Well I'm glad at least Platinum made it to top 3. Loved it but Pearl was the one that got me back into the franchise after I lost my old Silver cartridge.

Gen 5 is among my favorite Pokemon games, and I'm glad you didn't rate them at the bottom. Gen 4 is a close second, with Gen 2 coming in third.

I couldn’t make a list. Gotta love ‘em all.

I mostly agree with this list, but I think it really isn’t that fair to put the Ultra games and D/P in last place when the Ultra games are technically superior content wise to Su/Mo and then Platinum is 3rd, yet D/P is the very last?

Platinum is a good game, but imo that is kind of a drastic difference between the base and enchanced versions that you placed them in.

I've been having difficulty understanding you guys' lists recently. Not exactly regarding order because since you're making a list, you're the one who decides where each entry goes, but justifications and priorities seem a little odd to me. The same goes for zelda, metroid and Mario recent lists.

Black & White 1 made the top 10. I can die in peace

Aside from HG/SS this list is so, SO wrong. I get that it is somewhat subjective but like many people have pointed out already, the justifications for where you placed the games make ZERO sense.

Before I read this - HGSS better be the top spot.

Edit - I was not disappointed.

X and Y have a special place in my heart because it got me back to playing Pokémon after being in school for many years. (I stepped away from video games in general.)

Pokemon red and blue > Pokemon fire red and leaf green.

@StephanDLW To be fair, I refuse to play the original Diamond and Pearl ever again, but I actually own two Platinum cartridges because I play it so much. Platinum fixed the pacing, game speed (specifically while surfing, but also sped up many battle animations), bad Pokedex (basically no fire or electric types among other issues), story, added the battle frontier and much more post-game content, the distortion world, the villa, added recording battles, rematching allies, gym leaders, your rival and several other trainers, the whole Looker/Charon storyline, added animation, updated every area in the game to look better, upgraded your menus to look unique based on areas and fixed the Poketch. Plus... probably more things I've forgotten.

Point is, Platinum is the only third version that is leaps and bounds beyond its predecessors.

Pokémon red and blue will always be the best to me

So you said that Crystal is the ultimate version of gold and silver until soul and heart dethroned it... yet you placed it beneath gold and silver... i dont understand.

Interesting...
I recently thought it would be fun to replay the Johto remakes and there they are sitting at the top of the ranking, maybe I should take it as a sign and start my adventure XD

I can never take a list like this seriously if it has Red, Blue, and Yellow nowhere near the bottom of the list.

Pokémon Sun is my favorite personally. 2nd is Alpha Sapphire, then Red and/or Yellow.

I cant believe Sun didn't make number 1 — it has so many improvements (like not needing to have an HM slave Pokémon and changing your appearance for example) and the writing and characters were all awesome. I enjoyed it so much that I beat Sun and then also beat Ultra Sun which I would NEVER imagine myself doing. There was one part in the last island where a guy talks to his Pelliper and he is asking it questions and it's acting all nonchalant and pretending to ignore him. The guy says something like "...why you..." and there's jus something about that part that I love. I thought it was hilarious. I literally played Ultra Sun just so I could see that conversation piece again. I hope we are able to transfer our Pokémon Bank Pokémon into whatever games come out next! I have so many I'd hate to lose.... This article made me want to go play Pokémon again. I see what you did there, Nintendo Life

@subpopz I was the exact same as you.. I was so into Pokémon when it came out. I bought a GameBoy Color just so I could get Pokémon. After I played Red and Yellow I hadn't played another until the release of Pokémon Alpha Sapphire. Once I got into that and I saw I was able to catch all those old Pokémon again (because I was so attached to them) it really made everything so much more enjoyable for me. If I were you I'd start with Alpha Sapphire and go from there. I still prefer those original 151 over most of the new Pokémon. And when I see them appear in random encounters in tall grass I still get all excited. It's fun trying to catch all 151 again even when all the others are available.

I agree with most of this list (other than a couple of personal revisions; plus I haven't played Ultra Sun/Moon yet), but putting D/P at the very bottom? I agree with Platinum being ranked higher, but D/P deserves to at least be ranked over X/Y and the original Ruby/Sapphire in my book. Gen IV and V are still home to my favorite graphical style for this series, and D/P introduced Team Galactic (one of the better teams IMO), Barry (one of my favorite rivals), online trading/battling (this was big for a kid who lived in bum nowhere), and is the home of the last location in these games that I genuinely got lost in: Mt. Coronet.

Props for putting HG/SS at the very top though. SS is still my favorite Pokemon game.

@Nintencats73 wrong. My first game was gold. I love gen 2 yeah but my favourite will always be bw2.(gen 8 please surprise me hahaha)
I don't think gamefreak will ever be able to replicate the amount of love and fanservice those games had.

Pd: PWT I miss you =(

At least my favorite is # 1.

My one complaint with this list is: Why is Pokémon X and Y so far down? It’s was an amazing refreshing installment of the series and unlike Sun and Moon, it did not add the lameness, just fresh mecanics and mega evolutions, and is a very good overall game.
Pokémon X is my absolute most played game on the 3DS with a whopping 497 hours of playing.
I’ve played most of the DS and 3DS games with the exclusion of Pokémon HearthGold and SoulSilver, but at the time those games where released, I was too busy playing Pokémon Platinum. I should also mention that Sun / Moon and Ultra Sun / Ultra Moon gave me major issues with the horrible theme and I just haven’t been able to force myself through the entire games.

UNlike some on here, I tend to find something good in every Pokémon mainline game (though I admit to not having played the Ultra games or even Pokémon Crystal). But for the sake of this discussion and my experiences, Gold and Silver remain my favorites. I say that acknowledging that the series has advanced in many positive ways since the originals were released. But based on how much of a leap it was compared to the previous generation in just about every way, it left a lasting impact on me.

With that being said, I absolutely agree with the number one choice here. HG and SS took the games and generation I am most fond of and made the definitive versions with a modern coat of paint. Something that doesn’t work often. Again, I’ve enjoyed and found something positive in almost every generation. However, those are the best games, IMO.

@subpopz I can certainly understand just the number of Pokémon themselves being overwhelming. But in general, the gameplay at its core is still the same (for better or worse). Of course there’s new mechanics and modes added. But many of them are optional and can be dabbled in at your leisure. I think anyone who hasn’t played in a while can jump in and will be fine

This is a terrible list. Ruby and Sapphire should be closer to Emerald. Sun and Moon should be way down the list, they are one of the worst Pokemon games. Also why are Diamond and Pearl in last but Platinum is so high up lol......

Looking at the comments, I think it’s fair to question are we talking about the quality of the series over the years or are we debating legacy. I mentioned Gen 2 as my favorite. But if I did have to pick games that I thought did everything well technically, I think the R/S remakes would be up there. And I say this with Gen 3 still somewhat my least favorite (Blasphemous for some, I know) and those games sort of improving my perspective of them a bit

@Rohanrocks88 Actually, I think some of the best Pkmn games are spinoff titles like Pinball, Snap! and Trading Card Game.

I came to Pokemon late, 2012. I picked up a bunch of them as I did like it after trying it. I started on Diamond. However, a hurricane and extended power outage moved me over to, I believe, Leaf Green. An original GBA, a pile of batteries and a worm light is a great team when the power is out. I'm most drawn to the GBA games due to the visual style, but still being in full 2D. And I like the relative simplicity of that era. I haven't kept up with the series, but I'm not sure I'd like some of the changes and upgrades.

Great list...

...if you ignore the fact that the games should be in a completely different order!

Gen 5 < Gen 3 < Gen 7 < Gen 1 < Gen 1 Remakes < Gen 4 < Gen 6 < Gen 3 Remakes < Gen 2 < Gen 2 Remakes

I like all of these games. Black/White, Ruby/Sapphire, and Sun/Moon were pretty big disappointments for me though. Mainly because of how good the previous games were. The remakes of Ruby and Sapphire though were brilliant though.

Cystral is described as the ultimate version of Gold and Silver and yet is placed lower than those games. That doesn't make sense.

The list is subjective anyway but this seems like a glaring oversight.

its nice to see that snore fest that was diamond and pearl being last place.

Why do some people get so upset by these lists? Someone's opinion differs to yours? Outrageous! Reach for the pitchforks and light the torches!

Anyone that says sgc are the best games is saying it on nostalgia alone. I've been playing pkmn since it came out and god those games just aren't fun! Not challenging, boring story, uneven pace and the new pokemon just sucked. I've played every single one of these games and that gen 2 theres just something with it that doesn't click with me.

This list is trash

Inb4 genwun rulez/this list is terrible/anyone who disagrees with my personal favorites is a terrible human being amd should not be allowed to play video games ever!!!!!

Oh, wait, I'm 88 comments too late.

Nah completely disagree with list.

I find it hard to rank most of the Pokemon games against each other just because of how much the games change from remakes, re-releases and features that are added/removed (maybe this is Game Freaks plan all along).

But I can definitely say that Heartgold and Soul Silver are the best. Great sprites, music, Pokemon selection, and chock full of content. It also goes to show what happens when a game is made by people who are passionate and care about more than just maximizing profit. The director in an interview spoke about how they wanted it to essentially be the best game, and wanted to cram it full of amazing things.

In terms of worst Pokemon games, original Black and White, and Sun and Moon are about as bottom of the barrel you can get. These games suffered from bad mechanics within their own games, overly linear design compared to the rest of the series, and perhaps the biggest examples of games that lacked beloved features their immediate predecessor had.

Another Saturday, another ranking list. Wonder what franchise will be next week?

Also, HG + SS are the best. Agreed.

@StephanDLW platinum had far more pokemon, the first game to have the quality of improvements like not getting off bike at the connection spots, also it had more places to go to.

X and Y should be way higher on the list. Added many great new things.

I think if you haven't played Sun/Moon the Ultra versions are better.

I agree with the Gold/Silver remakes being the best.

I'd think the ORAS remakes would top even Emerald since they are much better than X and Y.(also have a ton of end game content so you can catch everything up to the X/Y generation)

It's hard to go backwards once you get all the quality of life improvements of the newer games.

It also doesn't help if you missed all the timed events when these games were newer. While you miss out on rare pokemon you'll have a basic and pure experience of playing the base game without over powered super pokemon that can 1 hit KO everything.

It's much more satisfing to catch a Groudon in Omega Ruby instead of using the one I got from Gamestop/Target by putting in a 12 digit code.

Ultra Sun is much harder than Sun/Moon near the end it is really hard
the only one i haven't finished for a while done Y,Moon and Sapphire 3ds ones. Ultra Sun is hard towards the end because of this i think it should be higher than Sun/Moon. I can understand however why people still think its carbage and yes i agree it shouldn't be in anyone's top 5 but i'm, sure switch pokemon next year will be amazing. As for lets go not sold on it yet and at the momment it doesn't look like it plays as good as Ultra Sun/Moon. Another trailer could change my mind but i wait for reviews on that one before i buy.

“Crystal is was the ultimate version of Gold and Silver.” Ranks Crystal BELOW Gold and Silver. Um... want a reminder on what ultimate means...?

@TheDragonDAFan My uncle Reggie, who works for Nintendo, confirmed this list is legit.

I disagreed with some of your previous lists, but they were reasonable and made sense. This one is just a big fat mess. Maybe it should've been a rank of the best Pokémon generations.

This article's picture is in the dictionary next to "Arbitrary".

At least you didn't put Sun and Moon at the top spots.
Though Sun and Moon should switch places with Diamond and Pearl.

The disrespect for Ruby and Sapphire! Should be much higher.

Why is there so much SuMo hate. It has the best QOL changes in the series.

You know I hate it when people trash talk diamond and pearl. The damn game gave us online and a lot more.

The music was fantastic and the story was great. Especially compared to gen 6.

But hey whatever. All I got to say is Gen 4 is and always will be my favorite.

@StephanDLW I completely agree, I believe that Diamond and Pearl are the second worst in the series (after SM, didn’t play USM) and that Platinum is the best. Diamond and Pearl has terrible Pokemon distribution (infamously leading to there being only one Fire type in the game other than the starter, and yet they still had an Elite Four member of that type which has Lopunny, Steelix and Drifblim), has a second long pause whenever you do anything in a battle, has the HP decrease extremely slowly, is even slower when surfing, is extremely anticlimactic on Spear Pillar if you’ve played Platinum, has some really bad gym puzzles (like Eterna and especially Hearthome Gyms, there is no way you can defend Hearthome Gym), has the third city with a gym have the fifth gym for no reason, has most of the new Pokemon introduced be cross gen evolutions that you can’t get until you’ve beaten the game and legendaries and a lot of the others being crap designs (Sinnoh has some great Pokemon, don’t get me wrong, but a lot of them cannot be used in DP’s main story) to lead to almost Johto-level distribution problems, the HMs are in completely random places which anyone who’s played Platinum has forgotten (tell me off the top of your head where you get Defog and Strength in DP, here’s a hint, you’re probably wrong)
A lot of these are admittedly nitpicks but Platinum is far superior and Diamond and Pearl are not only overshadowed by their third version like Ruby and Sapphire, they are actively bad

This list does nothing to actually explain the reasoning behind most games' positioning relative to other games, it just lists the new features added. I agree that HeartGold and SoulSilver are #1, but there should really be more explanation.

@Paddle1

Sun and Moon removed the PSS. Removed super training. Removed horde battles.

On top of the removal of good features, they were replaced with horrible ones. SOS battles are terrible by themselves, but locking certain species encounters to SOS battles is something unforgiveable. The Pokemon distribution is terrible, with Gumshoos, Raticate and Trumbeak even on the last island... Sun and Moon reintroduced the gen 5 exp system, which essentially just makes it hard to get exp. The level up move lists for Pokemon were also poorly done. Kadabra not learning confusion when it evolves from Abra at level 16, Alolan Marowak not able to learn its new signature move Shadow Bone naturally, and more. New Pokemon that require leveling up at a certain location are also a thing (who liked this mechanic, ever?). Having the route 1 bug not be able to fully evolve until the end of the game is dumb. Trials are just gyms that aren't called gyms in game, but have worse challenges. The Elite 4 is mostly trainers you have already fought and beaten before. The list goes on and on.

Really hard for me to rank all the Pokemon games because I like them all, and there's so many things I like here and there about each. Whether it be the music, the region itself, QoL improvements, minigames/side stuff etc.

The big thing off the top that I disagree with is D/P being on the bottom, I never played Platinum, but Diamond was awesome. IF I were to really breakdown all the games and rank them, Diamond would be near the top.

Interesting list regardless, it's always great to see varying opinions.

The description you give for each game is horrible. Not mentioning the Battle Frontier in Emerald's description is an abomination!

Yup, another terrible list.

Can't say I really agree with this list. But HeartGold and SoulSilver deserve 1st place in my opinion. I loved the feature of having a Pokémon companion follow you. And nostalgia is a factor for me as it's a remake of the 2nd gen games.

Pokemon XY was my very first game after a long time of ignoring the series. It got me into it, so it'll always have a place in my heart.

My top 3 would be:
3. Fire Red/ Leaf Green
2. Black/White/Black 2/White 2 (shared second because they are equally good)
1. Diamond/Pearl/Platinum

My first ever Pokemon game played was red, green or yellow. I can't really remember which one but I was around 8 and a friend let me play a little bit on his Gameboy Color.
My very first own Pokemon game was Leaf Green, the Nintendo DS Lite had just been released and I was just 10 dollars short of buying the DS as my first console so I ended up buying a pink GBA SP AGS 101 along with Catz. I asked my parents for Pokémon Fire Red and when christmas came around I got leaf Green and I was so, so happy.
I spent over a month playing the game after bedtime, under my covers trying not to get caught.
Now that I'm older I realise that they definitely noticed, but let me do it for a bit because I didn't really cause any big trouble and if I played too long they would just ask if I was awake and that would make me turn off the gameboy immediately and go to sleep so that they "wouldn't notice" that I had played games after bedtime. I was around 9 then.
Then came the time when I finally, finally got my hands on a DS and a few games, I got to choose 3 games of which one was Pokémon Diamond. I really loved Diamond, to the point where I would bring my DS with me everywhere so that I could play it. I would even make a makeshift mini-tent with my jacket so that I could play the game outside between classes. It was this game that really got me into the Pokemon series.
Later I bought Pokemon Black and my brother gave me his copy of Black 2 after he got tired of video games and I spent almost 2 months playing them as much as I could during the summer. It was one of the best summers ever...

I love Pokémon, I now preorder all the main games because I know they will not disappoint me. They are still as enjoyable as when I got my first Pokemon game, and I look forward to playing Let's go Eevee and Pokémon RPG.
I also sincerely hope that they will make a gen IV remake, because I love the pokemon designs and my favorite starter, Piplup, is there! But also because it's the most annoying one to transfer Pokemon from, you can only transfer a maximum of 6 at a time and only to BW/B2W2 before putting them in any newer games, or the Pokebank.

I agree with this list!

Pokémon GoldSilver and Pokémon White & Black are the best!

First, while Platinum was a great improvement over Diamond and Pearl, how does it go from 16 to 3?

And second, whoever thinks gen 4 has bad music needs to be crucified.

Mostly agree to the list. But I never knew why Emerald is always so high on people's list. The battle frontier bored me mostly. I'd probably put Either Black and White 2, ORAS, or HGSS at the top. Hard to say which one though.

BW2 is my absolute favorite, followed by Platinum. I love Gold and Silver, and I expected them to just blindly be at the top, but overall this is actually a pretty good list.

My favorites are HeartGold/SoulSilver and Fire Red/Leaf Green 😀

@AlexSora89 Hm, no idea what my avatar has to do with Pokemon and "placement", so I'm kinda curious to find out what's what...

opening it up to see diamond and pearl / ruby in sapphire at dead last.... smh

list cancelled !!

Love to see this lists are just as inane as ever. With reviews, I defend you because a review is a long opinion piece but this I can't defend.

You don't even explain half of it and the parts you do explain make very little sense. Also in a list like this, where you're trying to declare things the best, why not involve your reader base as well, instead of just your own opinion.

@greengecko007 I agree on the PSS. I found trials refreshing for a one time change from gyms. I also found that: the difficutly felt higher than X&Y, no HMs, no longer having to memorize hundreds of Pokemons's typing. Gold bottle caps and easier BP with surfing (usum) to make your pokemon's stats better. Only needing to complete the Alola dex instead of the extremely large national dex allowing me to actually complete it was a nice change.

Overall just felt a bit less tedious and more enjoyable to me. Hard to obtain Pokemon I just traded for which I suppose is the purpose of making them difficult to get. The Battle Agency and secretly locking certain Battle Tree characters to certain versions are probably what annoy me most about Gen 7.

Can’t beat my Red/Blue nostalgia!

@HollowGrapeJ I think the XY legendaries are my favourites!

Gen 2 Remake > Gen 3 > Gen 6 > Gen 1 Remake > Gen 2 > Gen 4 > Gen 7 > Gen 5 > Gen 3 Remake > Gen 1.

Gen 1 just isnt as fun unless you are nostalgic. New mechanics and pokemon are just better. Also has the least content of any Pokemon game, not its fault but true.

@Aloy Lol, Platinum made Diamond and Pearl irrelevant. Of all the revised versions, Yellow, Crystal, Emerald, Platinum, and Ultra, Platinum easily was the biggest jump, fixing the most issues and adding some of best additions.

For being Game Boy games, Pokemon Gold and Silver are solid masterpieces. It's literally two games split into two more games all cram into one tiny 8-Bit cartridge. Satoru Iwata knows how to work the gaming magic and these two games are proof of that. RIP Iwata-san.

Nice list, but there's very little explanation as to why you've ranked them in this order. You've briefly explained what each game introduced to the series, and that's pretty much it. Would've hoped for a bit more depth to this article.

@ThanosReXXX
Nothing at all, I just had the most serene smile - just like Thanos' own at the end of Infinity War - upon seeing HeartGold and SoulSilver at the top of the list.

All I ever wanted was a Pokemon MMO that gave us a vast world to get lost in hunting the beasts and making new friends.

Little did I know that the actual world would form the backdrop of that MMO and I’d be meeting those new friends in real life places exploring all sorts of parts of my local city.

If the best camera you have is the one that’s with you, then the best Pokemon game is the one you have with you at all times as well.

It concentrates on the core collect/battle/trade ethos of the series without all the extraneous features that have bloated the series over the years, like Beauty contests, hidden bases and film studios. It has proper real time weather conditions and changing of seasons that directly impact gameplay. It has changing nests, large meet-ups and the friendliest player base of any video game.

I would put Pokemon Go at the top of the list.

@AlexSora89 Ah, okay, got it. Never mind then. I was probably overthinking it, apparently...

Wow, Diamond and Pearl in last? Welp, I know this list is a buncha bs.

I wish these opinion ranking articles would just end already... all you guys ever pick as best are the old games bc you’re... old.

@ThanosReXXX
No problem, mad titan.

@AlexSora89 Grazie...

Only ever played blue before I was too old for it.

@ThanosReXXX
You left the final "e" out of the word, but you're welcome!

I have to say that after a 3 generation hiatus from the series, I returned with X and Y and really, really loved those games. After playing that, I did enjoy Sun and Moon but not as much, however, think the same would have happened if I had waited until those games since honestly, they were an improvement in almost every way. By the way, if you feel burned with the series, I really recommend doing that. There's so much to discover when you don't play every entry as soon as it's out, specially after 3 generations. It's not that the series has problems staying fresh, It's simply hard to find balance between innovation and keeping intact what people like.

X and Y have no difficulty, REALLY annoying "friends", a smaller map, a mediocre champ and a really weak evil team. The only pros against S/M I can think of, are great Pokemon designs (hawlucha, greninja, charizard Y, noivern and aegislash are some of the best designs in the whole series) which are tied or slghtly superior to S/M games and a better rival.

Sun and Moon had a better story, more likeable characters in general, actual challenge if you didn't grind, a surprising rival, a few more "creepy" misteries like the ones from previous games , a bigger map, better villains and simply added more to the goodness of X and Y. I really don't get why those games are hated considering that they are among the best in terms of story ( at least characters grow and are more developed than in most entries) and the introduction in every pokemon game is slow. The rival did suck, as much as they tried to make him likeable. In fact, that was the problem with him, but fortunately, the other edgy but likeable kid made up for it. The championship battle was epic.

Ultra Sun and Moon did suck though, Added too little, and changed good elements from the story, like the championship battle.

The underground in D&P was the only part of Pokemon that I played as a kid (excluding Snap, Pinball, Rumble, Pokepark 2, and various other spin-offs).

HGSS would have been 2nd lowest on my list of games that I've played (behind only XY). It was very limiting in the Pokemon that you could catch in the wild and all trainer's were very low-leveled, making it difficult to level up yourself. The post-game was excellent, but it's the only main story that I would never play through a second time.

I would have loved if Let's Go included second generation Pokemon. first 151 are iconic, but also a little limited. Bumping that number to 251 gave more options, as well as some evolved or baby forms for known Pokemon, like Steelix.
Also Gold & Silver were supposed to be a direct sequel to Red & Blue at first, which is why Red is in it.

You guys do realize that even a hint of improvement over the originals means that Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon should rank higher than regular Sun and Moon, don't you? How could the definitive editions possibly be so much worse than the regular editions?!

@StephanDLW @SlowPokemon D/P are also criticized for having an extremely slow battle system, something that Platinum fixed. Along with other new features like the Distortion World and the return of the Battle Frontier, Platinum was a massive step up from Diamond and Pearl.

If Platinum was the biggest step up for an enhanced edition over its predecessors, then Emerald was the second best step up. It totally revamped and improved the story including the first use of animated cutscenes, introduced the Battle Frontier, allowed you to rebattle the gym leaders, as well as a few other additional new features.

Now this list does have issues with ranking Ultra S/M and Yellow below their original versions, but there are legitimate reasons why those enhanced versions are ranked so much higher than their basic editions. They are NOT practically the same game.

Pokémon Ruby/Sapphire - 14/16 - Too much water.

Sorry, is that a dead meme, now? Well in any case, as much as IGN gets derided for that comment, that is a legitimate complaint of those games, as well as E and OR/AS. It is certainly annoying to have to spend so much time on the water, and then to make it even worse they added a 3rd water-based HM (which thankfully was never seen again), and unlike Surf and to a lesser degree Waterfall (until the physical/special split made Waterfall nearly just as viable a move in future games like OR/AS), Dive was practically worthless as a battle move.

Regarding the list:
I really don't want to sound critical, but you never surfed on Pikachu's back in the mini game in Pokémon Yellow. You never did at all actually. I really don't agree with this list. Pokémon XY should be top in my eyes, but there's a lot of randomness throughout it. Anyway, each to their own.

My disliking of USUM/SM:
Sun and Moon for example were pretty poor, as were Ultra Sun and Moon. Its a chore to play through, constantly tapping the A button in the hope the cutscenes will finally end... But only for a few seconds until you get to the next new area 🙄 thats fresh in my head amongst other things I have said previously closer to when they released. Huge step backwards from XY/ORAS in my opinion.

@AlexSora89 Funny thing is that I actually realized that, as soon as I saw I had a message from you, and wondered what it could be about...

It was a quick reply typed on the smart phone, something that I'm not too used to, and me and touch screens don't always agree...

Mistake corrected, for accuracy's sake...

putting 5th gen games above 3rd gen games. That is a spicy move sure to piss people off! haha! I think there is fault made by not bundling the enhanced versions in with their base games(e.g. ruby/sapphire&Emerald, black/white&black2/white2). I think that is why the list is messed up, yes the revised versions are always going to be better, duh.

But the one thing no one can dock you for is putting heart gold/soul silver at the top. For the issues in 4th gen of slow pacing, these remakes of 2nd generation didn't have any of the new experimentation that held the game back while keeping all the best stuff and adding more amazing features including the pokewalker which was the ONLY way until ultrasun/ultramoon to acquire a surfing pikachu and AFAIK still the only way to get a flying pikachu outside of a special distribution. Also it was a good trick to get children to go outside and run around and such. I remember it got me to take my dog on walks a lot.

@BulbasaurusRex *4th water based TM. Surf, waterfall, whirlpool, dive. Although whirlpool was replaced with dive for gen 3. I thought dive was okay though since it turned from every water tile forcing me to potentially battle another tentacool, to having patches of seaweed much like tall grass on land which was much nicer. But since you had to have surf AND dive it took up 2 move slots which is always a pain. An issue resolved with sun/moon which those games get almost no credit for sadly just because of the doofy nerf armor.

@ThanosReXXX
We live in the age of smartphones, with autocorrects and stuff: mistakes happen!

@AlexSora89 Especially if it involves another language...
But in all seriousness: I actually DO miss physical keyboards on smart phones sometimes, although it would of course look horribly awkward and out of place.

@ThanosReXXX
Hearted comment just for the keyboard nostalgia alone.

@AlexSora89 Right back at'cha...

@ThanosReXXX
The amount of love you give is titanic.

This list was BS* in September and still is after Lets Go has been added.

*BS of course stands for broadcast satellite and not for what you might think - PG and stuff, you know...
(Yes I do love the SNES Satellaview! )

I wouldn't consider Let's Go to be a main series entry personally. Way too much Pokemon GO influence, more of a spinoff. It should also be dead last by a mile.

Top three should be Platinum, HGSS, and BW2 in that order.

I thought you said mainline.

Pokemon Let's Go and Ultra Sun and Moon deserve to be at the absolute bottom. Diamond and pearl should be higher.

red and blue were masterpieces, amazing how well their remake holds up and the length of it considering it was a flipping game boy game!

would have swapped platinum with red and blue, gen 4 while useful with its move split is boring as rocks

My Top 3 Pokemon games i have :
1. Pokemon X
2. Pokemon Ultra Moon
3. Pokemon Sun

But.... I still haven't finished any of them.

Commenting again because these lists are garbage. Putting gen 2 as the #1 instantly outs you as subjectively voting to your own 30-something year old taste and not ranking these on unbiased merit. If I subjectivity made the list I would say Emerald because that was during my glory years growing up... but I wouldn’t choose it as #1 bc it’s just not the best one. I’d have to be unbiased to create an article for the public. Typically a standard that article writers strive to withhold while retaining their journalistic integrity.

Let’s Go! games should definitely be last since they are not truly mainline, which is the whole point of the list in the first place I thought. Sun and Moon and the Ultra games should also be at the bottom of the list because of the, quite frankly, uncompelling Ultra Beasts.

In the end this makes me so tired. I truly don’t know which is the best (because they’re all good), but if I had to choose it would be BW 1+2 due to it having the best story and very interesting characters (N is still the most memorable character in the past 3 gens... besides maybe Iris and Cilan). It truly felt like a fabulous closing and last hurrah to the DS era.

Ultimately, why can’t we just enjoy games instead of ranking them? I guess I’ll be seeing y’all here again when gen 8 comes out and the inevitable 4 remakes... End rant.

I know I will sound stupid but for me I get the same joy with EVERY Pokemon game from the mainline. I am serious. Each game is unique and I love playing them.

I can only list them in the order they are released but it is nice to see the reasoning of other people why they love some Pokemon games more than others.

@Bolt_Strike You are 100% correct.

Black and white will always be my favorites

Pokemon go is not a mainline title even the creator of it has gone on record to say so. The true mainline pokemon is the big boy coming in 2019.

I'm not gonna say your taste is wrong, but I am gonna question how Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon AREN'T better than Sun and Moon.

As far as the argument about whether Let's Go is considered mainline, my understanding is that they're remakes of a game that is considered mainline. So with that said, if HG/SS and OR/AS are considered mainline, why not these games?

>USS and USM have everything that the base games have and more.
>Are listed several places behind the base games.

Seems legit.

But I have to appreciate not blatantly shilling the newest games out.

Cya
Raziel-chan

@UmbreonsPapa Because HGSS and ORAS don’t change core mechanics such as how you catch Pokémon?

@UmbreonsPapa They completely changed (some would say dumbed down) how the interaction with wild Pokémon works, removed core features that were present in every main series game since their introduction without giving anything instead of them (like abilities or breeding), and also removed every single Pokémon from the game that are not from generation 1 (every single mainline Pokémon game since the very beginning had every Pokémon in it that has existed up to that point, even if you had no way to catch them in the game, because you would still be able to use them if you got them in a trade).

Also I have a feeling that they might not be compatible with later, mainline games, but that remains to be seen. I'm pretty sure it's also not compatible in any way with previous games, while every mainline game is compatible with every other one in one way or another. Sure, there used to be a divide between the second and third generations, but that was a technical issue, and doesn't even exist any more now that the first two generations are available on virtual console. And it wouldn't be hard to intergate Pokémon Bank into Let's Go, yet they didn't bother. Heck, there are even some non-mainline games that are compatible with the core series, like Colosseum and XD, where you can trade and battle between them.

I would rant why the fifth gen are so low here, but it's a decent list overall. The one thing I don't get why Platinum and Emerald are so much above the originals, while Yellow, Crystal, and Ultra are lower than the ones they build upon.
I understand if you rank all of them lower, because sure, they didn't bring as many new things to the table, and I understand if you rank them all higher, because they are all technically the best version of those games, but ranking some higher and some lower just doesn't make any sense to me.

I’d put Let’s Go! At number 2 behind Silver. I haven’t been addicted to a Pokemon game in 17 years. PLG has restored my joy to what has become quite a bloated series. The motion controls and catch mechanics are moot: you could just get the free Squirtle, Bulbasaur, Charmander, Arcanine and Snorlax and just level them through battling and completely ignore the Pokédex if you want. And I can share the experience and help my youngest son out. Win/win.

This list is just buns, plain and simple.

Boy, what a wildfire of comments this could turn into.

Gen 4 means to much to me on a personal level, from friends I've met and finding my soul mate, to generally enjoying a lot of aspects like the games, the anime, the designs of the Pokemon (Despite many new evos) and so on, not to mention the final gen before everything became very annual for the main series instead of making a gen last a good amount of time. I pray this gets the remake treatment.

USUM I feel deserves the bottom spot. Sure, they packed it with a ton of postgame, but thats only after you get through the story again, and boy does it drag a second time. They even change parts like Lusamine's obsession with Ultra Beast to make her less corrupt and removed the Anabel postgame (Which was a character I loved back in Emerald so imagine my shock when I saw she came back in SM!). By the time I got to the start of the Rainbow Team Rocket stuff, I just felt burnt out on gen 7 as a whole. Releasing a "third version" let alone 2 versions of it was much much too soon and I hope if they do go down that path again, there's at least a 2 year gap. Put your remake in-between that if you must.

While Let's Go is a remake of a game I played through a zillion times, some of that handholding I think the newer games has a bit much of (Can we please just have a veteran mode to select at the start?), its still a relaxing stroll in the Kanto region, remade close to what I always imagined what a 3D Pokemon game could be like (3D Models, Pokemon actually appearing in and out of the grass and in caves, etc.) back when I was a kid. Its something I needed after USUM's drag. But, can we now not rely on gen 1's popularity for gen 8 too much? Megas (Mostly) in Gen 6, Alola Forms in gen 7, all the anniversary stuff 2 years ago and last year, it's time the next gen shines on its own merits instead of the "OG Gen"'s popularity. You don't want people to be stick of gen 1 by the time we get to the 25th anniversary.

But alas, thats just my opinions, not fact. I look forward to gen 8 with an open mind and pray for a gen 4 remake soon after.

Well my list will be different.

@Angelic_Lapras_King “Can we please just have a veteran mode to select at the start?”

I really like this idea! It makes it where more hardcore fans get the challenge they want, while still having an easier option available for more casual players. I see no downside.

@MH4 Exactly, and not explain things like how to catch a Pokemon for the billionth time without being able to skip it, and limit things like the Exp All/Share to postgame instead of walking all over Gyms and the Elite 4 etc. while having to option to toggle back to "normal/beginner" mode should things become a struggle (Much like Mario's Infinite Star Block) or you loose to many times to a Gym Leader.

Not impossible to do, I recall either BW or B2W2 had a Hard mode but you had to beat the game to unlock it (As well as own both versions).

Diamond and Pearl at the bottom list ?
It changed the online gameplay a lot, it's the first game that allowed proper competitive matches to be made, not only because of the online functionality but because the gameboy advance games weren't made for that
It should be at least in the top 5 imho, and I'm not even talking about my own nostalgia because it would push me to put the game way higher. The best Pokemon game are White2/Black2, the best content we ever had in a Pokemon game, so much to do even after the league, a really good story, great graphics for the NDS.
Pokemon Yellow should be lower, it's only Red & Blue but with Pikachu, just so that people can relate to the anime, not really interesting imo cuz Pikachu isn't actually good in the game, being cute is not enough, I really don't understand why he is highter than Ultra Sun & Moon, Ruby & Sapphire and X & Y
Why Platinum is that much higher than Diamond and Pearl ? Just because of mini games and new forms ? Come on, of course Platinum is way better, but it doesn't explain why Diamond and Pearl are that low, all the complaints made about those are still valid about Platinum. "Well, the general gameplay flow wasn't really changed all that much from its predecessors" Well guess what, expect in Sun & Moon, it never changed that much.
"and both the visuals and audio weren't particularly well-received" By who ?

• the game got the best scenario we ever had in a Pokemon game imo, we had really awesome quests as events and mystery gifts, Darkrai, Cresselia, Arceus etc ... Now what do we have ? Just postmans who give you legendaries, k great
  I know I am really biased, but I just don't understand how a game with huge qualities like it is bottom tier in this list for dumb reasons, if you don't like it, ok, but it's obviously one of the best Pokemon games and one that was the most innovative imo

YEE BOI

THAT'S WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT

GEN 2 FOREVER

Also ha. Gen 4 sucked the absolute most, glad to see it's got the lowest rank on here. XD

How was this list made is beyond me. Its judging criteria isn't expansive enough and is in need of a rewrite to better facilitate how big this series si

Came in expecting Lets Go to be number one. I am surprised.

Choose some basic features for each game , make a four page list, put a controversial title like including lets go in the same level as the other mainline titles and pick each game from photos blindfolded.
There you have it, this list.

Pokemon Heartgold/Soulsilver in lst place? I think Pokemon Firered/Leafgreen should be in lst place instead.

I’m just gonna put a comment here, if you got an extra mewtwo laying around in let’s go I’ll trade you a shiny for it. I’m trying to get that shiny charm before I start shiny hunting mewtwo in let’s go. If interested just reply with your friend code and I’ll add ya 👍

now hold on a minute

Pkmn Lets Go should be the last of them all. Its too shallow in its content from gameplay all the way to storytelling.

Damn even the pokemon rangers / Mystery dungeons spinoffs are better than it by a landslide.At least in those games theres a 'plot' !!!.

@Krisi tbh xd and collusem feel a more main series then yellow version dose considering that yellow version is more anime based.
Also lets go shouldn't be on this list since its part of the spin off "go" series and not the "main" series as masuda has stated. If let's go is on the list then go, xd, collusem and the ranger games should also be on the list as go and let's go are part of the go series and xd, collusem and the ranger games are also connected to the main series in the same right that tourchwood is connected to doctor who or how ncis is connected to jag.

Can't say much to this list other than.... Agreed. I'd, like most others, shuffle a few things around, but HG and SS remain my most played and loved Pokémon games ever. Pokémon XY comes in a close second, and Pokémon Crystal has the third place with Pokémon Red closely behind.

Approx. hours:
HGSS - 2600 (ironically most time was spent completing the Pokédex strictly offline and trading was only allowed when on vacation - took a while.)
XY - 2500 (bloody breeding for competitive lol)
Crystal - 1700
Red - 1600 (limited coz game died a bit before Gold/Silver came - death by dogbite.)

While i agree with your choice for number 1 SS and HG are amazing. Theres no way Lets Go should be on this list. Im not saying im not enyoying it but its just not a main series pokemon game. Its has like 80% different mechanics (most obvious is catching/training pokemon) setting it in Kanto doesnt really change that. (Its not proper a yellow remake at all ) Pokemon Colosseum which is a game i loved but also wouldnt consider main series, has a better claim to being on the list than lets go (different way of catching only a limted amount of pokemon (no wild) and quick transport are its biggest differences) . I cant see how its left off if lets go is here. Both shouldnt be counted.

X & Y being 14th? Even though we got trainer customization, full 3D pokemon experience forthe first time, Mega Evolutions (I hate them but they still count), the PSS, the Fairy typing that balanced things out and "friends" to travel with that make you feel like you're on an actual journey?

And you put Heart Gold and Soul Silver over that just because the pokemon follow you? The bias is real palpable.

Just wondering how Pokémon Let's Go can even be considered a main-line release when it's a more of a cross-over from a spin-off. Many game mechanics have been somewhat 'simplified' or 'removed' from the mainline series and it doesn't quite give the full Pokemon experience.

This is a really bad list.

@Bolt_Strike @Krisi This is one of those articles where I hesitate to comment on due to its tendency to bring out heated opinions. And that's not a reflection on you or your post. Just a general observation.

With that said, I'm hesitant to suggest the removal of battling wild Pokémon discounts these game's status as part of the main series. While I wasn't a big fan of the decision, I feel like I'm playing an old school Pokémon game otherwise. I'm also not sure I would count the lack of breeding or the other 700 Pokémon as a reason as well. It's been stated these are remakes of Yellow intended for folks to be introduced or reintroduced into the main series. And as far as I know, those things didn't exist in the series back in 98. Though one can argue Meltan, Alolan Forms, Mega Evolutions and Pokémon Amie features didn't exist back then. But they're here.

I too wonder whether or not these games will share any connectivity with future games or what the status of the 3DS games and Pokémon Bank means for this series' jump to the Switch. Masuda did imply in a interview somewhere (I think it was Gamespot) that these games would at least be compatible with the next new games in the series.

But back to the genesis of my question. I keep saying people claiming Masuda referring to these games as spin offs. The only quotes I find where he even touches the topic is the IGN interview where he states these would probably be the last Pokémon RPGs he would be directing. He didn't say games. He didn't say spinoffs. He says RPGs. That implies to me that these are considered, at least by him, in line with the main series.

I definitely agree with SoulSilver being #1, but I would have put Alpha Sapphire at #2, Diamond at #3, and FireRed at #4. Sun and Moon wouldn't have even made the list at all for me, I think those games are terrible. I haven't played Let's Go yet but I think based on what I've seen I'd rank it pretty far down. The problem here is the things that make Pokémon games what they are, especially to longtime fans of the series, is that they keep "dumbing them down" with these newer releases. It worries me that people would either be less intelligent and need the hand holding or perhaps they are insulting the intelligence of gamers by assuming they can't play the challenging games of old. Either way, Alpha Sapphire was the last GOOD game I've played in the series. 🤷🏻‍♀️

@UmbreonsPapa Sure, newer Pokémon and stuff like that didn't exist in 1998, but I feel that FireRed/LeafGreen were a better remake of the first generation. They included all the core features that were introduced up to that point, (including all then existing Pokémon), tons of new areas and extra story, and even some new, never before seen elements, like the VS Seeker or the Fame Checker. While Let's Go has some new elements, I feel like it's quite a letdown compared to what they were able to accomplish almost 15 years ago with the same source material.

I'm actually pretty sure the only quote I read about this matter from Masuda is that they DO consider it core Pokémon games, but I still think they are separate. I'm sure they say that mostly because it's the only Pokémon game Game Freak developed other than the mainline series, and also probably because of marketing. Again, Colosseum and XD have about as much to do with mainline games that Let's Go do, but nobody calls them a part of the core series, because they were developed by Genius Sonority. The region itself doesn't make a game a part of the main series in itself.

@Krisi What's interesting is that I read a pretty interesting article that sought to clarify the terms mainline and core and how it defines these games. To make a long story short, mainline would imply they are new entries in the RPGs. Whereas core (as this article referred to them as) just means they aren't spinoffs.

At this point, it's not a big deal whatever way you choose to see these games. This debate remains all in good fun. I do agree, with no hesitation, that FR/LG are the superior remakes in this case. No question. And from the standpoint of having never stepped away from the series and having experienced a new Pokemon and new features, these are a let down in that respect. But I also understand these games are meant to be entry points for those new to the series and a reintroduction for those who bolted before G/S/C. I'm having fun with it. I'll finish it. But it has reinforced, for me, that I am happy with how the series has grown and I eagerly await more info on the next new entries

@Aloy Really? I loved the pixel art style of B/W. The Pokemon on screen had so much charm to their animations, yet still were reflective of the sprites which they came from. I wouldn't mind seeing this style return in a spin-off title or something. Now, if you argued that the story/pacing was bad, I'd wholeheartedly agree with you.

Good list! Of all of them, the one I prefer is pokemon stadium, rather the second part. It has impressive gameplay and graphics.

Source: https://myemulator.online/nintendo-64/pokemon-stadium-2

I think for me diamond and pearl is at about 4 idk haven't finished the story yet I just got past the second commander

i quickly made a temp account just for this, but are you high? XY are one of if not THE best pokemon game they have ever made

sun and moon and its "ultra" versions are the worst

@NintendoKnight I totally agree. I absolutely adore the art style, Mega Evolution, fairy type, really fricking cool legendaries and mythicals, and above all, Greninja.
Also, Mega Charizard X. 'Nuff said.

After going back to diamond for a video, I must say, it's not THAT bad. I ain't the best, but it's absolutely not the worst. Worst would belong to red/blue in my case. After 10 years, I'm finnally beating it on that same save file from my first pokemon game. It's still very fun!

My First place is Let's go eevee.

This list is wack, lol.

I'll just say B&W is a very odd fellow.

@NintendoKnight I see you are a man of culture as well...good...good

@mc_guida another man of culture

Yikes. Nothing should be below LGP/E.

@N3L

Red and Blue all the way

Obviously, white is the best. My main man Digimon was in it.

Pokemon Gold/Silver/Crystal closely followed by Black/White1 are my favorites.

I find it weird how Nintendolife failed to report on the "Bring Back the National Dex" thing going on lately in Pokemon fandom. It's so unusual to make an article titled "The Internet Thinks The Grass-Type Gym Leader In Sword And Shield Is Actually A Ditto", but ignore a universal backlash from fans throughout the Internet.

Let's Go should be at the bottom

@graysoncharles They covered the news itself, but not the fan outcry. Two different things. At the very least something like this: https://nintendosoup.com/pokemon-sword-and-shield-are-the-most-hated-games-at-e3-2019/
Nintendolife covers so much nonsense already that skipping on this is outright malicious on their part.

I see that you've forgotten how Gamefreak tanked performance of 3DS games because they have used futureproofed models instead of something actually designed for the system.

@graysoncharles So what if animation and modeling is hard? Game development is in general is hard, you don't see LoZ delivering a mediocre experience and then saying "but physics engines are haaard"

All that pitiful excuse managed to do was really highlight just how much of a mediocre studio game freak really is.

If they can't handle the work then they should have just outsourced the grunt work, but that would take money, if Game freak hates something more than effort it is probably losing money.

I wouldn't even care if the work they already put in was actually good, but have you seen what they have? It's a glorified 3DS game. Characters are still expressionless mannequins and the Pokemon are just a few steps from just T posing as they attack.

I don't even care about the game itself, I denounced Pokemon around 3 gens back, what bothers me is the sheer Pokemon privilege in display. At least other soul less big Buster's in the industry like call of duty make an effort to look pretty, game freak can't even be bothered to do that much.

Then again, maybe it's the fans fault for expecting any better from a studio so lazy it makes valve blush. Sides, they were the ones that made em lazy in the first place.

@kopaka Could not have said it better myself

@graysoncharles Admittedly, I pulled the LoZ comparation because it was the first thing that came to mind. However, my original intent stands, "but it's hard!" Isn't a suitable excuse by any means.

Animating and modeling is the kind of hard that is tedious and lengthy. I heard that just throwing money at the problem wouldn't solve the issue, but I disagree, this is exactly the kind of issue that gets resolved with resources and timely management. GF knew the Switch was coming, they knew they could not longer settle for the scope of a 3DS game, any competent studio would have prepared.

I heard the rumor that the reason that they are having trouble with the models is because of the...gainaxing/giga something, if this is true, then they really are just incompetent, imagine compromising the core selling point of your franchise for a meaningless gimmick that no one even likes.

Besides, one has to wonder were exactly their effort is going to the point that they can't actually do justice to their own shtick. It certainly isn't going towards the presentation, the balancing excuse is laughable, I certainly don't expect the campaign to stray from what you'd expect outta pokemon, so what exactly is the trade off?

When Sakurai pulled the plug on trophies for Smash no one batted an eye because it was obvious they were putting a lot of work into the graphic overhaul and balancing of the game. This Pokemon is getting nothing in return for the compromises that were made, and the game is 60 bucks to boot.

I also tire of "gamers" whining about every little thing, but this time, I am just happy GF is finally getting called on its bullshit.

Sides, this is justifiable whining like the whole playing with friends debacle with Mario maker. This isn't people arbitrarily bitching about swords in a certain fighting game.

Calling the let's go games glorified 3DS games is being overly generous, and downright disrespectful towards the 3DS games. They are glorified cell phone games with a 60$ price tag.

let's go pikachu being higher than ruby/sapphire, diamond /pearl.... what

Why are we bringing this up again? Couldn't we just make a new article?

I can get behind having Soul Silver and Heart Gold at the top of the list. But that might just be nostalgia talking for the original games. Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire would probably be the next best :3

Why the re-posts lately?? Slow news day??
This is has been re-posted at least 3 times

Wow really nl? Are things getting ao bad here you are reusing old articles and posting them as new?

Wow, DO I not agree with this list!!! Pokemon X and Y and Ultra Sun and Moon are at the top of my list, along with Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire and Pokemon Let's Go. I think silver and Gold are almost the WORST POKEMON GAMES EVER! As are the remakes. Also, why is this list popping up to annoy me again???

Wow, B/W that low? I still think it's the best set of Pokémon games to date (followed by HG/SS and B2W2).
And it's a bit weird how Platinum is so much higher up than DP (as somehow the minor adjustments elevate it from the least good to the third best somehow), yet USUM is rated lower than SM.

@Barbara001 Well, our opinions are extremely different, as I found X/Y, S/M/US/UM, ans ESPECIALLY Let's Go to be some of the weakest entries in the main series, while G/S/C and its remakes are some of the best in my opinion.

inb4 they update this article with Sword/Shield in first place and generate a bucketload of controversy in the process.

Never cared that much for HG/SS, personally, although Gen 2 was never one of my favorites.

B/W are the best games in the series I've played by a long shot, between the fresh, almost full on rebooted vibe of the game, surprisingly realistic characters, and the more involved, JRPG-esque way the story unfolds.

You guys are honestly obsessed with this "every pokemon follows you" thing to the point where it makes no sense. I really don't get what the big deal about it is but almost everyone seems to think of it as a gamechanger when it's really not. Sun & Moon or X & Y at the very least should have been higher than a simple remake that added some improvements since they added whole new mechanics that changed the game for the better. Pokemon following you adds nothing - it's just an aesthetic difference.

this was a surprisingly well made list. Good job guys.

Pokemon sun/moon and us/um are really the best pokemon games by far in my opinion.

Shout out to Pokemon Snap. The only game in the series I've enjoyed.
**runs from angry mob**

Honestly if they did nothing but give Heart Gold and Soul Silver an HD resolution and released them on Switch I'd buy them and drop 200 hours into them easily.

As awesome as 3D modelled Pokemon are, I would gladly take an "HD2D" style Pokemon game that used sprites instead.

Although I have played since Red and Blue, HG/SS was the first time I completed a National Dex. Still have the save file too, though most of the Pokemon have long since been transferred to newer games.

Doesnt sound like people really want gen 4 remakes, then. But Let’s Go Johto?....
gets attacked for mentioning let’s go as a mainline game

If SwSh ends up near the bottom because of the god d~~m Pokédex cut, I swear!

Looks like a random list.

My list (including some spin offs):
1. Pokemon HeartGold/ SoulSilver
2. Pokemon Black and White 2
3. Pokemon Red,Blue,Yellow,Green, Fire red, Leaf Green
4. Pokemon Gold, Silver and Crystal.
5. Pokemon Gale of Darkness/Colosseum
6. Pokemon Stadium 1 and 2
7. Pokemon Alpha Sapphire, Omega Ruby, Sapphire, Ruby, Emerald
8. Pokemon Diamond, Pearl and Platinum
9. Pokemon Black and White
10. Pokemon Lets go games
11. Pokemon X and Y
12. Pokemon Sun and Moon, Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon

And who knows where I will put Sword and Shield.

I do like all the Pokemon games so far, but Sun and Moon really didn't got me excited for it. Had a weird somewhat depressing feeling when I played X and Y, so that why I put it on the 11th spot. Maybe I will like it more if I play it again, when I get Y version, since I have X.

Just realized this was a repost heheh.

All the 3DS games looked like a beta version, it's like they never really completed them, only the Ultras where somehow a complete version of all the 3DS games..

@Krisi really? I'm playing Let's Go now and for me it's really the game I was playing in my head when I was playing the original Pokemon Yellow a long time ago in a galaxy far far away ☺️. Love the catoony anime vibe and Jessie and James are just... Well, they're Jessie and James!!! They are so awesome! I would wish there would come a pokemon game in which you could travel all the regions! That would be soooo cool!!!

@Barbara001 I'm glad you liked it.
For me though, it added almost nothing other than nicer graphics and sound, and took away tons of stuff from both the original and the modern Pokémon games. I felt that FireRed/LeafGreen were much better remakes. Sure, they didn't look or sound this good, but they were fine for the time, had everything that was in the original, while having every single Pokémon released up to that point, and all the new mechanics, plus even some completely new features (like the VS Seeker and Game Checker), plus it had 7 completely new islands with a new storyline to explore.

Having every single region is pretty much impossible though, sadly. It was impossible before, as it would essentially take an extremely larger amount of money and time to implement, while the game wouldn't sell that many more copies to make up for the extra cost (plus then who would care about newer games if they went back to one region per game again). But now that GF goesn't even want to put every Pokémon in the game, which would take astronomically less time and money, all regions is even more so out of the picture.

@Krisi Yes, I guess you're right, on both accounts ☺️. I do like the addition of mega evolutions in Let's Go though, so some of the new things made it over, but indeed, many of them were lost.
It's sad though, how cool would it be to get on a plane in Kalos and go to Alola or Johto. A girl can dream ☺️☺️☺️.

Looks pretty much like my fave list, I would just dump the original Gold & Silver and Fire Red & Leaf Green from the top 5 and place Emerald and Black 2 & White 2 in top 5.

And Ultra games for me are at the very bottom.

This list is trash. Pokémon Let’s Go should be at the bare bottom by a mile.

Also, both Diamond/Pearl and Ultra Sun/Moon are top 5 material.

Pretty Jank list.

How is Platinum 3 and DP is dead last? Battle frontier post physical/special split is very good, but the placement on this list suggests that the games are awful, but with the battle frontier saves them.

LGPE should be at the bottom definitely.

USUM was great aside from the slow text and unskippable dialogue / cutscenes. If you play on emulator at like 3x speed the games are probably the most fun to nuzlocke/replay in the whole series imo. A near perfect level of difficulty in the main story, where most games weren't difficult until you hit post game battle facilities or battling online.

What the list is missing is guages on each facet of the game. It's very difficult to judge which game is "the best".

One may have the best region, one may have the best variety of well designed pokemon, one may have the best difficulty, one may be have the best postgame, one may have the best side activities.

Imo Platinum would probably be the best if it was remade with slightly better than SWSH graphics, in gen 8 ofc, with Battle frontier more like Emerald's (7 facilities instead of 5, all with their unique visual style. At least one should be a building shaped like a pokemon like the seviper facility).

I don't see how Crystal can rank behind Gold & Silver, considering it is the superior version of the three?

Hey Nintendolife, you know there are other Pokémon Games beside the Main ones, right?
You should make a Best of List about them to, instead of rehashing this Article again and again.

I'm gonna repeat myself and ask for a simplified list. The pictures are nice but dividing it all up to 3 pages like this is really annoying.

It's worse still on mobile. This site already is kinda hard to navigate on mobile, so adding pages within a single article really makes it a pain.

it kinda surprised me and the lab boys that the newer one would me last.

I agree with most of this list, espicially with the number 1 and 3, sadly, I never got to play the original games, the generation 2 games and the generation 3 games (did play a bit of Ruby, until my Original DS broke)

I've been playing Pokemon since day one, I own all Pokemon games and I love/enjoy all of them equally.

@Nagi Pokemon Conquest best spinoff

This list was wrong the second it began with anything aside from Let's Go or Red/Blue in last place.

Aren't all these lists based on used votes?

DP in last?
Ouch, guys. Ouch.

You cannot seriously rank games that haven't even been released yet, or have yet to make their impact on the series.

"You could also record battles, trade anonymously over the internet,"

Which you apparently can't do any more in Sword and Shield. You can trade with randos but the proper (useful) GTS is gone.

Little early for this article, no?

Well I’m not gonna argue with the number 1 spot but the rest of the list is a different story.

This list is trash. Lets Go would be dead last on any proper list for sure.

Hoping for a Let's Go for the 2nd generation.

Ahhhh, what a fine decision for the top 5, I can agree with all of 'em (especially number 1)!

Kind of nonsensical to have a superior version of Gold and Silver in Crystal at #4 while Gold and Silver themselves are #2. There's nothing about G/S that's better than Crystal.

It’s criminally hurtful how low u rank diamond and pearl but I suppose platinum makes up for it. I don’t agree with having OG silver and gold at 2 but alright. SSHG and platinum tie for me but platinum is slightly better imo

So is it true that you guys have pages just to generate more ad revenue? Because I can't think of a legit reason why you can have a 12 mile long comment section but need 3 pages to list the games...

Really surprised X/Y is so low as it seemed so well received in the day and is the one I played the most and got a 9 at this site. Even Sun/Moon is low (scored 10) while their Ultra versions are ridiculous low (again, perfect 10). Lots of arbitrary decisions and nostalgia seems to have gone into this list!

@WhoaManWtF As always with lists, what's "proper" depends entirely on the perspective of the list maker and whether or not you match up with it. As a dad looking to bring his kid into the game for the first time, I got more out of it, and far more playtime, than I've gotten since maybe Ruby? I'd rank it higher than it is here, largely because I'm reviewing it from the perspective of the demographic these games are made for. For my 5 year old, it's the greatest game ever made.

Stopped reading after LGP/E was over D/P, X/Y, and well, everything else it was above. No Pokemon game deserves that.

Ok, swsh does NOT rank that high

Wrong, fake news, lol

I disagree with this list on a very major level. Let's Go should be at the bottom among other things.

This list is utterly crooked and makes no sense what-so-ever. X & Y are better than Sun & Moon. You can't have Diamond and Pearl that low and Platinum that high in the same list. Sword and Shield were reviewed a 8 so cannot be that high, let alone above Red & Blue. What a mess.

I agree with most of this list hg/ss are my top games they took my favourite gen and perfected them

I only ever liked the first game, Red/Blue. I LOVED Pokemon back when I was a younger kid and was obsessed with my copy of Blue. However I was part of a chunk of players that fell off after the first generation.

I've tried to capture that magic again and play later titles but it just never happened again. Every time I bought a new Pokemon game It was never really different enough to impress and inspire me like the first time. The structure and story and what you could do with Pokemon remained the same but I had moved on.

I keep thinking the next game is gonna be "THE ONE" but than I'm always disappointed. I think the series just isn't for me anymore. Blue/Red was just it for me as a kid.

Heart Gold and Soul Silver at #1 is correct. The rest of the list really didn't matter. Well done author, well done.

Actually, the only problem wrong with this list is that NL gave Ultra sun and moon 10/10 and it is in almost at the last place.

@Kirby_Girl this is me exactly. I can use your exact words for wrestling as well. Something about late 90’s stuff 👍

I would put Ruby/Saphire a bit higher in the list, but maybe that’s the noltalgia speaking

I completely disagree

@Kirby_Girl same. Although it was yellow for me. I did enjoy let’s go Pikachu though but that’s just because I love the original anyway but those 3ds games were a complete letdown I forced myself through them.

This list is nonsensical. Platinum near the top of the list while Diamond and Pearl are at the bottom, despite being basically the same game? Ultra Sun and Moon significantly lower than Sun and Moon, when it's an enhanced version of them? It's not even a difference in opinion, these rankings just don't make sense.

I still have no idea how it makes sense to rank "Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon" below regular "Sun and Moon." They're the same games, only better! While I can understand why Yellow could be ranked below R/B (although I personally consider Yellow the superior version), ranking games that are clearly upgraded versions of their predecessors (and on the same system) below said predecessors is just nuts! It would be like ranking Emerald below R/S, Platinum below D/P, or Crystal below...wait, you did that, too! What the heck are you guys thinking?! Just because something is no longer new or original doesn't mean it's not still technically superior when ranking them on their own merits!

Not counting Sword/Shield, here's my rankings:
1. HeartGold/SoulSilver
2. Black/White 2
3. Platinum
4. Emerald
5. Crystal
6. Gold/Silver
7. X/Y
8. Black/White
9. FireRed/LeafGreen
10: XD: Gale of Darkness
11. Ultra Sun / Ultra Moon
12. Sun/Moon
13. Colosseum
14. Yellow
Everything else (R/B, R/S, OR/AS, D/P, Let's Go...) below that...

@HeroponRiki I'm with you on S/M vs. US/UM, but Platinum is a much improved version of D/P. The game speed is sped up, it has extra story elements with a really cool Reverse World area, it has the return of the Battle Frontier, much better Pokémon distribution, etc. It along with Emerald and Black/White 2 are the "improved versions" that made the most of those improvements.

Is it enough to justify the sheer number of ranks Platinum has over D/P on this list? That's questionable. However, a large rank jump is certainly still valid in this case.

Pokemon Silver was the best pokemon game for me until Soul Silver came in. The first spot is well deserved

@Darthroseman No HMs was the ONLY major improvement made in Sun/Moon. Z-moves are fun (although not necessarily an "improvement"), and there are a few other minor improvements here and there as well (such as type effectiveness being listed in battle and having the option to shuffle your party upon the capture of a new Pokémon), but that's it. Meanwhile, the games are overly clogged with tutorials and mandatory side-quests and cutscenes, it has the lame trials instead of gym battles, trainer customization is more limited, berry growing is gone, and the set of new Pokémon is rather small save for over-stuffing the 'dex with an insane amount of new Legends and those new Ultra Beasts.

They're still great games, particularly the "Ultra" versions, but I found Generation 7 to be relatively disappointing in the same way I found OR/AS to be disappointing remakes that aren't even as good as Emerald aside from the updating the presentation, Pokédex, and game mechanics up to the level of Generation 6.

@Blizzia same here. a lot of hours on HGSS then emerald or Crystal for the second place.

I fully agree with the top two, though we are doomed if Pokemon Sword and Shield are worse than Sun and Moon.

Breaking news lads! These lists are subjective.

Wow I came here so sure that HGSS wasn't in its rightful place at the very top, but look at that! Easily the only Pokemon game I've felt is worth playing at all for the last decade or so.

@BulbasaurusRex The Battle Frontier on its own is enough to make any game jump up to my top 3.

Yeah.... No. The problem I can see from many of these so called BEST POKEMON GAMES is that the reviewers let nostalgia and personal feelings get in the way if actually placing the titles where they actually belong. I began playing Pokemon almost at the beginning, with Pokemon Yellow being my first official title I laid my hands on, but I would NOT rank it so highly today. Why? Because TONS of the mechanics from Gens 1 and 2 (originals, not counting remakes) are deeply flawed and just break the game so many years later, not to mention that SPECIAL was still not divided properly into both, Atk and Def, which made special based pokemon like Mewtwo and Alakazam virtually unstoppable.
Nostalgia glasses are a wonderful thing to have, but nostalgia aside, gens 4 and 5 were the best of the best. Not only did they innovate even further what we had experienced before, but they perfected what came before, hands Effing down.
Best will always be: HG and SS, Platinum and Black/White 2. Those games are just full to the brim with content that not even the newly released Sw and Sh can even match them when it comes to content.
Remember,graphics are not everything that makes a game amazing.

Lol at X/Y over Diamond/Pearl. At least Sinnoh had a postgame.

This list makes no sense seeing as how certain games of the same region in the same generation are so far apart.

At least HG/SS get their due respect, but I would personally put gen 5 at the top. Pokémon peaked on the DS.

Hi,
I have created this nice poll to get the thought of the world on this same question:
https://pobll.com/poll/what-is-the-best-pokemon-game-ever-released-94/

@HeroponRiki They really aren't the same game at all. Platinum improves so much; let's just start with the fact that Diamond and Pearl are horribly unoptimized for the DS, resulting in a crappy framerate, slow battles, in addition to the game generally just running slowly by design (compare the surf speed in Diamond & Pearl to Platinum and you'll see what I mean).
Platinum also improves the pacing of the game from a story standpoint, not just mechanically. The best example of this is Fantina being moved from the 5th(?) gym to the 3rd. It goes a long way to make the game more enjoyable. The graphical improvements are numerous as well, along with all the improvements to Wi-Fi which are unfortunately inaccessible today (though connecting to an unofficial server is trivial, the game requires a low-security network). The Battle Frontier also brought many hours of new content.

In my experience, the gen 2 games were definitely the worst out of all of the games I played.

Its this simple:

2, 1, 3, 8, 6, 5, 4, 7

The first 3 dont have limited time online events.

8 wild area and fixes most needlessly overcomplicated mechanics, 6 fixes some of them and adds some actually nice things like playing on 3D.

7 doesnt even play like a main pokemon game.

Bold of you to rank the Let's Go gales above anything else.

They are all perfect to me. 🥰

Pokemon gold is just the best. Hands down!

THIS IS THE WORST POKEMON GAMES LIST I HAVE EVER SEEN.

You contradict your points, put remakes on the opposite ends of the spectrum when in reality they are 90+% the same game and put, what is basically, the same game 3 times in the top 5 - which makes sense if it's the best one/region - but is the only Pokemon game to have balancing issues in regards to Lvls. Wild pokemon, gym leaders and your own party never seem to sync up. it doesn't make it more difficult for veteran players, just a pain having to grind on stupidly low lever wild pokemon. THINK ABOUT YOUR LIST NEXT TIME. This list is the most random thing I have ever seen.

Looking forward to the next one!...

If HG/SS allowed you to get Leafeon and Glaceon at all in the game then it deserves to be in the top 5 yet, BW2 gives you the opportunity to get two shinies guaranteed
in either game and gives you the chance to get all of the eeveelutions at the time before the elite 4. And emerald is better than gen 2 so why that's below gsc and FR/LG I won't know. When for some reason, you can't get the gen 2 evolutions for the gen 1 Pokemon before the national dex. And Emerald features the Battle Frontier do I need to say much else on that point

This list is so ***** dumb. Diamond and Pearl are at the bottom, but Platinum, which is essentially the same game, is right near the top. MaKeS sEnSe!