Pokémon Legends: Z-A - Release Date, Everything We Know So Far

Pokémon Legends: Z-A, the second Pokémon game to bear the Legends moniker, was announced at the February 2024 Pokémon Presents.

We have very few details on what this brand-new game from Game Freak and The Pokémon Company is, but we've gathered those scraps together and put them all in one handy place. And, of course, we'll be updating this as we get more information.

Here's everything we know so far about Pokémon Legends: Z-A.

Pokémon Legends: Z-A - Everything We Know So Far

Pokémon Legends: Z-A Setting

Pokémon Legends: Z-A will take place in Lumiose City, which is the central "big" city of the Kalos region from Pokémon X & Y.

Nintendo itself has been very particular with the wording around this, saying on Twitter that it's "a new adventure set entirely within Lumiose City". In the trailer, we're given a slide that shows 'Urban Redevelopment Plan - Lumiose City' with various futuristic-looking blueprints and older-style drawings mapping out the city.

What that means isn't clear — and we're sure we'll get to see some stuff outside of Lumiose. But it seems to be taking a bit of a different approach to its world than Pokémon Legends: Arceus, which let us explore a large chunk of the Sinnoh region — known as Hisui — particularly the area surrounding Mount Coronet.

Pokémon Legends: Z-A Gameplay

We know very little about how Pokémon Legends: Z-A will actually play.

Going by Pokémon Legends: Arceus, we may well be able to explore large open-areas and catch Pokemon without going into a menu. But the "Urban Redevelopment Plan" aspect which featured in the trailer, plus Nintendo's statement that the game is set entirely in Lumiose City, means things may well change from the previous Legends game.

Pokémon Legends: Z-A New Pokémon

Currently, no new Pokémon have been revealed for Legends: Z-A. However, we're fairly sure we'll be getting some new 'mons in the upcoming Pokémon game.

Pokémon Legends: Arceus introduced us to new Pokémon forms known as Hisuian forms, so we reckon we'll be getting some new additions akin to that.

Pokémon Legends: Z-A Returning Pokémon

Like with any potential new Pokémon, we don't have a list of confirmed returning Pokémon for Legends: Z-A, but we can make some pretty solid guesses going by the teaser trailer.

Pikachu of course is heavily featured in the trailer, but we also see many Pokémon that made their debut in Pokémon X & Y, such as Litleo, Pyroar, Klefki, Flabébé, Hawlucha, Furfrou, Gogoat, Fletchling, Talonflame, Sylveon, Aegislash, and Espurr.

Some other Pokémon from different Gens can be spotted too — Sandile, Krookodile, Pidgey, Pinsir, Heracross, Gyarados, Hippopotas, Emolga, and Dragonair are just a few that we spotted. This list isn't exhaustive, of course, but we'll update this when we get more confirmation from TPC.

Pokémon Legends: Mega Evolutions

Mega Evolutions seem to be making a return in Legends: Z-A.

At the end of the first trailer, the Mega Evolution stone symbol briefly appears. The mechanic was first introduced in Generation VI in X & Y and used again in Pokémon Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire. So its return here, in the Kalos region, is expected. How it will be implemented, and whether there will be any changes, we don't know.

Pokémon Legends: Z-A Release Date

The Pokémon Company is launching Pokémon Legends: Z-A worldwide in 2025 on Nintendo Switch systems. The game will be getting a simultaneous release, which has been the case for Pokémon games for a while now.

FAQs

What is Pokémon Legends?

Pokémon Legends is a new-ish take on the Pokémon formula that was introduced to the world in 2022 with Pokémon Legends: Arceus. Legends: A-Z is the second game in the Legends series.

These are still RPGs which involve you capturing Pokémon, but they change up the basic formula. Legends: Arceus lets you roam around in open zones, and you could catch Pokémon just by throwing a Poké Ball at a wild 'mon, rather than engage in battle. There was also more story and more traditional RPG side quests.

Legends: Z-A is said to take place in a single city rather than open-world environments, and focuses on an "Urban Redevelopment Plan". It's unclear whether the gameplay will be similar, or if the focus on one large city will change things up a bit.

Why is it called Pokémon Legends: Z-A?

Want an honest answer? We have no idea! And we probably won't know why until the game is in our hands. But we're going to make a few guesses anyway.

First, Z is the first letter of the name of the "third" legendary Pokémon in Kalos, Zygarde. The colour scheme on the letters, plus the hexagonal scales on the Z, means that Zygarde will likely be a key Pokémon in the story.

Another idea is that long, long ago, a rumoured third X & Y game was supposed to be called Pokémon Z. This could be a call-back to that — a new take on a "third" game. Just many years down the line.

Lastly, remember the character AZ? He was a key figure in Pokémon X & Y who created the ultimate weapon that was at the centre of the story of Gen VI. He created this to revive his beloved partner Pokémon, Floette, but out of grief, he used it as a weapon of destruction. We reckon we might be seeing some of him...

Is Pokémon Legends: Z-A releasing on Switch 2?

We don't know, but given rumours that the Switch's successor will be launching in 2025 and the very specific choice of words from TPC — "will launch on Nintendo Switch systems in 2025" — this could be a cross-gen title.

Of course, this is just speculation at the moment, but when we're a bit more clear on Nintendo's plans, we might have a better idea.

That's it for your one-stop shop on all things Pokémon Legends: Z-A related. We'll continue to update this guide as we approach the game's release. For now, let us know if you're excited in the comments.