The Nintendo Switch is the best-selling Nintendo home console of all time, and with the success of merging the home and portable console market, Nintendo and GameFreak have brought Pokémon into the living room for the first time this generation.
The endeavor hasn’t been completely smooth sailing for the two companies, but the result is that Switch owners have been feasting gloriously on mainline Pokémon entries. Here is our ranking of every mainline Pokémon game on the Nintendo Switch.
#5: Pokémon Sword & Shield
The eighth generation Pokémon games were the first entirely new entries to be released on the Nintendo Switch, following the Pokémon Yellow remake Let’s Go Pikachu & Eevee. That also made Sword & Shield the first new mainline Pokémon games to be released on a home Nintendo console, something that many Pokéfans had been waiting up to two decades for.
Unfortunately, Sword & Shield suffered from a combination of high expectations and poor execution. Fans who had dreamt of a Breath of the Wild-like revolution of the Pokémon series were disappointed by the comparatively bland semi open-world and technical issues that the games had at launch.
Sword & Shield also marked the first time that players wouldn’t be able to have every Pokémon in a single game, which may have been inevitable due to the sheer number of Pokémon now in existence, but that didn’t quell the internet’s fury.
Pokémon Sword & Shield did introduce some great new features to the series, such as Gigantamax Pokémon, the Wild Area, and the Champion Cup. But there had to be a last-placed game, and that’s Sword & Shield.
#4: Pokémon Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl
The Pokémon Diamond & Pearl remakes Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl are some of the more fun-loving reimaginations of older Pokémon games. Just look at that art style. How cute is that? That’s pretty much what you’ll be thinking the entire time you’re playing the games, and it doesn’t get old.
Despite being released in 2021, Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl utilize a similar top down perspective to the original Nintendo DS games to maintain the now decidedly retro style of Pokémon games from that era.
In a vacuum, Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl are excellent Pokémon games. However, by today’s standards, they can feel dated. If you’re looking for a retro Pokémon experience on the Nintendo Switch, then look no further, but if you want everything that Pokémon has offered this generation, keep reading.
#3: Pokémon Let’s Go Pikachu & Eevee
Pokémon Let’s Go Pikachu & Eevee may not be the most in-depth, or longest Pokémon games ever, but they do have one key thing going for them: innovation. The Let’s Go games aren’t your average Pokémon remake. Based on Pokémon Yellow, Let’s Go Pikachu & Eevee are one of the biggest divergences from traditional Pokémon games in the series.
That’s because the Let’s Go titles took Pokémon as we know it, the wildly popular Pokémon Go, and the beloved original games, then smushed them all together. The result? A wonderful mixture of Pokémon Go‘s catching mechanics, a beautiful reimagining of Kanto, and the original 151 Pokémon.
There was some concern from long-term fans that all Pokémon games would follow the Pokémon Go formula, which wouldn’t be good. But as we know now, that hasn’t been the case. Instead, Pokémon Let’s Go Pikachu & Eevee remain a wonderful little offshoot in the Pokémon series. An offshoot that’s well worth revisiting every year or two.
#2: Pokémon Scarlet & Violet
Pokémon Scarlet & Violet are the latest evolution in the Pokémon series as the ninth generation of games. The games built upon what GameFreak did with Sword & Shield while also incorporating a lot of what made Pokémon Legends: Arceus so popular.
Compared to the eighth generation games, Scarlet & Violet made some big strides forward. Though, technical limitations remained and, in some cases, even worsened. If you want the best performing Pokémon entries, Scarlet & Violet aren’t it.
However, what they do have is an excellent new generation of gameplay, an open world that feels much more alive than Sword & Shield, and one of the better stories in the history of the franchise. It does feel like Scarlet & Violet are destined to perform better on Nintendo’s next generation console. But while we all wait for that, there’s a lot to love about the latest Pokémon games on the Nintendo Switch.
#1: Pokémon Legends: Arceus
What do you get when you combine time travel and Pokémon? Surprisingly enough, greatness. That’s Pokémon Legends: Arceus, the perfect Pokémon game, not just on the Nintendo Switch but even when compared across the entire franchise history.
Fans who wanted a Breath of the Wild revolution with Sword & Shield but didn’t get it. Little did they know the Breath of the Wild revolution would arrive two years later in the form of Arceus. The change to ancient Sinnoh revitalizes the world, from the hand-written Pokédex to the Apricorn Poke-Balls. Everything feels fresh.
That translates into the gameplay, too. The Monster Hunter-esque hubs, player damage from battles, and RPG features make it one of the most replayable Pokémon games ever.
If there’s one Pokémon game to get on the Nintendo Switch, it’s Arceus. We can only hope that Pokémon Legends: Arceus gets a follow up soon.
