--- title: "A Parent's Guide to Pokémon: Games, Age Ratings, Cards and the Words Your Kid Uses | pokee.si" url: "https://pokee.si/articles/parents-guide-to-pokemon" description: "A plain guide to Pokémon for parents: what it is, which game to start with, PEGI ratings, spending, safety, and what Shiny, Legendary and evolve mean." last_updated: "2026-10-21" publisher: "pokee.si: a Pokédex for families (unofficial fan site)" published: "2026-10-21" --- # A Parent's Guide to Pokémon: Games, Age Ratings, Cards and the Words Your Kid Uses Pokémon is a world of creatures, called Pokémon, that people catch, raise and battle in friendly contests. It started as a Game Boy game in Japan in 1996 and is now video games, a trading card game, a long-running cartoon and a lot of toys. For most families it is a gentle, safe interest. The newest main games are rated PEGI 7. The name is short for "Pocket Monsters", and it's said POH-kay-mon. If your child talks about Pokémon all day and half the words are a mystery, this page is for you. ## The four things your child might mean by "Pokémon" | Part | What it is | Where | | --- | --- | --- | | The video games | Adventures where you travel a region, catch Pokémon and battle | Nintendo Switch and Switch 2, older Nintendo consoles | | The Trading Card Game | Collectable cards you can also play a battle game with | Shops, local leagues, and an app (Pokémon TCG Live) | | The anime | A TV cartoon that has run since 1997, plus films | TV and streaming | | Pokémon GO and other apps | A phone game where you catch Pokémon in the real world by walking around | iPhone and Android | They share the same creatures, but you don't need one to enjoy another. Plenty of kids collect cards without owning a console. ## How a Pokémon game works Your child plays a young trainer who sets out to explore a region. Along the way they catch wild Pokémon in Poké Balls, raise a team of up to six, and battle other trainers. Pokémon get stronger as they win and can [evolve](https://pokee.si/articles/how-does-pokemon-evolution-work) into new forms. The big goals are to beat the region's strongest trainers and to fill the Pokédex, an in-game encyclopedia of every Pokémon. In most games, battles take turns, a bit like chess with monsters. Each Pokémon has a type, like Fire or Water, and some types beat others. Picking the right move is mostly a matter of knowing the [type chart](https://pokee.si/articles/pokemon-type-chart-for-kids). There's a fair amount of reading and some maths in it too. The Pokémon Company says its Pokémon Club helps children build "strategic thinking, math, and reading comprehension". When a Pokémon loses, it faints. It never dies, and a visit to a Pokémon Center heals the whole team for free. ## Age ratings These are the PEGI ratings shown on pegi.info for recent Pokémon releases: | Game | PEGI | Content descriptors | | --- | --- | --- | | Pokémon Scarlet / Pokémon Violet (2022) | 7 | Violence, In-game purchases | | Pokémon Legends: Z-A (2025) | 7 | Violence, In-game purchases | | Pokémon Pokopia (2026) | 3 | In-game purchases | | Pokémon Trading Card Game Live (app) | 3 | None | "Violence" here means cartoon creatures hitting each other with moves until one faints. "In-game purchases" means there are paid extras, such as the two expansions for Scarlet and Violet. In practice, the bigger barrier for young children is reading. The games have a lot of text and no voice acting, so a non-reader will need help. ## Which game to start with The main games come in pairs, like Scarlet and Violet, or Sword and Shield. The two halves of a pair are almost the same game. A few Pokémon appear in only one of them, so friends with different versions can trade. Pick the cover your child likes. | If your child... | Try | Why | | --- | --- | --- | | Has a Switch and reads well | Pokémon Scarlet or Violet (2022) | The latest full adventure, an open world set in Paldea | | Wants something newer and faster | Pokémon Legends: Z-A (2025) | Set in one big city, with real-time battles | | Is younger or brand new to Pokémon | Let's Go, Pikachu! or Let's Go, Eevee! (2018) | Simpler, and catching uses a motion throw like Pokémon GO | Coming next are Pokémon Winds and Pokémon Waves, the first Generation 10 games, announced for 2027 on Nintendo Switch 2. Our [regions in order](https://pokee.si/articles/pokemon-regions-in-order) page and the full [games timeline](https://pokee.si/guide/games) list every main game if your child asks for an older one. ## Spending and collecting The main Switch games are a one-off purchase, and a child can finish them without spending more. The two places money comes up are: - Cards. Booster packs are random, and rare cards can sell for a lot, which is where playground trading gets intense. Some families set a budget, or buy fixed decks with known contents instead of packs. - Apps. Pokémon GO and other mobile games are free to download and sell items inside the app. Your phone's family settings can require a parent's approval before anything is bought. ## Safety The Pokémon Company International says on its official parents site that it gets parental consent for younger fans, partners with the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, and takes part in the CARU children's privacy Safe Harbor programme. On a Nintendo Switch, Nintendo's own parental controls let you limit play time, spending and online contact. Pokémon GO is the one to think about. It sends players out walking to find Pokémon, so set some ground rules about where your child goes and with whom. ## Words your child will use | Word | What it means | | --- | --- | | Trainer | The player, or any person who raises Pokémon | | Type | A Pokémon's element, like Fire or Water. There are 18 | | Evolve | Change into a stronger form, like Charmander into Charmeleon | | Starter, or first partner | One of three Pokémon you choose from at the start of a game. See [all starters](https://pokee.si/articles/starter-pokemon-by-generation) | | Legendary and Mythical | Very rare, powerful Pokémon. See [the difference](https://pokee.si/articles/legendary-vs-mythical-pokemon) | | Pseudo-legendary | A fan nickname for ten very strong Pokémon you can raise yourself. See [what it means](https://pokee.si/articles/what-is-a-pseudo-legendary-pokemon) | | Shiny | A rare colour variation of a Pokémon, very sought after | | Gym | A place where you battle a leader to earn a badge | | Pokédex | The in-game encyclopedia, and the main thing on pokee.si | | Base stats | The numbers behind a Pokémon's strength. See [how to read them](https://pokee.si/articles/pokemon-base-stats-explained) | | Faint | What happens when a Pokémon loses. It recovers | ## How to say the names your kid shouts Most adults stumble over Pokémon names, and children notice. The main games have no voice acting, so even kids often learn names by reading them, and argue about the right way to say them. Hear it on pokee.si: every one of the 1,025 Pokémon pages has a speaker button that plays the name, with a simple respelling next to it. A few to start with: - [Charizard](https://pokee.si/pokemon/charizard) is CHAR-ih-zard, not "chair". - [Rayquaza](https://pokee.si/pokemon/rayquaza) is ray-KWAY-zuh. The Pokémon Company said so itself in 2025. - [Gyarados](https://pokee.si/pokemon/gyarados) is GYAIR-uh-dohs. - [Psyduck](https://pokee.si/pokemon/psyduck) is SY-duk. The P is silent. Our guide to [the most mispronounced Pokémon names](https://pokee.si/articles/how-to-pronounce-pokemon-names) has many more, including the ones even The Pokémon Company had to correct. ## How to join in The easiest way in is to ask your child to teach you. Ask which Pokémon is their favourite and why. Ask them to explain why Water beats Fire. You can play the games on pokee.si together, such as [Guess the Pokémon](https://pokee.si/games/whos-that). pokee.si is made by a family, for families. It is an unofficial fan site with no tracking, and it isn't connected to Nintendo or The Pokémon Company. ## Questions people ask ### What age is Pokémon for? The recent main games, Pokémon Scarlet and Violet and Pokémon Legends: Z-A, are rated PEGI 7 in the UK and Europe. The Trading Card Game Live app and Pokémon Pokopia are PEGI 3. Reading matters more than age: the games are full of text. ### Is Pokémon violent? Mildly. Pokémon battle each other with moves like Tackle or Flamethrower, and the loser faints, then recovers. Nobody dies or bleeds. PEGI lists Violence as a content descriptor on the newer games for this reason. ### Which Pokémon game should my child start with? On a Nintendo Switch, Pokémon Scarlet or Violet is the current main adventure. Let's Go, Pikachu! or Let's Go, Eevee! is a gentler choice for younger or newer players. Both versions of each pair are almost the same game. ### Does my child need to spend money in Pokémon games? The main Switch games are paid once and can be finished without spending more. Some have paid expansions, which is why PEGI shows In-game purchases. Mobile games like Pokémon GO are free to download and sell items inside the app. ### How do you pronounce Pokémon? POH-kay-mon. The accent on the e means it is said 'kay', not 'kee'. You can hear every single Pokémon name on pokee.si. ## Sources - [Pokémon Parents (official guide from The Pokémon Company International)](https://parents.pokemon.com/en-us/) - [PEGI: search results for Pokémon games (age ratings and content descriptors)](https://pegi.info/search-pegi?q=pokemon) - [Bulbapedia: Pokémon (the franchise, games, anime and cards)](https://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Pok%C3%A9mon) - [Bulbapedia: Core series](https://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Core_series) --- Source: https://pokee.si/articles/parents-guide-to-pokemon (HTML page). pokee.si is an unofficial fan site and is not affiliated with Nintendo, Creatures, GAME FREAK or The Pokémon Company. Pokémon and all related names and images are © their respective owners.