There are nine Pokémon generations so far, with a tenth on the way. Generation 1 started with Pokémon Red and Green in Japan in 1996. Generation 9 started with Scarlet and Violet in 2022. Generation 10 begins with Pokémon Winds and Waves, planned for 2027 on Nintendo Switch 2.
Each generation brings a new region, new Pokémon and usually a new battle idea. "Generation" started as a word fans used, and official media picked it up later.
Every generation in order
The year is when the first game of each generation came out in Japan. Where the West got it later, that year is in brackets. The new Pokémon count is from our Pokédex.
| Generation | Started (Japan) | First games | Region | Consoles | New Pokémon |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gen 1 | 1996 (West 1998) | Red and Green, Red and Blue | Kanto | Game Boy | 151 |
| Gen 2 | 1999 (West 2000) | Gold and Silver | Johto | Game Boy, Game Boy Color | 100 |
| Gen 3 | 2002 (West 2003) | Ruby and Sapphire | Hoenn | Game Boy Advance | 135 |
| Gen 4 | 2006 (West 2007) | Diamond and Pearl | Sinnoh | Nintendo DS | 107 |
| Gen 5 | 2010 (West 2011) | Black and White | Unova | Nintendo DS | 156 |
| Gen 6 | 2013 | X and Y | Kalos | Nintendo 3DS | 72 |
| Gen 7 | 2016 | Sun and Moon | Alola | Nintendo 3DS, Nintendo Switch | 88 |
| Gen 8 | 2019 | Sword and Shield | Galar | Nintendo Switch | 96 |
| Gen 9 | 2022 | Scarlet and Violet | Paldea | Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch 2 | 120 |
| Gen 10 | 2027 (planned) | Winds and Waves | not named yet | Nintendo Switch 2 | not numbered yet |
Since X and Y in 2013, the first games of each generation have come out worldwide within a few days of each other. Before that, Western players waited: about six months for Black and White, and two and a half years for the very first games.
Add up the new Pokémon for Generations 1 to 9 and you get 1,025, the current size of the National Pokédex. How many Pokémon are there explains the count and the three announced Generation 10 partners.
All the main games in each generation
A generation is more than its first pair of games. Each one also has extra versions, remakes of older games, or a Legends game.
| Generation | Games (first release year) |
|---|---|
| 1 | Red and Green (1996); Blue in Japan (1996); Red and Blue (1998); Yellow (1998) |
| 2 | Gold and Silver (1999); Crystal (2000) |
| 3 | Ruby and Sapphire (2002); FireRed and LeafGreen (2004); Emerald (2004) |
| 4 | Diamond and Pearl (2006); Platinum (2008); HeartGold and SoulSilver (2009) |
| 5 | Black and White (2010); Black 2 and White 2 (2012) |
| 6 | X and Y (2013); Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire (2014) |
| 7 | Sun and Moon (2016); Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon (2017); Let's Go, Pikachu! and Let's Go, Eevee! (2018) |
| 8 | Sword and Shield (2019); Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl (2021); Legends: Arceus (2022) |
| 9 | Scarlet and Violet (2022); Legends: Z-A (2025) |
| 10 | Winds and Waves (planned for 2027) |
The years here are the first release, in Japan for the older games. Our games guide has every release date by region.
Remakes count in the generation they came out in, not the one they copy. FireRed and LeafGreen are remakes of Generation 1 games, but they belong to Generation 3. The same goes for Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl, which are Generation 8 remakes of Generation 4 games.
What each generation added
Every generation changed how Pokémon is played. These are the biggest additions, from our games guide.
| Generation | Big new things |
|---|---|
| 1 | The Pokédex, 151 Pokémon and 15 types, trading and battling by cable, Gyms and the Elite Four |
| 2 | Dark and Steel types, held items, breeding and Eggs, male and female Pokémon, shiny Pokémon, a day and night clock |
| 3 | Abilities, Natures, Double Battles, Pokémon Contests |
| 4 | The physical and special split for moves, online trading and battling over Wi-Fi |
| 5 | Hidden Abilities, Triple and Rotation Battles, seasons |
| 6 | Full 3D graphics, Mega Evolution, the Fairy type |
| 7 | Z-Moves, regional forms, the island challenge, Ultra Beasts |
| 8 | Dynamax and Gigantamax, the Wild Area, Max Raid Battles |
| 9 | An open world, Terastallization, Tera Raid Battles, Paradox Pokémon |
A few of these still shape every game. Before Generation 4, every Fire move was special and every Ground move was physical, whatever the move was. Since Diamond and Pearl each move has its own category. Abilities and Natures from Generation 3 are still in every main game, apart from the few that leave out Abilities. Our guides to Abilities and Natures explain both.
Generations and regions
Each generation's first games bring a new region. Kanto is Generation 1, Johto is Generation 2, and so on up to Paldea in Generation 9. Legends games visit an older region at a different time: Hisui in Legends: Arceus is Sinnoh long ago, and Legends: Z-A is set in Lumiose City in Kalos.
Pokémon regions in order has every region with the real place it's based on and its first partner Pokémon. The first partners by generation are there too.
How long between generations?
From one generation's first games to the next, the gap has been three or four years. Generations 4 and 5 took four years each (2006 and 2010). Since then it has been three every time: 2013, 2016, 2019 and 2022. Winds and Waves in 2027 would be a five-year gap since Scarlet and Violet, the longest so far, though Legends: Z-A came out in between.
Quiz yourself
Can you match each Pokémon to its home region? Try Region Rush in our games, or test your Pokédex knowledge in the quizzes.