Pokémon Games in Order: Timeline of All 25 Main-Series Games

Every main-series Pokémon game in release order, from Red and Green to Legends: Z-A: generation, region, platform, release dates and what each one introduced.

Pokémon Red and Green (1996): The first Pokémon games, released in Japan only. A trainer from Pallet Town sets out to fill the Pokédex and beat the Pokémon League, with the second version of every Pokémon traded over a cable.
Pokémon Blue (Japan) (1996): A third Japanese version with better graphics and fixes for several glitches. It became the basis for the Western Red and Blue.
Pokémon Red and Blue (1998): The versions that launched Pokémon in the West. Charizard and Blastoise are on the covers, and Mewtwo waits in Cerulean Cave as the best-known reward for finishing the story.
Pokémon Yellow (1998): A tweaked version of Generation I that gives you Pikachu as your only starter, and has it trail behind you in the overworld. It follows the anime more closely than Red and Blue.
Pokémon Gold and Silver (1999): The sequel that doubled the world: you explore Johto, then travel back to Kanto after the Johto League. It added breeding, held items, shiny Pokémon and a clock that makes some Pokémon appear only at night.
Pokémon Crystal (2000): An enhanced Generation II with Suicune at the centre of the story. It was the first game where you could choose to play a girl.
Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire (2002): Hoenn is a world of islands and water routes, where Team Magma and Team Aqua wake Groudon and Kyogre. It introduced Abilities and Natures, two ideas that still shape how Pokémon are built.
Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen (2004): A full remake of the original Kanto adventure with Abilities, Natures and updated graphics, plus a new island chain to explore after the Pokémon League.
Pokémon Emerald (2004): The enhanced Hoenn game, with Rayquaza on the cover and both villain teams in play. Its Battle Frontier was a huge post-game draw for competitive players.
Pokémon Diamond and Pearl (2006): Sinnoh is a snowy, mountain-split region where Team Galactic tries to remake the universe using the lake guardians. These were the first main-series games to go online, and it changed how moves work by making each move physical or special on its own, instead of deciding that by its type.
Pokémon Platinum (2008): An expanded Sinnoh with Giratina in the spotlight, a surreal Distortion World to explore, and more of the older Pokémon available earlier.
Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver (2009): Expanded remakes of Gold and Silver, with the first Pokémon in your party walking behind you.
Pokémon Black and White (2010): Unova has only new Pokémon until you finish the story, and the setting is based on a huge modern city. Hidden Abilities arrived here, and Team Plasma challenged the whole idea of trainers and Pokémon.
Pokémon Black 2 and White 2 (2012): Set two years after Black and White, these are the only games in the series that are direct sequels to a pair from the same generation. The cover features the two fused forms of Kyurem.
Pokémon X and Pokémon Y (2013): Kalos, inspired by France, was the first fully 3D Pokémon world. It brought Mega Evolution and the Fairy type, the first new type since Gold and Silver.
Pokémon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire (2014): Remakes of Ruby and Sapphire with Mega Evolution and the Primal forms of the two weather legends. A new post-game story brings Rayquaza's Mega form to the centre.
Pokémon Sun and Pokémon Moon (2016): The Hawaii-inspired islands of Alola replace Gyms with an island challenge. Z-Moves, regional forms and the mysterious Ultra Beasts all debuted here.
Pokémon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon (2017): A reworked Alola story with Necrozma at the heart of it. New Ultra Wormholes let you hunt many legendary Pokémon from earlier games.
Pokémon: Let's Go, Pikachu! and Let's Go, Eevee! (2018): A retelling of Yellow for Nintendo Switch with Pokémon GO-style catching. Your partner Pikachu or Eevee rides on your shoulder or head.
Pokémon Sword and Pokémon Shield (2019): Galar, inspired by Great Britain, turns Gym battles into a stadium sport with giant Dynamax Pokémon. The Wild Area is a vast open space linking several towns, and two paid expansions added more.
Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl (2021): Close remakes of the Sinnoh games with a chibi art style, a bigger Underground and the Pokémon following you around.
Pokémon Legends: Arceus (2022): Set long before Diamond and Pearl, the game has you building the first Pokédex in Hisui. It trades the usual Gyms for a field research story and lets you throw Poké Balls at wild Pokémon directly.
Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Violet (2022): Paldea, based on Spain and Portugal, is an open world where the areas are seamlessly connected. You can tackle the three stories in any order, and Terastallization lets Pokémon change type.
Pokémon Legends: Z-A (2025): All of the action takes place in Lumiose City, five years after Pokémon X and Y, as the city is redeveloped for people and Pokémon to live together. Mega Evolution returns after seven years away, with 26 new Mega forms in the base game and 19 more in the Mega Dimension DLC.
Pokémon Winds and Pokémon Waves (2027): The announced Generation X games, revealed on Pokémon Day 2026 (27 February) for release in 2027. Little else is public yet, so the region and new Pokémon are not covered here.