The regions in order
Kanto to Paldea: nine regions, the games that introduced them and the real places they are based on.
Nine regions, nine generations
Each generation of the main games brought a brand-new region. In order, with the games and the year they first came out:
- Kanto: Red and Green, 1996
- Johto: Gold and Silver, 1999
- Hoenn: Ruby and Sapphire, 2002
- Sinnoh: Diamond and Pearl, 2006
- Unova: Black and White, 2010
- Kalos: X and Y, 2013
- Alola: Sun and Moon, 2016
- Galar: Sword and Shield, 2019
- Paldea: Scarlet and Violet, 2022
Try it: Put them in order
Tap the regions from first to last. (interactive on pokee.si)
Based on real places
Every region is inspired by a real part of the world:
- Kanto: the Kantō region of Japan, around Tokyo
- Johto: the Kansai region of Japan (Kyoto and Osaka)
- Hoenn: the Japanese island of Kyushu
- Sinnoh: the Japanese island of Hokkaido
- Unova: the New York City area
- Kalos: France
- Alola: Hawaii
- Galar: the United Kingdom
- Paldea: Spain and Portugal (fans worked this one out; there is no single official statement)
What each region added
Each new generation added something to how Pokémon plays:
- Johto: day and night, breeding and shiny Pokémon
- Hoenn: Abilities and Natures
- Sinnoh: the physical and special split for moves
- Unova: Hidden Abilities
- Kalos: Mega Evolution and the Fairy type
- Alola: Z-Moves and regional forms
- Galar: Dynamax and Gigantamax
- Paldea: Terastallization and an open world
Quick check
Which region came right after Unova?
Answer: Kalos. Unova is Generation 5 and Kalos is Generation 6, the France-inspired region of X and Y.
Quiz
The lesson ends with a five-question quiz built from the Pokédex data, and earns the World Traveller badge.
Sources
- pokee.si guide: Regions (guide/regions.json, with sources per region)
- pokee.si guide: Games timeline (guide/games.json)
- Bulbapedia: Region
Related
Next lesson: Legendary, Mythical and the rest