On the surface, the Pokemon games are relatively simple little adventures. You are tasked with traveling across the Pokemon world in order to not only collect a group of fantastical friends, but also challenge the region's various gym leaders. All of this is so that you can become the Pokemon Champion, while also catching them all to become a Pokemon Master.
The games tend to feature an additional bit of story to help break up the game's various gym battles. Usually, these stories center around a villainous group who are interested in stealing Pokemon, or harnessing the power of Legendary Pokemon in order to serve their own villainous agendas. The stories outside of the gym battles are all good, but not all are created equal.
Updated on January 27, 2023, by Kyle Chamaillard. A pair of new mainline Pokemon games usually come out every two to three years, and Pokemon Scarlet and Violet introduced the ninth generation of characters and creatures to the world. Both titles contain a plethora of new features and mechanics, including multiple storylines you can complete in any order you like. It's ambitious, but how does it hold up against the other entries on this list? We've decided to update it to see where it ranks.
10 Pokemon Sun & Moon
While Pokemon Sun & Moon shouldn't be considered to be bad games, they differ from the rest of the series in quite a few ways. There are plenty of you who felt alienated by the release of these games and their Ultra upgraded versions.
While many didn’t like the minor change to the typical gym format, more were left disappointed by strange new Pokemon and what is arguably the weakest villainous team in the series. Team Skull, the Ultra Beasts, and the entire story of Pokemon Sun & Moon wasn’t received well, and it may be why these games are rarely spoken about.
9 Pokemon X & Y
It’s hard to try something entirely new. Pokemon X & Y were the series' first true step into the realm of 3D for their mainline entries. This change went along with a few others that some of you loved, but others among you also wished they hadn’t been introduced to the series at all.
While Team Flare's schemes and the expanded backstory to the world of Pokemon were met with mixed reviews, with many enjoying the feeling of truly being on an adventure with a group of friends for the first time. The annihilation of humanity is a heavy topic and not one that many loved — especially in a Pokemon game.
8 Pokemon Sword & Shield
To many, it felt like Pokemon Sword & Shield tried to ground the world of Pokemon in a much more realistic way than other entries. While that worked for many of you, there were others who didn’t enjoy either the story or the concept of Gigantamax Pokemon.
It seems that many of you prefer when the world of Pokemon features a smaller-scale story, as many of you didn’t fear the Darkest Day all that much — finding it fairly forgettable. With that said, even if the story overall wasn’t especially interesting, the backstory and history behind Gigantamaxing were kind of compelling.
7 Pokemon Diamond, Pearl & Platinum
For how beloved the fourth generation of Pokemon is, many of you tend to agree that its story outside of the typical gym leader challenge isn’t much to get excited about. While there are tons of new and old Pokemon to try out (especially if you pick up the Platinum version), Team Galactic leaves much to be desired.
While the events they cause are interesting and unique for the world of Pokemon, the story can feel like an attempt to make the standard format even bigger without making it all that much more exciting. Despite that, Team Galactic still does show off plenty of personality.
6 Pokemon Ruby, Sapphire & Emerald
Many of you started your adventures in the world of Pokemon with the third generation of games. While Pokemon Ruby & Sapphire introduced countless iconic Pokemon, they also introduced two fascinating rivaling factions of enemies.
Both Team Aqua and Team Magma make their presence felt throughout both games. The idea of each group seeking to awaken ancient Pokemon is interesting, and things are only made more compelling once Rayquaza is introduced to the story. Despite its simple presentation, these games showed that a truly epic story was possible for the Pokemon series.
5 Pokemon Red, Blue & Yellow
The original Pokemon games are rarely remembered for their story. Despite that fact, the simple yet still sprawling adventure is something that remains in the hearts of any of you who picked up the original line of games.
Part of the reason why these games resonate with you so much is the focus on catching all the Pokemon. That fact was made all the more important thanks to the nefarious Team Rocket, who sought after the region's Pokemon for their own selfish gain. While Pokemon Red & Blue had straightforward narratives, Pokemon Yellow was inspired by the plot of the anime and features similar characters and moments.
4 Pokemon Black 2 & White 2
It should be said that Pokemon Black 2 and White 2 could easily be switched with their predecessor titles. The stories for both games are often regarded as some of the best in the series for their slight shift into a more mature story for the first time.
Just a few years after the events of the first game, you’re thrown back into the Unova Region to once again take on Team Plasma. The game's sages add plenty of stakes and serve to make the entire adventure feel important and epic, which is something that many of you enjoyed.
3 Pokemon Black & White
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Many of you loved digging into Pokemon Black & White when they were first released on the Nintendo DS in 2011. You were entranced by Team Plasma, but even more of you were fascinated by the enigmatic character known only as N.
Some of you still theorize about N to this day, pointing to N as one of the best antagonistic forces throughout the entire series — and for good reason.
2 Pokemon Gold, Silver & Crystal
Despite the second generation of Pokemon games having been released so long ago, they are still recognized for containing a sprawling and exciting story that set a bar for what the series was capable of. The surprise that you could revisit Kanto from Pokemon Red & Blue after defeating the main game was a treat.
This game actually starts in a bit more of a mature way, as your rival is a thief that steals his starter Pokemon from Professor Elm. Despite losing their original leader, Team Rocket is even more fearsome in these entries, and their sinister plans lead to some interesting events that even include a red Gyarados.
1 Pokemon Scarlet & Violet
When determining which Pokemon games have the best stories outside of challenging gyms and earning badges, Scarlet & Violet stand out for a multitude of reasons. Shortly after you begin your journey, both games present three different stories that eventually culminate together to create the conclusion. While one of the three paths is the classic quest toward the Elite Four, the other two are equally compelling and surprisingly emotional.
You can easily spend dozens of hours playing Scarlet or Violet without having to challenge a single gym, and having the freedom to go anywhere at any time makes it easy to create your own stories while getting lost in the massive world of Paldea.