A new set of main series Pokémon games is coming to the Nintendo Switch 2 in 2027, marking the 10th installment in the series.
In a livestream celebrating the release of the first Pokémon games exactly thirty years ago, the company unveiled “Pokémon Winds and Waves,” an open-world game set across a vast ocean of islands.
The three new starter Pokémon were announced as well: Browt, a grass-type “bean chick” that looks like an Angry Bird; Pombon, a Pomeranian-inspired fire-type who better not evolve into a bipedal man; and Gecqua, a water-type gecko with big pink eyes.
Leakers have rumored that the new game is set in a region inspired by Indonesia and Southeast Asia — while the trailer doesn’t explicitly confirm this, it makes a good case for proving the rumors correct, showing us lush jungles, seaside mountains, tropical towns, and even underwater reefs. Fans have also honed in on a suspicious-looking cloud in the trailer, which looks like a Gyarados-slash-Lapras flying through the sky — perhaps it’s a nod to a new legendary Pokémon?
Pokémon already explored a tropical island vibe in the Hawaii-inspired “Sun and Moon” games, which came out nearly ten years ago, but there’s still a ton to explore in that sort of setting, especially now that the franchise is embracing open-world maps. Not all tropical archipelagos are alike!
Main series Pokémon games usually get released in November, which would mean that we have almost two years to wait before we can explore this new region… but hopefully we’ll be surprised. It already seems like forever ago since “Pokémon Scarlet and Violet” came out in 2022. But when that game came out, fans criticized it for feeling rushed and rife with glitches. So if a later release date means we’ll get something incredible, I’m happy to wait.
In the meantime, Pokémon fans can buy reissues of the “Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen” games today for the Switch… but they cost $20. It’s too bad that there isn’t an extremely easy and legally dubious way to get those games on your phone for free.
