Summary
Pokemonis a franchise grounded in exploration, inspired by creator Satoshi Tajiri’s childhood enjoyment in collecting bugs and creatures around his small town outside of Tokyo. It has since evolved (pun intended) into one of the biggest video game series on the planet, selling nearly half a billion copies of mainline titles and spin-offs since it began in 1996.
However, asPokemonhas grown over the years, the sense of exploration within the games has varied. Graphical limitations and technological advancements have made more modernPokemongames more open-world, albeit at the cost of real freedom for players. These best games in thePokemonfranchise are ranked here based on how much freedom they offer, whether it’s through not limiting players in RPG formulas or simply letting them explore an entirely open world on rare occasions in thePokemonseries.
The firstPokeParkgame on the Wii was released in 2009, allowing players tocontrol series mascot Pikachuand explore the titular area, encountering Pokemon and completing minigames in order to befriend its inhabitants. In 2011, the follow-up,PokePark 2: Wonders Beyond, offers a similar gameplay loop but with several new areas for players to roam around in.
While they’re far from the sandbox open worlds that other games in this list will offer, as far asPokemonspin-offs go, it’s a lot more comparable to other 3D adventure titles than any RPG formula. With this game, players can feel like they’re actually interacting with a lively and populated Pokemon world, as opposed to following any set track of completing goals and growing stronger.
The 2018 3DS titleDetective Pikachuwas a strange entry in thePokemonfranchise, offering a detective-like adventure where players control Tim, a junior detective who partners with the titular talking gumshoe to solve mysteries. Its 2023 sequel,Detective Pikachu Returns, came aftera successful 2019 live-action movieand offered a more fleshed-out world to explore.
Much of the gameplay inDetective Pikachu Returnsrequires players to literally investigate crimes in a big urban environment, making it a much different kind of exploration game thanPokemonfans might be used to. However, if your hunger for exploration could be combined with an interest in solving puzzles, thenDetective Pikachu Returnsmight be the game for you.
It might seem like an obvious choice to put the originalPokemongames on this list, but most fans already considerPokemon FireRed & LeafGreenfor the Game Boy Advance to be superior versions of the Gen 1 classics. Players explore the Kanto region and are allowed far more freedom in their journeying through the Pokemon League than most modernPokemongames.
After beating the first two Gym Leaders, Brock and Misty, players can challenge the next 5 Gym Leaders in any order they choose, with the only stipulation being facing Blaine after defeating Koga. Additionally, the Kanto region is deceptively free to explore, resulting in many hidden secrets throughout, from Legendary Pokemon to rare items.
Pokemon Diamond & Pearlintroduced the world to the Sinnoh region, but it wasPokemon Platinumthat made it one ofthe best 2DPokemongamesin the franchise’s history. In the fourth generation, exploration is the name of the game. There are tons of Legendary Pokemon to hunt down, a vast region to search for rare Pokemon and items, and even an underground system of tunnels.
Additionally,Platinumhas an exclusive area for players to explore: the Distortion World, where they meet the Legendary mascot Giratina. Because this area does not obey the laws of physics, it allows for some pretty unique ways of navigating the multi-dimensional terrain. If onlyPlatinumwas released for the 3DS, as it would probably look incredible with visuals that pop.
And now, for a much different kind of exploration thanPokemonfans are used to. Like its Nintendo 64 predecessor, the main gameplay ofNew Pokemon Snapinvolves observing Pokemon in the wild and capturing candid photos of them to make a PhotoDex. However, given it was released over 20 years after the originalPokemon Snap,there are a lot more Pokemon to see in action.
There are 200 different Pokemon that can be found inNew Pokemon Snap, and for many casual fans of the series, it can be genuinely exciting to catch them in the act during photographic research expeditions. The journeys players take through each environment may be predetermined, but the Pokemon world has never felt more lived-in than in this Switch game.
The second-generationPokemongames were a lot more ambitious than fans really give them credit for. Fortunately,Pokemon HeartGold & SoulSilverwere the upgrades they deserved, featuring many of the quality-of-life improvements that had been made to the series since the original releases ofGold & Silver, but some of its best exploration aspects were done all the way back in 1999.
Particularly,HeartGold & SoulSilvertake after their original versions by letting players take on the Kanto Pokemon League after becoming the Champions of Johto, being the onlyPokemongames to feature two full regions for players to explore. Although the selection of catchable Pokemon is limited to only the first two generations, it’s a lot morePokemonthan players usually get in their games.
Pokemon Mystery Dungeonis one of the most popular spin-off series fromPokemon, combining the world and characters from Nintendo’s series with Spike Chunsoft’s roguelike RPG franchise.Explorers of Skyis widely agreed to be the best one, in whichplayers control one of 19 Pokemonand join teams of explorers venturing into procedurally-generated dungeons to battle other Pokemon.
It’s a much more story-driven series thanPokemonfans might be used to, but the game’s roguelite elements make it a unique experience for each and every player. Exploring the dungeons themselves is incredibly fun and adds to the replayability ofExplorers of Sky, especially when you factor in all the combinations of player characters and Exploration Teams that can be joined.
In all honesty, there’s no better exploration than the kind you’re able to do outside of video games, in the real world. However, there are games likePokemon Gothat even encourage it,turning players' phone maps into a Pokemon worldfilled with gyms to challenge, Pokemon to catch, and challenges to complete. Since its debut in 2016, the game has only grown and offers limitless potential.
Maybe you find yourself on vacation in a familiar place, too scared to go anywhere outside your comfort zone. Just wait until you hear about a rare Pokemon that’s spawned somewhere you’ve never been. Forget the regions ofPokemongames:Pokemon Gooffers exploration both in the virtual world as well as the real one, so always be sure to check it when you’re in a new place!
There’s a strong possibility thatPokemon Scarlet & Violetwouldn’t have made this list were it not for the Switch 2. Although they feature some of the best quality-of-life changes to the series, from portable PCs to frequent Pokemon Centers, and even the ability to craft TMs, it was quite cumbersome to traverse the Paldea region with the original Switch’s poor processing power.
Thankfully, the Switch 2 makesScarlet & Violetfeel completely fresh. Now, Pokemon spawn like crazy, making the world feel richly inhabited and fun to explore. For the first time in thePokemonfranchise, it doesn’t feel annoying to have your exploration interrupted by battles, as they’ve become a seamless part of adventuring through the vast, open world of the base game.
While many criticizeScarlet & Violetfor their lack of polish, the opposite is true forPokemon Legends: Arceus. This spin-off title has launched a brand-new series exploring timelines outside the mainlinePokemongames.Legends: Arceushas players explore the vast open areas of Sinnoh, back when it was an ancient civilization known as Hisui, to assemble the first Pokedex.
Because of this addictive gameplay loop,Legends: Arceusis the most fun players will have just exploring andtrying to catch as many of each Pokemonas they can to complete the Pokedex. The story is typical forPokemon, ignorable, but you’ll likely have so much fun in each and every area, trying to find every Pokemon and completing all the side quests, that you’ll forget it even exists.
