For years,Pokemonfans have had to jump through hoops just to replay older games. Emulators, second-hand cartridges, or hardware mods have become the norm for those who want to revisitFireRed,HeartGold, orBlack 2. Meanwhile, Nintendo Switch Online (NSO) continues to avoid the one franchise that could supercharge its legacy catalog overnight.
Now, the timing has finally lined up. There’s a Pokemon Presents happening on July 23, 2025, andPokemon Legends: Z-Ais confirmed to be the main focus of the presentation. At the same time, the recently launched Nintendo Switch 2 has introduced upgraded hardware, new emulator support, and a fresh wave of attention to the platform. This would be the perfect moment for Nintendo to finally bring all the classicPokemontitles to NSO and give fans the access they’ve waited years for, and there’s no better bridge toPokemon Legends: Z-Athan the history that built up to it.
Pokemon is Practically Built for NSO, and NSO Is Ready
The irony is thatPokemonis tailor-made for NSO. TheGame Boy NSO tieralready runs games from the exact eraPokemondominated.Pokemon Red/Blue,Yellow,Gold/Silver, andCrystalwould require no more effort than theZelda: Oraclegames, which are already live on the NSO. On the GBA side, titles likeFireRed,LeafGreen,Emerald, andRuby/Sapphirewould bolster NSO’s weak GBA lineup instantly. The originalRed/BlueandGold/Silverwere some of the first games to push link cable functionality, which was a precursor to online battles and trading, and NSO could replicate that experience digitally. Players can trade betweenCrystalandRubyvia cloud save emulation, or battle friends inStadium 2using synced save data.
There’s also the belief that re-releasingoldPokemongameswould cannibalize any future remakes. That argument no longer holds becauseBrilliant Diamond/Shining Pearl, released in late 2021, still sold over 15 million copies despiteDiamond/Pearlalready being playable via DS cartridges and emulators.
Remakes offer modern graphics, new features, and reworked mechanics. NSO, on the other hand, preserves the old-school UI and classic battle pacing that defined the early generations. For fans who grew up with the GBC or GBA, that raw, unpolished experience has unmatched sentimental value.
Pokemon Home Already Proves Demand for Legacy Titles
Nintendo already allows players to move Pokemonfrom Gen 3 all the way toScarlet/VioletviaPokemon Home. That pipeline includes DS and3DS Nintendo games, which were never built for modern platforms. If the company can maintain data fidelity across six console generations, there’s no real excuse for skipping a simple ROM upload. Plus, the success ofPokemon Homeshows players care about their old Pokemon. Players still transfer creatures across generations, even from the Game Boy Advance era. If players are willing to pay for the ability to preserve their Blaziken from 2004, they’ll definitely pay for access to the game it came from, too.
The Pokemon Classics Library Could Help Build Hype for Z-A
Historically, Game Freak has delivered a new mainline title or major remake roughly every two to three years.Pokemon Crystalhit shelves in 2000, followed byRuby and Sapphirein 2002,FireRed andLeafGreenin 2004, and so on. Now, for the first time in nearly two decades,Pokemonfans are entering a fourth year without anew mainlinePokemongame. Rather than letting interest fade, Nintendo could make up for the long wait time and reignite the fanbase’s attention with something that requires no new development pipeline: legacy content.
These games don’t need trailers, new animation, or marketing. Indeed, a “Games Coming Soon toNintendo Classics” spot at the end of the stream simply featuring box art for the games would likely suffice and provide all the anticipation they’d need, building momentum for thePokemonfranchise and feeding directly intoZ‑Ahype, especially if they were to release sometime before October. Still, only time will tell what the Pokemon Presents has in store.
