Summary
We’re only a few months away from the release ofPokemon Legends: Z-A, the successor toPokemon Legends: Arceusand likely the final major release before Generation 10 of thePokemonfranchise. For all the quality-of-life changes and innovations it had, Generation 9 was divisive among thePokemonfanbase. The title games,Pokemon Scarlet & Violet,were plagued with criticisms of performance issues and a lack of originality.
With Generation 10’s inevitable release, Game Freak has the opportunity to right a lot of wrongs from their recent history. There’s little official confirmation of anything that’ll be in the nextPokemongames, but it’s possible to make some educated predictions about where the series will go.
10Graphics Will Be Simpler ThanScarlet & Violet
Less Ambition Would Be A Good Thing
The biggest note Game Freak should takefromScarlet & Violetis that they pushed the Switch’s processing power further than it could handle. Because the Switch 2 is more powerful than the original Switch, the obvious choice may be for Game Freak to go even bigger for Gen 10. However, many fans would accept simpler graphics if it yields better gameplay.
Maybe this will mean thatPokemonreturns to a more top-down POV likePokemon Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl, or maybe it just becomes less graphically detailed in order to keep an open world whilst not making the Switch 2s crash or overheat. Whatever the direction the new games take, stylized graphics that aren’t heavy on the Switch 2’s CPU are preferable to many.
9A Region Inspired By Greece Or Italy
This Could Be A Good Work-Around For Paldea’s Scale
EachPokemonregion draws its inspiration from a real-life country or U.S. territory, like Kalos being based on France, or Unova being based on the east coast of the USA. Currently, the frontrunner for many predictions about the Gen 10 region is the Mediterranean, whether it be mainland Greece, the Cyclades Islands, or Italy, which couldharken back to a beloved generation forPokemonfans.
Namely, that’s Generation 3, as the Hoenn region involved a lot of travel across oceans from island to island. This was also the case with Gen 7’s Hawaii-inspired Alola region. If the game is open-world but limited to separate islands, this could solve a lot of the graphical issues with the more connected and vast Paldea region. Plus, who wouldn’t want some Greek/Italian-inspired ‘mons?
8The Starters Will Continue Previous Patterns
The Inspirations Haven’t Always Been Random
There are lots of theories surroundinghow starter Pokemon are chosen. Some are obvious, such as Fire-type starters being based on the Chinese zodiac or starter trios having themes (Gen 6 is RPG classes, Gen 7 is circus acts, Gen 4 is mythological creatures, etc.). Some lesser-known theories are Grass-type starters being based on prehistoric species and Water-type starters being based on types of weaponry.
A safe prediction is that, whatever Gen 10’s starters prove to be, they likely won’t stray from these familiar patterns. For the Fire-type starter, there’s the horse, goat, and ox left to complete the Chinese zodiac. The Grass-type starter could be anything from a dinosaur to a ground sloth. The Water-type starter can be anything as long as it corresponds to a weapon, like a whip or a lance. Perhaps a snake or narwhal could be interesting options to explore.
7New Unique Type Combos
There Are Only A Few Unused Combinations Left
Each generation has introduced Pokemon whose type combinations hadn’t been seen before in the franchise. For Gen 9, this included the Grass/Fire-type Scovillain and Electric/Fighting-type Pawmot. It’s likely Gen 10 will be the same, butthere are less than 10 unique type combos left.
Some of the most interesting potential combos include Fire/Fairy, Ice/Poison, and Rock/Ghost. There are also a few types that have never been combined with the Normal-type, like Normal/Ice, Normal/Rock, and Normal/Bug. Who knows what kinds of Pokemon will be produced of these type combos? Maybe a regional form of Vanilluxe based on a different flavor of ice cream that gives it the Poison-type?
6Lore Will Get More Complicated
Legendary Pokemon Always Expand The Poke-Verse
The lore of the world ofPokemongets more and more complex with every entry of the mainline series. While Generation 1 started by introducing Pokemon’s original ancestor in Mew, Generation 4 introduced a full god in Arceus. Generation 9 introduced time travel and future/prehistoric Pokemon to the series. Whatever happens in Gen 10, it definitely won’t get any simpler.
If the region is in fact based on a country like Greece, which has its own storied mythology and culture, the corresponding Legendary Pokemon will likely be integral to the franchise’s fictional universe. Maybe players will meet a pantheon of Arceus-like Pokemon gods based on the Olympians, or maybe some mythical heroes based on Hercules, Arachne, or Theseus.
5A New Gimmick Will Replace Tera Types
Pokemon Battles Always Have Something New To Offer
Starting with Generation 6,each mainlinePokemongame has introduced a major gimmickthat shakes up typical Pokemon battles, but only for that generation. In Gen 6, it was the fan-favorite Mega Evolution. Gen 7 focused on Z-Moves, and Gen 8 introduced Dynamaxing. Gen 9’s Terastallization was an interesting way to switch up Pokemon types, but for Gen 10, who knows what Game Freak has up their sleeves?
Some fans have suggested Pokemon fusions as a potential gimmick, while others think the series should bring over the Fast Attack/Strong Attack system fromPokemon Legends: Arceus. Our prediction? Letting two Pokemon jointly attack in Double Battles, combining their offensive stats for a unique move, depending on which two Pokemon team up.
4Mega Evolution May Stick Around AfterLegends: Z-A
Fans Are Already Excited For Its Return
Pokemon Legends: Z-Aalready has fans anticipating the return of Mega Evolution, since it takes place in the Kalos region of Generation 6. There are even rumorssome Pokemon will be getting new Mega Evolutions, including Hawlucha, Skarmory, and Clefable. With all this attention being paid to Mega Evolution, it would disappointing for the gimmick to not return in Generation 10.
It’s possible that Generation 10 won’t introduce any new Mega Evolutions afterLegends: Z-A, instead focusing on its own gimmick. But keeping Mega Evolution around for the next generation would make a lot of fans happy, especially ones who have been disappointed by Dynamaxing and Terastallization in recent releases.
3Pokemon ChampionsWill Be The Go-To For Competitive Battles
The New Games May Not Be For Die-Hard Trainers
One of the biggestPokemon-related announcements of 2025 wasPokemon Champions, a new spin-off title for the Switch and mobile devices that will serve as a battle simulator, similar to the fan-madePokemon Showdown. However,Championsmay boast an edge overShowdownnot just graphically, but by serving as the official hub for the franchise’s competitive future.
2The Pokemon League May Shake Up The Formula
A Less Traditional Journey
Pokemonwill be celebrating a huge milestone with their 10th Generation, so it stands to reason something new is in order for the journey of collecting Gym Badges. Gen 7 was a step in the right direction, forcing players to complete trials as Alola creates its own Pokemon League from scratch. Gen 9included not only the typical eight gyms, but storylines of Titan Pokemon and Team Star.
For the upcoming Gen 10, something new would not only get veteran players re-invested in the series, but could offer a different side of the franchise to newcomers who have never played it before. With the Greek inspiration in mind, it could feature a “12 Trials” challenge as in the story of Hercules. For Italy, a coliseum-set tournament between hundreds of trainers would be fascinating.
1They Will Likely Be Switch 2 Exclusives
Sorry, OG Switch Users
AlthoughLegends: Z-Ais set to be a dual release on both the original Nintendo Switch and the Switch 2, the next mainline series games might bethe first exclusives on the new console. The OG Switch had a good run, withSword & ShieldandScarlet & Violetas exclusives, but assuming the new titles will come in 2026, they’ll need the Switch 2’s power.
Fortunately, not releasing the Gen 10 games on the original Switch will guarantee fans a much more powerful experience, even if it doesn’t live up to every single expectation. Either way, fans will still have a blast with the 10th Generation games, purely for the love ofPokemon.
