Summary
- Pokemon games have evolved from their exploration roots; recent titles offer more open worlds with less player-bound freedom.
- Games like Detective Pikachu Returns & FireRed/LeafGreen stand out for their unique exploration.
- Titles like Pokemon Go merge real and virtual exploration, and recent games like Scarlet & Violet offer seamless worlds for players to explore.
Pokemon is 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.
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However, as Pokemon has grown over the years, the sense of exploration within the games has varied. Graphical limitations and technological advancements have made more modern Pokemon games more open-world, albeit at the cost of real freedom for players. These best games in the Pokemon franchise 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 the Pokemon series.
10 PokePark 2: Wonders Beyond
Pokemon Make Friends Across Environments
PokePark 2: Wonders Beyond
- Released
- November 12, 2011
WHERE TO PLAY
- Platform(s)
- Nintendo Wii
The first PokePark game on the Wii was released in 2009, allowing players to control series mascot Pikachu and 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 as Pokemon spin-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.
9 Detective Pikachu Returns
From The Big Screen Back To The Switch
Detective Pikachu Returns
- Released
- October 6, 2023
WHERE TO PLAY
The 2018 3DS title Detective Pikachu was a strange entry in the Pokemon franchise, 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 after a successful 2019 live-action movie and offered a more fleshed-out world to explore.
Much of the gameplay in Detective Pikachu Returns requires players to literally investigate crimes in a big urban environment, making it a much different kind of exploration game than Pokemon fans might be used to. However, if your hunger for exploration could be combined with an interest in solving puzzles, then Detective Pikachu Returns might be the game for you.
8 Pokemon FireRed & LeafGreen
You Can't Beat The Original Kanto Region
Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen
- Released
- September 7, 2004
WHERE TO PLAY
- Developer(s)
- Game Freak
- Genre(s)
- RPG
- Platform(s)
- Nintendo Game Boy Advance
It might seem like an obvious choice to put the original Pokemon games on this list, but most fans already consider Pokemon FireRed & LeafGreen for 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 modern Pokemon games.
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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.
7 Pokemon Platinum
Sinnoh Was Improved In This Diamond & Pearl Follow-Up
Pokémon Platinum
- Released
- March 22, 2009
WHERE TO PLAY
- Developer(s)
- Game Freak
- Genre(s)
- JRPG
- Platform(s)
- Nintendo DS
Pokemon Diamond & Pearl introduced the world to the Sinnoh region, but it was Pokemon Platinum that made it one of the best 2D Pokemon games in 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, Platinum has 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 only Platinum was released for the 3DS, as it would probably look incredible with visuals that pop.
6 New Pokemon Snap
Spectate Pokemon In Their Natural Habitats
New Pokémon Snap
- Released
- April 30, 2021
WHERE TO PLAY
- Developer(s)
- Bandai Namco Entertainment
- Genre(s)
- Simulation
- Platform(s)
- Nintendo Switch
- OpenCritic Rating
- Strong
And now, for a much different kind of exploration than Pokemon fans are used to. Like its Nintendo 64 predecessor, the main gameplay of New Pokemon Snap involves 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 original Pokemon Snap, there are a lot more Pokemon to see in action.
There are 200 different Pokemon that can be found in New 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.
5 Pokemon HeartGold & SoulSilver
Two Regions For The Price Of One
Pokemon HeartGold and SoulSilver
- Released
- March 14, 2010
WHERE TO PLAY
- Developer(s)
- Game Freak
- Genre(s)
- JRPG
- Platform(s)
- Nintendo DS
The second-generation Pokemon games were a lot more ambitious than fans really give them credit for. Fortunately, Pokemon HeartGold & SoulSilver were the upgrades they deserved, featuring many of the quality-of-life improvements that had been made to the series since the original releases of Gold & Silver, but some of its best exploration aspects were done all the way back in 1999.
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Particularly, HeartGold & SoulSilver take after their original versions by letting players take on the Kanto Pokemon League after becoming the Champions of Johto, being the only Pokemon games 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 more Pokemon than players usually get in their games.
4 Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers Of Sky
The Best Pokemon Roguelite You'll Find
Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Sky
- Released
- October 12, 2009
WHERE TO PLAY
- Developer(s)
- Spike Chunsoft
- Genre(s)
- Roguelike
- Platform(s)
- Nintendo DS
Pokemon Mystery Dungeon is one of the most popular spin-off series from Pokemon, combining the world and characters from Nintendo's series with Spike Chunsoft's roguelike RPG franchise. Explorers of Sky is widely agreed to be the best one, in which players control one of 19 Pokemon and join teams of explorers venturing into procedurally-generated dungeons to battle other Pokemon.
It's a much more story-driven series than Pokemon fans 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 of Explorers of Sky, especially when you factor in all the combinations of player characters and Exploration Teams that can be joined.
3 Pokemon Go
Step Outside And Explore The Real World
Pokémon GO
- Released
- July 6, 2016
WHERE TO PLAY
In all honesty, there's no better exploration than the kind you can do outside of video games, in the real world. However, there are games like Pokemon Go that even encourage it, turning players' phone maps into a Pokemon world filled 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 of Pokemon games: Pokemon Go offers 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!
2 Pokemon Scarlet & Violet
Paldea Is As Open As Pokemon Has Ever Been
Pokemon Scarlet and Violet
- Released
- November 18, 2022
WHERE TO PLAY
- Developer(s)
- Game Freak
- Genre(s)
- RPG
- Platform(s)
- Switch
- OpenCritic Rating
- Fair
There's a strong possibility that Pokemon Scarlet & Violet wouldn'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.
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Thankfully, the Switch 2 makes Scarlet & Violet feel completely fresh. Now, Pokemon spawn like crazy, making the world feel richly inhabited and fun to explore. For the first time in the Pokemon franchise, 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.
1 Pokemon Legends: Arceus
It's Satisfying To Uncover Sinnoh's Past In Hisui
Pokemon Legends: Arceus
- Released
- January 28, 2022
WHERE TO PLAY
- Developer(s)
- Game Freak
- Platform(s)
- Nintendo Switch
- OpenCritic Rating
- Strong
While many criticize Scarlet & Violet for their lack of polish, the opposite is true for Pokemon Legends: Arceus. This spin-off title has launched a brand-new series exploring timelines outside the mainline Pokemon games. Legends: Arceus has 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: Arceus is the most fun players will have just exploring and trying to catch as many of each Pokemon as they can in order to complete the Pokedex. The story is typical for Pokemon, 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.
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