While Nintendo Switch 2 been out for a relatively short time compared to its “current” counterparts, it has won an impressive array of awards. The Nintendo Switch 2 has more bona fide exclusives than the PS5 or Xbox Series X, for example, and there's no sign of the selection slowing down. For example, many believed Pokemon winds and waves would be Nintendo's big holiday release, but with a 2027 release, there have since been hints of a new Mario game instead.
Whatever happens this holiday season, the Nintendo Switch 2 has already ushered in a whole new era: one that for many fans has defined every iteration of Nintendo's hardware since the Game Boy. Pokemon Legends: ZA is a cross-gen game that's like dipping your toe in the water, so Pokemon Pokopia is the first Nintendo Switch 2 exclusive Pokemon game. In other words, the Switch era Pokemon the games are over and the Switch 2 era has begun in earnest.
Hear Me Out: I think Pokemon Winds and Waves releasing in 2027 is secretly a good thing for Switch 2 owners
Pokemon Winds and Waves won't be coming to Switch 2 until 2027, but that could be a good thing for console owners.
The era of Nintendo Switch 2 begins in full swing
The sun has set on the Switch 1 Era
It will probably be a few years before fans can really look back and fully reflect on the Switch era, but some facts are hard to ignore. While none of the Pokemon games have been bad, many seem to have generated both controversy and positive response. Pokemon Sword and Shield launched the first generation on the Nintendo Switch, and while they are solid in their own rights, many fans were and still are upset about Dexit, or the removal of the National Pokedex, which consists of all Pokémon.
Since then, many fans have been counting down what Pokemon was missing on the Switch. It seemed like Game Freak and The Pokemon Company intentionally left out Pokemon to expand the inclusion of everyone across the entire Switch 1 era and basically two generations of Pokemon.
Many Pokemon Nintendo Switch games have been criticized for graphics/visuals (trees in Legends: Arceusbuildings in Legends: ZA), technical problems (as seen in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet), simplified difficulty across games (though it goes beyond that), exclusion of voice acting, and/or introduction of DLC.
Pokemon Legends: ZA is as much a Switch 1 game as it is a Switch 2 game, so it's caught in a cross-generation. Pokemon Pokopia is the first Pokemon game fully exclusive to Nintendo Switch 2.
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The era of Pokemon x Switch 2 has begun
If Pokemon Sword and Shield set the tone for the Nintendo Switch 1 games that followed Pokemon Pokopia is the north star right now Of course, Pokemon winds and waves will likely define the Gen 10 flagship series, but the beginning of the Switch 2 era is just beginning Popopia. And what a start.
Pokemon Pokopia it set review records for the franchise, achieving a top critic average of 88 on aggregate site OpenCritic, with 94% of critics recommending it. I mean, it's right next door Resident Evil Requiem and Mewgenicsmaking it one of the highest rated games of the year so far. This may change, but for starters Popopia and the Switch 2 era, that's impressive.
Pokemon Pokopia features some new regional variants such as Peakychu which have been well received so far, while initial reactions to Pokemon winds and waves and their entrees are just as positive, if not more so, than the typical generation. Hopefully they aren't subject to the same visual and technical criticism, but it remains to be seen how this next generation will handle the challenges of difficulty, DLC, and voice acting, if at all. Not only that, but there is also a chance that new criticisms or challenges will emerge. RAM crisis is probably the main problem of the future Pokemon games, but still, a new era is here, a new generation is coming, and it's all worth celebrating.
Nintendo Switch 2 makes Dexit a thing of the past
When Pokemon Sword and Shield were released, the National Pokedex was forever marked on the Switch 1. This is not the case with the Switch 2 generation. Thanks to Pokemon Home and backwards compatibility, everything from the Switch 1 is technically available on the Switch 2. In other words, while there may be event-specific Mythicals that cannot be obtained, every common Pokemon can be caught. Pokemon Legends: ZA both were heralded in the final Pokémon (as Patrat) for the Switch 1 generation and made sure to be present at the start of the Switch 2 generation.
The Switch 2 Era has at least 591 of the original 1025 Pokemon
I will say though: counting Pokemon that aren't on hardware is pretty fun. As such, it's interesting to know which Pokemon are original in the Switch 2-only games. Except for simple updates (Pokemon Scarlet and Violet) and backward compatibility (Pokemon Legends: Arceus), the only “official” Pokemon games on the Switch 2 are Pokemon Pokopia and the Switch 2 version Pokemon Legends: ZA. Between them, the total number of Pokemon on Nintendo Switch is 2,591. The Pokedex numbers are 644, but there are roughly 73 overlapping Pokemon between them. Legends: ZA and Popopia.
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Pokopia Pokedex: 300
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Lumiose Pokedex: 232
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Hyperspace Pokedex: 132
Yes, yes, yes, we can get into the trenches Popopia be a spin-off of one or the other, but it's a fun number to see. When Pokemon Sword and Shield launched on the Switch 1, there were only 400 Pokemon for the new generation. Pokemon Home helped a lot, as did the DLC and later games, but the entire Pokedex wasn't native to the Switch 1 until Legends: ZA.
When it comes to comparing generations, there will be a big contrast between them Pokemon Sword and Shieldand Pokemon winds and waves. Winds and waves he has a head start, but still Popopia is close Sword and shield. Pokemon Legends: ZA as a cross-gen game pushes it across.
Regardless of the fun thought experiments, the exclusive era of Nintendo Switch 2 Pokemon is officially underway.
- Released
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March 5, 2026
- ESRB
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Interaction between all / users, in-game purchases
