Editor’s Note
This list highlights the Pokémon games that received our lowest scores—though it’s worth noting that even these titles earned a solid 15/20 (“good”) from our team. From new generations to remasters, these entries represent the “bottom of the barrel” in a series known for consistently high quality.
The following titles are the lowest-rated games in the Pokémon saga by our editorial team, though they still received the honorable score of 15/20, synonymous with “good.” This list includes a bit of everything, whether it’s a brand new generation, remasters, or bonus versions.
Pokémon Crystal is the complementary version of Pokémon Gold and Silver, released in November 2001, barely six months after its predecessors. Marketed as a special edition, its score is due to supplemental content that is quite meager compared to the Gold and Silver versions: a new narrative arc with the Unown, the Battle Tower, and improved graphics.
Almost 10 years after the release on Game Boy, Pokémon Red and Blue return with a modernized look via Pokémon FireRed and Pokémon LeafGreen. Indeed, the only new features are those brought by their predecessors (held items, natures, and abilities) and nine bonus islands to explore. A remake judged as lightweight at the time.
As precious as crystal if not more, Pokémon’s emerald nevertheless displays the same hue. Two years after the release of the Ruby and Sapphire versions in 2003, Pokémon Emerald is considered a special edition integrating an additional narrative arc where you can capture the three Legendary Pokémon of the third generation.
Unfortunately for it, this is the only original episode to be part of the bottom tier. Released in summer 2007 on DS, Pokémon Diamond and Pokémon Pearl mark the arrival of the fourth generation of Pokémon as well as a major change in the strategic approach to battles. However, the formula recycled for over ten years fails to convince. Will its remake, expected next week, manage to charm?
The first Pokémon installment on Switch (November 2018), this Pokémon Let’s Go Eevee / Let’s Go Pikachu sparked debate. It revisits the adventure of the very first episodes (Red and Blue, released in 1995 in Japan) but modifies a key aspect of the saga: capturing creatures is no longer done via battles but resembles the method favored in Pokémon Go.
But if the Pokémon saga still thrives today, it’s not only thanks to “good” productions. It’s primarily because it appeals to a very broad audience, whose curiosity is regularly piqued through the release of numerous episodes that integrate new species of Pokémon. Games often considered “very good” at JV and which received a score of 16/20.
And the first stone laid, the Arceus of Pokémon games, is Pokémon Version Red / Blue. Released in Europe in 1999, the first episode had already sold twelve million copies in Japan after its 1996 release. A colossal number for the time! A success with a simple recipe, which paved the way for a franchise that has become essential today.
Owing to the smash hit of the first game, Game Freak is tasked with making a new Pokémon episode. The second generation arrives in Europe in 2001 (two years after Japan) in two versions respectively named Gold and Silver. They integrate a day/night cycle that changes the capture of wild Pokémon and allow visiting the old region, extending the already enormous lifespan of the software.
Never two without three. Pokémania is contagious and a third installment sees the light in Europe on July 25, 2003, eight months after its release in the Japanese archipelago. Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire.
Pokémon Sun and Moon.
Pokémon Sword and Shield.
Pokémon SoulSilver / HeartGold.
Pokémon Black Version and White Version.
Pokémon Black Version 2 / White Version 2.
Pokémon X and Y.
Pokémon Omega Ruby (OR) / Alpha Sapphire (AS).
While the Pokémon franchise has spawned several video game works, the ranking done here includes only the so-called “main” episodes of the series. Specifically, this classification does not include spin-off titles like Pokémon Snap or Pokémon Mystery Dungeon but only the games in the direct lineage of Pokémon Red and Pokémon Blue.
