Definition
The Pokémon games are a series centered on collecting, training and battling Pokémon creatures, spanning many standalone titles. The core series is developed by Game Freak and published by Nintendo and The Pokémon Company; official listings are on the Nintendo Store Pokémon page.
Series and releases
The series began with Pocket Monsters Red and Green, released in 1996 in Japan for the Game Boy. The core series consists of role-playing games released in generations, each introducing a new region, new Pokémon and versions; the most recent core title, Pokémon Legends: Z-A, was released on October 16, 2025. Beyond the core series, other companies have developed spin-offs across genres such as action and puzzle games, including Pokémon GO.
Usage
A typical core-series game has the player travel through a region, catch wild Pokémon, train them for battle and trade with others. Platforms and release arrangements differ per title; purchase entry points are on the Nintendo Store.
Related and confusable terms
This entry covers the game series, not the whole Pokémon franchise (animation, trading card game and more). PokéBonk is an unofficial fan game that uses Pokémon characters and is catalogued separately from official titles; licensing questions are settled by The Pokémon Company’s announcements.
Discussed on Next Token
In episode 007, in the chapter “AI 游戏破圈：移植、网页游戏与上瘾机制” (Chinese transcript), 橘子 described PokéBonk as a game that “把宝可梦 IP 抄过来了” — lifted the Pokémon IP — and walked through picking Charmander, battling and card-based upgrades (episode 007 transcript). This is a participant’s experience with a fan game and does not imply official licensing or partnership; see the full chapter.
Frequently asked questions
Does this entry describe one game?
It covers the game series. Individual titles have their own platforms and mechanics; PokéBonk is listed separately as an unofficial fan game.
In what order should I play Pokémon games?
The core series is released in generations, and each generation is a largely standalone story, so you can start with any of them. Official listings cover the titles and their platforms.
Can I play Pokémon games on mobile?
Core-series titles are released on Nintendo platforms; on mobile, official spin-offs such as Pokémon GO are available. Pokémon-themed browser games like PokéBonk are unofficial fan works.