Pokémon Gen 10 Release Date Predictions: Are New Pokémon Games In 2024? (2024)

Predictions for the release date for Pokémon’s Gen 10 games can be made fairly easily, though they may not arrive as soon as some fans expect. New generations are always kicked off with new mainline releases, and these happen every so often, separated by a few years. These titles are usually set in new regions and introduce a series of never-before-seen Pokémon for players to capture, train, and use in battles as they move toward their goal of becoming the regional champion – and uncover secrets or battle off criminal organizations as they progress through the game's campaign.

Unlike spin-off titles, which usually offer a completely different gameplay mechanic, mainline games tend to follow the same narrative structure repeatedly. With Pokémon Scarlet and Violet’s release having completed its first anniversary, it is possible to start predicting when Pokémon Gen 10 games will be released. Even after the release of the two DLCs for Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, the Gen 9 games are still receiving content in the form of events. The Teal Mask was released in September 2023 and The Indigo Disk arrived in December. These are the only two DLCs for the game that have been announced.

How Often New Pokémon Generations Are Released

The past three Pokémon generations have had their initial releases spaced three years apart from each other. Gen 7, for instance, was initiated with the release of Pokémon Sun and Moon back in November 2016, followed by Gen 8, which arrived with Pokémon Sword and Shield in November 2019. Most recently, Nintendo released Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, which kicked off Gen 9. The titles were made available in November 2022, setting them three years apart from Sword and Shield’s releases. It is uncertain if Pokémon’s Gen 10 will follow the same pattern for its first game releases, however.

When New Pokémon Gen 10 Games May Release (Based On Past Games)

If Nintendo and Game Freak are to follow through with the regular three-year schedule pacing between each generation, it is very unlikely that Gen 10 will arrive in 2024. Because Pokémon Scarlet and Violet were released in 2022, this means the next generation of games should arrive at some point in 2025. The past three generations of Pokémon games have been released in November; they have, more specifically, been released on the Friday of the third week of November in each corresponding year. This makes November 22, 2025, the most likely release date for Pokémon’s first Gen 10 games.

November 22, 2025, is the third Friday of the month, and it fits in perfectly with the three-year gap pattern between the most recent Pokémon generations. While the precise date can be predicted taking into consideration the regular behavior used by Nintendo over nearly a decade, it should not be taken in as a full truth, as this is still subject to change according to the company’s internal plans for the franchise. Although Gen 7 set a new standard for Pokémon releases, bumping the regular October release window into November, the three-year gap between generations has (so far) remained untouched.

Why Pokémon Gen 10 Games May Actually Be Released Later Than 2025

However, the traditional three-year release schedule may no longer be the case because Pokémon Scarlet and Violet have proved to be an extremely lucrative product for Nintendo and Game Freak, more so than most of its past releases – even with the heavy criticism against its technical performance on Nintendo Switch. Within three days of its release back in November 2022, the titles had already mustered up over 10 million copies sold, including both digital and physical versions of the title - and as of December 2023, the games together have sold over 24 million copies (according to Nintendo).

While Sword and Shield sold over six million units during the first week following their release in November 2019 – and became the fastest-selling Nintendo Switch game at the moment – Scarlet and Violet significantly surpassed that, even at the beginning. If the game’s sales projections follow the same behavior that Sword and Shield had during their lifespan, Scarlet and Violet will likely surpass the previous generation’s lifetime sales even before they reach 2025.

The immense popularity that Pokémon Scarlet and Violet have achieved may be a reason for Nintendo to extend the games’ life cycle a bit more before introducing Generation 10 in the Pokémon franchise. And this isn't even accounting for profits made off The Teal Mask and Indigo Disk DLCs. The two DLCs for the Gen 9 titles have not had their sales figures openly divulged by Nintendo, so it is difficult to measure how they were received by players in terms of profits and how that could affect the company's strategy to extend the current generation's life cycle, for instance.

What may actually prove that Nintendo is already extending Scarlet and Violet’s life cycle is how long it is taking for the game’s DLCs to arrive. Pokémon Sword and Shield’s first DLC, The Isle of Armor, arrived in June 2020, nearly seven months after the base games' release. In comparison, Scarlet and Violet’s first DLC, The Teal Mask, arrived in September 2023, 10 months after the base games launched. By the time the Indigo Disk arrived, Scarlet and Violet were already over a year old.

The biggest question, however, is whether DLC will end here - or if support for the Gen 9 games will continue even further. It is important to consider that, if these DLCs are proven to have been successful cases, there may be additional expansions released for Scarlet and Violet, which may push Gen 10 Pokémon games even further down the pipeline.

In addition to the DLCs, Scarlet and Violet received an epilogue chapter called Mochi Mayhem, which wrapped up the story for the Gen 9 games, combining elements from the base game and its two expansions. The downloadable content made available in early 2024 is free for owners of The Hidden Treasure of Area Zero DLC pack and seems like a farewell to the characters from Scarlet and Violet. Even though it wraps up the story so far, there could be some sort of continuation.

New Pokémon Games May Still Arrive In 2024

The second and final DLC for Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, The Indigo Disk arrived on December 14, 2023, perhaps hinting that attention will turn away from the Gen 9 titles in 2024. Additionally, this may further affect when Gen 10 arrives. Typically, Pokémon game spin-offs come out in between mainline releases, so 2024 seems like a highly likely year for the highly rumored Gen 5 remakes or a new Legends title to launch. These are also possible products that may extend the duration of the current generation to a few more years than the regular three.

Remakes of older Pokémon games are made quite frequently, with Gen 8 boasting Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl, remakes of Gen 4’s Diamond and Pearl. It is uncertain if Nintendo plans on remaking Gen 5’s Black and White, perhaps making a revamped version that includes the content from Black and White and Black 2 and White 2, but that is the most likely scenario for the near future, based on hints within Scarlet and Violet, leaks, and the regular remake schedule that Nintendo has embraced over the years. Reinterpretations of Black and White are the logical next pair of remakes.

In addition to that, Pokémon’s Gen 10 may be pushed even more by a new Legends title in 2024. Pokémon Legends: Arceus helped bring a breath of fresh air into the franchise, and the game’s action RPG gameplay style that does not totally discard the regular turn-based combat was met with critical acclaim, despite some technical issues regarding graphics and a few bugs. With an experiment that went well and with somewhat satisfactory sales figures, Nintendo may just want to replicate that success and explore new ventures in the franchise while reimagining adventures in other beloved regions and generations.

Neither the remakes nor the new Legends title has been confirmed, let alone with a 2024 release date, but at least one of these games is likely to populate the current generation following the end of the main life cycle for Pokémon Scarlet and Violet. If these titles are in the plans, they are likely to be announced during the Pokémon Day 2024 event. For now, it does seem like Gen 10 will be released in November 2025, but this extra attention to the current generation may make the next mainline Pokémon games arrive a bit later than expected.

Source: Game Rant, Nintendo

Pokemon

Created by

Satoshi Taijiri , Ken Sugimori , Junichi Masuda

First Film

Pokemon: The First Movie

First TV Show

Pokémon

First Episode Air Date

April 1, 1997

Current Series

Pokémon

Video Game(s)

Pokemon Scarlet and Violet , Pokémon Legends: Arceus , Pokemon Snap , Pokémon GO