Pokémon Game Gens Ranked by Difficulty (2024)

The mainline Pokémon games have been a successful part of the billion-dollar IP, with each generation varying in challenge. Pokémon games have defined and pushed boundaries within the role-playing genre, with their emphasis on collecting and battling with monsters inspiring a whole host of games that have followed suit. Pokémon is now at a roster over 1000 strong, released across nine generations, with at least two games released each time.

These games have never been especially difficult, as they mostly depended on the players' team compositions, how they match up against various opponents, and to what lengths players have to go to complete the respective games. Still, earlier Pokémon games managed to introduce some pleasantly challenging boss fights. The recent generations have caused a stir in how accessible they are and how they can be considered "too easy," and this has ultimately prompted players and creators to popularize alternative playthroughs like the Nuzlocke to keep up levels of difficulty.

Pokemon

Expanding across a multitude of media, including TCGs, video games, manga, live-action movies and anime, the Pokémon franchise is set in a shared world of humans and creatures with a wide variety of special abilities.

Created by

Satoshi Tajiri

First Film

Pokemon: The First Movie

Latest Film

Pokémon the Movie: Secrets of the Jungle

First TV Show

Pokémon (1997)

Latest TV Show

Pokémon Horizons (2023)

First Episode Air Date

April 1, 1997

Video Game(s)

Pokémon GO , Pokemon X and Y , Pokémon Legends: Arceus , Pokémon Scarlet and Violet , Pokémon Sword and Shield , Pokémon Diamond & Pearl , Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl , Pokemon Red and Blue , Detective Pikachu , Detective Pikachu Returns , Pokémon: Let's Go, Eevee! , Pokémon: Let's Go, Pikachu!

Updated on June 20, 2024, by Andrea Sandoval: Throughout nine generations, the Pokémon franchise has evolved into more complex, rich, and entertaining games. However, this doesn't mean that the most recent games are harder than the first generation. In fact, it's the complete opposite. We updated this list to include more information about the hardest Pokémon games.

9 Gen VI Was An Unremarkable Introduction To The 3D Space In Terms Of Challenge

Gen VI was a monumental landmark in the evolution of the Pokémon franchise. Not only did X and Y introduce Mega Evolution, making many of the strongest Pokémon even more powerful, but they introduced the Fairy typing as a counter for Dragon, Dark, and Fighting types. These new options provided too much coverage allowing players to get through most battles completely unscathed. The Kalos Champion Diantha was a notable exception, however, as she had tricky Pokémon like the Reflect and Light Screen-spammer Aurorus.

In Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire, players could get their hands on a free Mega Latias or Latios as early as just after defeating Norman, an incredibly fun gift that almost felt like cheating. These games were fun but kick-started the franchise moving away from endless grinding, with players gaining too much EXP from each victory.

What's more, the Hoenn remakes removed the post-game battle facility dubbed the Battle Frontier to make the games overall easier than the Game Boy Advance's Emerald. This was singled out as an endgame challenge feature, as it was composed of seven individual facilities each led by a Frontier Brain as their final bosses. Each facility had a unique gimmick to make the fights particularly difficult, like the Battle Factory revolving solely around rented Pokémon. All in all, Gen VI was and still is the easiest generation.

Pokémon Omega Ruby

For newcomers to Omega Ruby, Ruby was one of the third installments in the Pokémon RPG series and the best-selling Game Boy Advance games of all time. They follow the tried-and-true Pokémon model of journeying to catch new monsters, challenging eight boss-like Gyms, and eventually fighting the Elite Four trainers and the Champion. Like most other Pokémon games they also put you at odds with a villainous team of Pokémon trainers, in this instance Team Magma for Ruby, who want to use legendary Pokémon to forever change the region of Hoenn, where the games are set.

Now, it’s the first of the earlier games to receive the 3D refurbishment. Generation III was a big change from the first two for many reasons, most notably the introduction of Abilities (attributes that add advantages to battle, among other things), Natures (which affect how stats develop), and Double Battles (using two Pokémon at once was unheard of back in the day). Different areas had their own weather patterns, and the region contained varied topography, from a desert to a volcano to sandy beaches.

The graphics itself are absolutely gorgeous with the new detailing that Pokémon has added to these games. One of the best parts of the entire adventure is simply walking around and realizing how much Pokémon games have evolved since its start. Everything in Hoenn is either delightfully cute or strikingly beautiful, and seeing the entire region anew is absolutely amazing.

As a 3D remake, Pokémon Omega Ruby does a fantastic job of reintroducing Hoenn. Little details, like characters turning their heads to look as you pass or flocks of Wingulls flying overhead, make the region come to life, and small updates and tweaks help make the journey smoother.

Franchise

Pokemon

Platform(s)

3DS

Released

November 21, 2014

Developer(s)

Game Freak

Publisher(s)

Nintendo

Genre(s)

JRPG

ESRB

E For Everyone due to Comic Mischief, Mild Cartoon Violence

Metascore

83

8 Gen VIII Started Disappointingly Easy But Finished Strong With Legends: Arceus

Sword and Shield were not the first Pokémon games of the Nintendo Switch era — that honor went to the Let's Go games — but they did get Gen VIII underway. Despite the new visuals and overall immersion, Sword and Shield felt like a return to the usual formula after the Alola region spiced things up and moved away from traditional tropes — except arguably more watered down. This meant that it ultimately doubled down on the elements that made X and Y even easier than the games before them already were. Shared EXP and other hand-holding helped players breeze through the battles, and the Dynamax phenomenon certainly helped in that regard.

Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl were long-awaited remakes of the Gen IV games, but they followed Sword and Shield's ease and accessibility. The concept of Friendship could even cause a Pokémon to tank a super-effective hit, shed a status condition, or even avoid moves — inclusions that removed what little difficulty existed. Few could have predicted the impact that Pokémon Legends: Arceus would have on the overall franchise, but it even delivered with some much-needed difficulty. The iconic face-off with Volo is one of the most intense showdowns in Pokémon history and added some grit to Gen VIII.

Legends: Arceus' new gameplay loop debatably added to the challenge as well. Unlike every mainline game before it — and even spinoffs like the GameCube's Colosseum — this Gen VIII title featured action-RPG mechanics outside of typical turn-based combat. Players had to physically dodge and weaken wild Pokémon if they wanted to battle or catch them more efficiently. This might not have been particularly tough for lower-level creatures, but the rarer and fully evolved Pokémon made the most out of this added challenge.

Pokemon Sword and Shield

There are a number of iconic franchises on this list of Switch games. But is there a more beloved franchise than Pokémon? The advantage of the Nintendo Switch works both ways. Not only is it great for taking games made for home consoles on the move, but it gets much better when playing a traditional handheld video game, and introducing it to your home entertainment system with a flat screen tv and surround sound. The Gameboy Color was a monumental release for Nintendo largely due to different versions of Pokémon games that came out with it.

Pokémon Sword & Shield is the equivalent of yesteryear’s Pokémon Red & Blue. For those that don’t know, Red & Blue were a big deal in their day, though many beliieve that the new Sword & Shield are the best in the exemplary franchise. It's the only game package on this list simply because its too hard to choose between them. However, unlike the other remakes and reboots we’ve compiled, Pokémon Sword & Shield have a ton of major differences that you won’t recognize in older chapters.

The biggest enhancement is the new “Wild Area." It’s an open terrain in the new Galar Region that features a bunch of different Pokémon dens and other locations like lakes and fields. It’s the most open and interactive world that has been in any type of Pokémon game. There are also three new starter Pokémon to choose from, and species that are exclusive to the Sword or Shield game. Have no fear, the stage is filled with the original 150 Pokemon. The only difference is now you can get your hands on the new ones.

Franchise

Pokemon

Platform(s)

Switch

Released

November 15, 2019

Developer(s)

Game Freak

Publisher(s)

Nintendo

Genre(s)

RPG

ESRB

E for Everyone: Comic Mischief, Mild Cartoon Violence

How Long To Beat

26 Hours

Metascore

80

7 Gen IX Is Still Quite Easy, But Less Intrusive Than Gen VIII

Scarlet and Violet are the most recent Pokémon releases and are currently the only installments of Gen IX. With the two DLC packages coming before the end of the year, Pokémon fans have plenty of content to get stuck into. But while they are teeming with things to do, are Scarlet and Violet difficult? The short answer is no, but that is if players take the logical route around the Gyms, Titans, and Team Star challenges, taking advantage of super-effective matchups along the way.

However, Scarlet and Violet offer players the chance to complete the game in whatever order they wish, just without level-scaling to accommodate this supposed freedom. So if players go straight to take on Tulip with her level 44 and 45 Pokémon, they will lose — and the same goes for taking on a Titan Pokémon too early. While the lack of level-scaled Gyms seems like an unforced misstep on GameFreak's part, there is still some degree of freedom for how players can tackle higher-level bosses while still having a reasonable chance to win.

Tera Raids from five stars upwards can be notoriously difficult too, especially for those who aren't prepared. The Gen IX games still have a noticeable amount of hand-holding, but there is still a great deal of difficulty hidden there. When compared to Gen VIII, Scarlet and Violet feel less like drawn-out tutorials that keep the players on a linear rail.

Pokemon Scarlet and Violet

Franchise

Pokemon

Platform(s)

Switch

Released

November 18, 2022

Developer(s)

Game Freak

Publisher(s)

Nintendo , The Pokemon Company

Genre(s)

RPG

ESRB

E For Everyone Due To Mild Fantasy Violence

How Long To Beat

31½ Hours

Metascore

72

6 Gen VII Introduced Welcome Challenges With Ultra Sun & Moon In Particular

Gen VII is a bizarre generation to digest and analyze. Sun and Moon got things started with a mixture of tough battles that mostly came from Totem Pokémon and otherwise easily winnable scenarios. They essentially followed on from X and Y in providing a more accessible experience for beginners. Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon, however, are considered by many to be the most difficult games of the entire franchise. Expectations were low, but these upper versions brought an alternate storyline and some serious difficulty in previously mundane showdowns, as well as providing one of the toughest Pokémon fights against Ultra Necrozma.

Let's Go, Pikachu! and Let's Go, Eevee! were the first Pokémon games to land on the Nintendo Switch and sought to blend Pokémon GO with a remake of the Gen I game Pokémon Yellow, specifically. These games got rid of wild battles, and players were given a powerful titular starter with plenty of accessible moves at every turn. They were fun enough games by tastefully using nostalgia and creative use of the mobile spinoff's mechanics in a mainline game.

However, seasoned Pokémon players and fans were ultimately left wanting an immediate return to the usual formula when it came to difficulty. These titles at least had the benefit of not aggressively interrupting the player with tutorials, extended dialogue sequences, and cutscenes. Still, if players chose to regularly use Pikachu and Eevee's unique special attacks, then the Let's Go games could be trivialized quickly.

Pokémon Sun

Innovation is not often a word associated with the Pokemon franchise. However Sun brought about a drastic change to the game’s objective. Sun marked a huge shift in how the game is supposed to be played. The seventh generation takes place in the region of Alola. The first notable change is the geographic departure of towns and cities. Traditionally, the player would move in a linear path across several towns, collecting badges along the way. Alola is comprised of five islands. Furthermore, Game Freak removed the goal of collecting gym badges. Instead, the protagonist was tasked with completing island trials. These trials essentially acted as gym badges but it was refreshing to have them presented in this new form. Sun also excelled at adding several new gameplay features. Z-moves were introduced as incredibly powerful moves able to knock out opposing Pokémon with one hit. Although this one time per battle move was incredibly useful, many criticized the animation sequence for being too long.

The new cast of Pokémon are interesting enough, but the real highlight is the large number of Legendary/Mythical Pokémon. The game featured two traditional legendary creatures but it also introduced a number of high-powered Pokémon called Ultra Beasts. These Pokémon are difficult to catch, but they perform extremely well in battle. Game Freak did not stop there; they also introduced region exclusive versions of past Pokémon for the first time. This presented a new design for fan favorite Pokémon such as Meowth and Raichu.

Finally, the cherry on top of this Pokémon-themed cake is the arrival of Poké Ride. Poké Ride allowed the player to call on specially trained Pokémon to perform tasks such as flying, surfing and moving large boulders. This eliminated the need to keep a HM oriented Pokémon on your team. Pokémon known as Bibarels across the Pokémon universe breathed a collective sigh of relief.

Franchise

Pokemon

Platform(s)

Nintendo 3DS

Released

November 18, 2016

Developer(s)

Game Freak

Publisher(s)

Nintendo

Genre(s)

RPG

ESRB

E for Everyone

Metascore

87

5 Gen IV Was The Ideal Balance Of Accessibility And Challenge

Many consider Pokémon Platinum one of the best Pokémon games ever made, and it showcases the best that these third versions have to offer. Platinum polished and refined so much of Diamond and Pearl, increasing the general difficulty of most encounters, even if it nerfed Champion Cynthia out of necessity. Platinum was Pokémon at its peak in terms of enjoyment balanced with difficulty, as players were given ways to keep up with these challenges, as a more varied Pokédex certainly helped.

HeartGold and SoulSilver followed a year after Platinum, as remakes of the difficult Gen II games, Gold, Silver, and Crystal, by including a Suicune-themed side story. While they were only on the Nintendo DS, HeartGold, and SoulSilver are still held as the benchmark for Pokémon remakes when it comes to faithfulness to the source material while tastefully reinvigorating them with streamlined gameplay mechanics. This meant making the games more accessible and easier to a degree, as Pokémon were becoming stronger in the ever-evolving landscape of Pokémon.

Platinum, HeartGold, and SoulSilver, in particular, are seen as the best representatives of this generation. On top of the increased roster of Pokémon species and standout boss fights, these three games were the last time fans would see the Battle Frontier. There were five sub-facilities in these Frontiers as opposed to Emerald's seven, but between the Factory, Tower, Arcade, Hall, and Castle, there was plenty of content players could test their mettle against.

• 

  Pokémon Diamond

  Pokemon Diamond is one-half of the fourth generation of Pokemon titles (the other being Pokemon Pearl). Players will travel through the Sinnoh region, collecting Pokemon and battling against Gym Leaders in a bid to become Champion of the region.

  Franchise

  Pokemon

  Platform(s)

  Nintendo DS

  Released

  April 22, 2007

  Developer(s)

  Game Freak

  Publisher(s)

  Nintendo

  Genre(s)

  RPG

  ESRB

  E for Everyone

  See at Amazon

• 

  Pokémon Pearl

  Pokémon Pearl is one-half of the fourth generation of Pokémon titles (the other being Pokémon Diamond). Players will travel through the Sinnoh region, collecting Pokémon and battling against Gym Leaders in a bid to become Champion of the region.

  Franchise

  Pokemon

  Platform(s)

  Nintendo DS

  Released

  April 22, 2007

  Developer(s)

  Game Freak

  Publisher(s)

  Nintendo

  Genre(s)

  RPG

  ESRB

  E FOR EVERYONE

• 

  Pokémon Platinum

  The third addition to Diamond & Pearl, Pokémon Platinum succeeds in providing a new and amazing experience for those who did not get to play Diamond or Pearl. However, it goes beyond that by offering value even to those who enjoyed those titles.

  Franchise

  Pokemon

  Platform(s)

  Nintendo DS

  Released

  March 22, 2009

  Developer(s)

  Game Freak

  Publisher(s)

  Nintendo , The Pokemon Company

  Genre(s)

  JRPG

  ESRB

  E For Everyone

4 Gen I's Challenges Mostly Stemmed From Balancing Issues And Bugs

Gen I will always be seen as Pokémon in its purest, most basic form. Pokémon Red, Blue, and Yellow were all about dealing with a limited roster and having to grind up levels to compete with whatever challenges came up. Psychic types were notoriously unbalanced at the time, making the Gen I fight against Sabrina one of the toughest battles of the entire franchise.

Overall, however, the original Pokémon games were easy enough to complete; they just required some patience with the rudimentary mechanics and playing around the combat system's bugs. Pokémon games today perhaps have too many options for any single battle, in the sense that it essentially requires effort to find a challenge, let alone lose. Gen I certainly required players to memorize the mechanics and take advantage of weaknesses themselves, but it can't be understated that the games' technical limitations and awkward balancing made the "difficulty" more artificial than intended.

Pokemon Red

Franchise

Pokemon

Platform(s)

Game Boy

Released

February 27, 1996

Developer(s)

Game Freak

Publisher(s)

Nintendo

Genre(s)

Adventure , JRPG

Engine

unity

ESRB

e

How Long To Beat

27 hours

GameRankings Rating

88%

3 Gen III Challenge Curve Still Holds Up

Pokémon fans would be forgiven for thinking that the Gen III games were easy because of their remakes, but Ruby, Sapphire, and Emerald were tough — at least by the franchise's standards. Emerald gets all the praise as the best and hardest of the bunch, but Ruby and Sapphire still have areas of surprising difficulty, especially having Steven Stone and his Steel types as the Champion instead of Wallace. However, Emerald introduced the Battle Frontier, a playground for some of the generation's toughest fights. Plus, the third-version Hoenn game also introduced Gym Leader rematches after defeating the Elite Four to give the bosses stronger and more exciting teams.

FireRed and LeafGreen were the other Gen III games and were the first of many remakes to grace the franchise. They brought considerable balance to the Gen I originals, but even though they had Steel- and Dark-type moves that weren't previously available, this didn't guarantee an easier playthrough. FireRed and LeafGreen followed Ruby, Sapphire, and Emerald in more ways than just their general mechanics. They were a pleasant challenge and are still up there as two of the best Pokémon remakes. Unlike the first set of games from the '90s — which is understandable to an extent given the technical limitations of the Game Boy — FireRed and LeafGreen's level of challenge felt natural.

Pokemon Ruby

Franchise

Pokemon

Platform(s)

Game Boy Advance

Released

March 19, 2003

Developer(s)

Game Freak

Publisher(s)

The Pokemon Company , Nintendo

Genre(s)

RPG

ESRB

E For Everyone

How Long To Beat

35 Hours

Metascore

82

2 Gen II Was Ambitious For Its Time

The Gen II games Gold, Silver, and Crystal were revolutionary for the Pokémon franchise. Not only did they introduce the first batch of new additional species as well as new types in Dark and Steel, but they are still the only games to incorporate two entire regions into their games. Despite this new roster and general scope, however, the options for team members still felt thin, providing a serious challenge in Gym Leader and ordinary Trainer battles when super-effective counters weren't easily obtainable.

Crystal somehow made things even tougher by removing strong options like Ampharos, while simultaneously adding a wider variety of wild encounters elsewhere. Across the Gen II games, players will take on 16 Gym challenges, essentially two Champions, elaborate desperate plans by the remnants of Team Rocket, and try to locate some elusive Legendary Pokémon. These games were tougher than their predecessors and longer, but they remain fan favorites because of how different they were from the formula of Pokémon games today. The most significant highlight of the endgame, of course, was challenging Red at the summit of Mt. Silver. Being able to battle the Gen I games' protagonist was an excellent piece of fan service and featured a powerful and well-rounded team.

Pokemon Gold

Franchise

Pokemon

Platform(s)

Game Boy Color

Released

October 14, 2000

Developer(s)

Game Freak

Publisher(s)

Nintendo

Genre(s)

JRPG

How Long To Beat

30 Hours

1 Gen V Featured Difficulty Settings And Unique Battle Facilities That Make It The Hardest Pokémon Game

The Gen V games are by no means the most popular of the entire franchise, but they can at least be acknowledged and appreciated for the risks taken. They also provide real difficulty that is barely seen in Pokémon games anymore. Black and White's problems stemmed from only having new Gen V Pokémon available to players. This was a great way of showing off the Unova region in all its glory, but it presented a difficulty in lack of options similar to the original generation.

Black 2 and White 2 rectified this by bringing back familiar faces, but this sequel provided difficulty in other places. All Pokémon games offer players something upon a new playthrough after completing their main storylines and Elite Four challenge, but Black 2 & White 2 presented players with difficulty settings, a first for the franchise. There is irony in having to complete a difficult game to unlock an Easy Mode, but Hard Mode made Trainers stronger and much more formidable. Black, White, Black 2, and White 2 gave players plenty of challenges to overcome, cementing Gen V as the hardest overall generation of the entire franchise.

While they didn't feature the Battle Frontier, the Gen V games made up for it by featuring a few unique post-game facilities that offer similar difficulty. The Battle Subway is the Unova region's equivalent to the Battle Tower from Generations II-IV, and the lower-difficulty battles can be accessed during the main story. Meanwhile, the Battle Institute, Pokémon World Tournament, White Treehollow, and Black Tower are accessed after the Elite Four.

Pokémon Black 2