Although the Pokemon series has been around for more than a quarter of a century, Nintendo and Game Freak have been able to keep it at the forefront of the gaming industry. It may have started out as just another video game series, but now even most non-gamers know at least a couple of Pokemon due to the franchise's anime, trading card game, and the impact that it's had on modern pop culture.

Some of the Pokemon spin-off titles may not have been received all that well, but nearly every mainline game in the franchise has been appreciated by both fans and critics. However, the very best mainline Pokemon games really are in a league of their own, offering both innovation and enjoyment in equal measures.

Updated January 8, 2024, by Tom Bowen: When a series has been around for as long as Pokemon has, it's somewhat inevitable that things are going to start to feel a little stale eventually. In fact, since its debut back in the late nineties, the series has featured many highs and lows. The latest of these lulls arrived fairly recently, with many bemoaning a perceived lack of innovation throughout the past few generations of games. The best mainline Pokemon games manage to rise above this criticism though, with titles like Sun & Moon, X & Y, and Sword & Shield showing that there's still plenty of life in the franchise yet.

12 Pokemon: Let's Go, Pikachu! & Let's Go, Eevee!

Metacritic Rating: 80 (Pokemon: Let's Go, Eevee!)

Had the site been around in the mid to late nineties, it seems safe to assume that the Gen 1 games would have ranked pretty highly among the best Pokemon games on Metacritic. Their 2018 Switch remakes do feature on the review aggregator site though, with Let's Go, Eevee! boasting a fairly impressive 80 rating.

The Let's Go games offer players vastly improved graphics as well as a whole bunch of other new features that helped to drag the Gen 1 titles into the twenty-first century. Many still prefer the originals for the nostalgia factor that they bring, but those looking for a way to explore the Kanto region on modern hardware could certainly do a lot worse.

11 Pokemon Black 2 & White 2

Metacritic Rating: 80 (Pokemon Black 2)

Prior to the release of Pokemon Black 2 & White 2 Game Freak had refrained from ever releasing direct sequels, instead opting to release a tweaked third installment before moving on to the next generation. It's for this reason that the gen 5 titles cause such a stir, though not all of the discussion surrounding them was positive.

As was the case with Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon many years later, many fans felt that the games just didn't do enough to earn the right to be called sequels. Of course, they were far more so than the likes of Yellow, Crystal, and Platinum before them, but that didn't help the games' review scores all that much.

10 Pokemon FireRed & Leaf Green

Metacritic Rating: 81 (Pokemon FireRed)

In 2004, Game Freak and Nintendo released Pokemon FireRed and Pokemon LeafGreen on the Game Boy Advance. Although these games aren't typically recognized as being among the very best mainline Pokemon games, the gen three titles marked the first time the companies decided to release enhanced remakes of old titles.

By the time the third generation rolled around, many Pokemon fans were still playing their original game boys. This game allowed both old and new fans to visit the original Pokemon region of Kanto, while also introducing a few new mechanics and improving the visuals quite a bit.

9 Pokemon Ruby & Sapphire

Metacritic Rating: 82 (Pokemon Ruby)

By the time Pokemon Ruby & Sapphire hit the market, the franchise already had a dedicated fan base around the world. Although many fans had low expectations for the series, Ruby and Sapphire made exciting changes to the franchise, like adding double battles and 135 new Pokemon to catch and battle.

Although the game's visuals are pretty bad by modern standards, they were incredibly impressive for their era. The Game Boy Advance ensured that Ruby & Sapphire had far better visuals than any of their predecessors and a lot of the competition too.

8 Pokemon Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire

Metacritic Rating: 83 (Pokemon Omega Ruby)

Eleven years after the original Pokemon Ruby & Sapphire, Nintendo decided it was time for fans to revisit the Hoenn region. While the games are remakes of the original titles, there are a few tweaks, like the addition of the "Delta Episode", which gave older fans a reason to return.

Unlike the original games, Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire used the new visual style that was first introduced in Pokemon X & Y, as well as Mega Evolutions. Thanks to this new 3D art style, the Hoenn region explored in the Gen 3 remakes really is a visual treat for both new and old fans alike.

7 Pokemon Platinum

Metacritic Rating: 83

During the fourth generation of Pokemon games, Game Freak released a follow-up to Pokemon Diamond & Pearl named Pokemon Platinum. In this title, players once again visit the Sinnoh region. Despite some changes and new content though, fans and critics faulted Pokemon Platinum for being too similar to the other titles.

Some small changes were made in Platinum, like the addition of the "Wi-Fi Plaza", though for those who had already picked up one of the other Sinnoh region titles, Platinum is generally considered to be one of the more skippable installments in the series.

6 Pokemon Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon

Metacritic Rating: 84 (Pokemon Ultra Sun)

Pokemon Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon were the last games released on the 3DS before the franchise made the jump to the Nintendo Switch. Although the games were built off of the foundations laid by the original Sun & Moon, they failed to perform as well when it came to critic reviews.

While the games still scored fairly well with critics, they changed very little when it came to both the story and the gameplay. Despite offering players an excuse to revisit Alola, many felt that it was easier to simply replay the original Sun & Moon a second time than shell out for one of the sequels.

5 Pokemon Diamond & Pearl

Metacritic Rating: 85 (Pokemon Diamond)

Released on the Nintendo DS as the first generation four titles, Pokemon Diamond & Pearl introduced fans to the Sinnoh Region. While these games did very little to change up the Pokemon formula, the addition of the second screen on the DS allowed them to add the Poketch, which essentially worked as a smart device for the handheld console.

Although Diamond & Pearl are now more than fifteen years old, fans still love them because they took everything from early Pokemon titles and tweaked them for the better. The games were remade and released in late 2021, but neither reviewed anywhere near as well as the originals.

4 Pokemon HeartGold & SoulSilver

Metacritic Rating: 87 (Pokemon HeartGold)

Much like Diamond & Pearl, Pokemon HeartGold & SoulSilver show why the fourth generation of Pokemon games are still loved by fans to this day. Although the games are remakes of two second-gen games, HeartGold and SoulSilver are recognized as some of the best mainline Pokemon games of all time.

While the remakes gave the older titles some much-needed visual enhancements to the Johto region, the best part of them is that they allowed fans to go back and capture some of the most iconic Pokemon that — at the time, at least — were unobtainable on any of the newer games.

3 Pokemon Black & White

Metacritic Rating: 87 (Pokemon Black)

When asking a fan of the series which Pokemon game is their favorite, there is a good chance that they will say Pokemon Black & White. While the games are not the highest-rated according to Metacritic, other sites like IGN and Famitsu Weekly praised the titles highly.

Although many of the games before Black & White took place in regions that were based on Japan, Black & White's Unova region was inspired by New York. In switching the focus, the developers were able to change things just enough to visually entice fans while still ensuring that the games still felt very familiar.

2 Pokemon Sun & Moon

Metacritic Rating: 87 (Pokemon Sun)

Up until the release of Pokemon Sun & Moon, the franchise had revolved around players beating several gym leaders and then taking on the Elite Four. However, with Sun & Moon taking place in a more relaxed setting — the Alola region, which is based on Hawaii — Game Freak chose to implement a new Island Challenge Trails system instead.

While most of the core mechanics remained unchanged, these trials have players do different things before facing off against a large Pokemon called a Totem Pokemon. In addition to the new trials system, Sun & Moon also incorporate the Z-moves, Poke-finder, and Pokemon Refresh, as well as, X and Y's Mega Evolutions.

1 Pokemon X & Y

Metacritic Rating: 88 (Pokemon Y)

Although Pokemon has been around for decades now, Pokemon X & Y are proof that the franchise can still turn out incredible titles. Up until the release of X & Y, the series had stuck with a 2D top-down art style, making the games' new 3D visuals feel like something of a visual "renaissance" for the franchise.

Despite the core game in X & Y being the same as every other game in the series before them, the addition of Mega Evolutions changed battles just enough to keep them feeling fresh. Additionally, the game also introduces players to 72 new Pokemon as well as the Fairy type.