2021 marks the 25th anniversary of Pokémon and Nintendo has already revealed a lot of upcoming projects. The highly anticipated remakes of the main games from the fourth generation, Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl have been officially announced and will release later this year. A sequel to Pokémon Snap, called New Pokémon Snap, will come out at the end of the month. And, what seems to excite fans the most is a brand new title coming next year, Pokémon Legends: Arceus.
Though all of this is great, there could be even more games coming to the Switch that Nintendo hasn't announced. Here are ten titles throughout the franchise that should be ported to the Switch.
10 Pokémon Red And Blue
For Pokémon's 20th anniversary, the first two games in the franchise came to the 3DS' Virtual Console. Though the Switch has a subscription service rather than its own Virtual Console, the games could still come to this system, allowing fans to play them on the TV. This would be a great way to get players more excited for the bigger releases coming out later this year, and next year, as newcomers could play the original titles while hardcore fans could experience them in a new way.
9 Pokémon Gold And Silver
Pokémon Gold and Silver versions were also available on the 3DS' Virtual Console and should come to the Switch for similar reasons as Red and Blue. Taking place three years after the original installments, players are able to explore Kanto, like they did in the first game, after travelling throughout Johto, making this title twice as long. With 100 more pokémon to collect, these installments improved the great things the series already had and it would be great to see them come to the Switch.
8 Pokémon Ruby And Sapphire
Since the remakes of the third generation's main titles were released on the 3DS, the originals weren't available on the Virtual Console. Since their release on the Game Boy Advance, nothing has been done with them specifically, and the Switch could change that.
Seeing as how the fourth generation's remakes are coming soon, some fans want to play the other main installments while they wait and these are the hardest to get, making them the most important to rerelease.
7 Pokémon Ranger: Shadows Of Almia
Now going into the spin-offs of the franchise, Pokémon Ranger was a series on the DS that consisted of three games. Shadows of Almia is the second title and was many players' favorite. It released in 2008 and told the story of a ranger that had recently graduated from school and encounters Team Dim Sun. Their leader, Kincaid, was one of the ranger's teachers, and now the two must battle against each other. The DS' stylus was an important part of the gameplay, and though the Switch doesn't have a stylus, it can be used as a touch screen and the joycons could allow players to do everything they did with the stylus in a new way.
6 Pokémon Colosseum
Though Pokémon Colosseum is a turn based RPG, it is very different than the main installments. Prior to Sword and Shield, the main titles only released on handheld systems, while this game came out on the GameCube in 2004. Players are able to capture pokémon that were already caught by other trainers, the battles consist of two pokémon fighting on each team, and there is a heavier focus on the story. Due to these, and other, differences, this showed how different the franchise could be while staying in the same genre.
5 Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers Of Sky
Last year, a remake of the original Mystery Dungeon installments was made called Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Rescue Team DX. It released on the Switch in March, and in less than a month sold over a million copies. As a result, it would make sense for more Mystery Dungeon games to come to the console and Explorers of Sky was one of the best titles.
It is a better version of Explorers of Time and Explorers of Darkness (which were already two of the best titles in the series), similar to what Yellow is to Red and Blue or what Platinum is to Diamond and Pearl, and came to the DS in 2009.
4 Pokémon Rumble Blast
Pokémon Rumble Blast is the second installment in the Rumble spin-off series. This title released in 2011 on the 3DS and is a beat em up game. Players control toy versions of pokémon as the fight enemies and bosses. Unlike other spin-off series in the franchise, Rumble games are still being made, with the most recent installment coming out a couple years ago. Therefore, though Blast would be a good game to port to the Switch, it may be more likely that a new title in the series will be made instead.
3 PokéPark: Pikachu's Adventure
PokéPark Wii: Pikachu's Adventure released in 2010 and allowed players to control the electric mouse as they collect Sky Prism parts. Unlike other games, this title doesn't take itself seriously at all as it has a very simple story and is for those that simply want to have fun playing with pokémon as they can befriend them and play games. If this title were to come to the Switch, it would either be renamed as PokéPark Switch: Pikachu's Adventure or take the console's name out entirely.
2 PokéPark 2: Wonders Beyond
PokéPark 2: Wonders Beyond is obviously a sequel to Pikachu's Adventure and is better in many ways. It came to the Wii in 2012 and added pokémon from the fifth generation. It also introduced multiplayer to the two part spin-off, allowing friends to control Pikachu, Oshawott, Snivy, and Tepig and play together. For those that want a change from the large adventures and darker plots that fans have come to expect from Pokémon games, the PokéPark titles are the best out there, next to Pokémon Snap.
1 Detective Pikachu
Pokémon movies have always been a big deal and one of the most recent is Detective Pikachu, which instantly became a success. It was based on the 2018 3DS game. After a mystery solving Pikachu got amnesia, he encountered the son, Tim, of his human partner, Harry. Harry had gone missing and the two set out on an adventure to find out what happened to him, as well as what caused the electric mouse to forget everything. A sequel has already been announced to come to the Switch but this first installment of the new series should also be ported for fans that didn't play it.