Are New Pokémon Games In 2024?

Even if Pokémon Scarlet and Violet have not yet completed their first anniversary, it is possible to predict exactly when Gen 10 is arriving.

Summary

• The release date for Pokémon's Gen 10 games can really be predicted, but they may not arrive soon due to the regular three-year release schedule between generations.
• The most likely release date for Pokémon Gen 10 is November 22, 2025, following the pattern of previous generations and the three-year gap between releases. However, this is not set in stone and subject to change.
• The success of Pokémon Scarlet and Violet may lead to an extended life cycle for the games, potentially delaying the release of Gen 10 games.

Predictions for the release date for Pokémon’s Gen 10 games can be done 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. These titles are 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 campaign.

Unlike spin-off games, which usually offer a completely different gameplay mechanic, mainline titles tend to follow the same narrative structure repeatedly. With Pokémon Scarlet and Violet’s release reaching their first-year anniversary, it is possible to start predicting when Pokémon Gen 10 games will be released. The Gen 9 games are still receiving content, with at least two DLCs for Pokémon Scarlet and Violet planned so far. The Teal Mask was released in September 2023, and the follow-up, The Indigo Disk, will launch on December 14. So far, these are the only two DLCs for the game that have been announced.

Pokémon Scarlet & Violet: Every Gen 9 Character You Need To Know About

How Often New Pokémon Generations Are Released

The past three Pokémon generations have been spaced three years apart from each other. Gen 7, for instance, was initiated with the release of Pokémon Sun and Moon 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, however.

The last three release dates for mainline Pokémon games in the U.S.:

Sun & Moon: November 18, 2016

Sword & Shield: November 15, 2019

Scarlet & Violet: November 18, 2022

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. Pokémon Scarlet and Violet were released in 2022, which means the next generation of games should arrive sometime in 2025. The past three generations of 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 Gen 10.

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 largely 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. 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 August 2023, the games together have sold over 22 million copies (according to GameRant). 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.

Wait, Are Pokémon Scarlet & Violet Actually Generation 11?

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 arrives, Scarlet and Violet will be 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 prove to be a success, there may be additional expansions released for Scarlet and Violet, which may push Gen 10 Pokémon games even further down the pipeline.

At the time of this writing, there has been no official confirmation that DLC for Scarlet & Violet will go beyond the release of The Indigo Disk.

New Pokémon Games May Still Arrive In 2024

The second DLC for Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, The Indigo Disk will arrive 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 a Gen 5 remake or new Legends title to launch.

This is an element that may extend the duration of the current generation. 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.

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.

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. 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: GameRant

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  Pokemon

  Summary:

  Spanning over twenty-five years, Pokemon, known as Pocket Monsters in Japan, is the multimedia franchise created jointly by Nintendo, Game Freak, and Creatures. Conceptualized by Satoshi Tajiri in association with Ken Sugimori and Junichi Masuda, Pokemon is set in fictional worlds where people live together with tamable creatures known as Pokemon. Humans who catch, raise, and battle the creatures are known as Pokemon Trainers. They head out on extensive journeys across their continents to raise their Pokemon with the ultimate goal of competing in tournaments to become the champion. Pokemon spans several massive properties, from a long-running animated series to a successful trading card game, to the medium that started it all, video games. In addition, Pokemon began the "two-game" trend where two versions of a game would release and include different Pokemon/features between the versions, encouraging players to meet up with others and trade so they could "catch 'em all."

  Created by:

  Satoshi Taijiri, Ken Sugimori, Junichi Masuda

  First Film:

  Pokemon: The First Movie

  Latest Film:

  Pokémon the Movie: Secrets of the Jungle

  First TV Show:

  Pokemon

  First Episode Air Date:

  1997-04-01

  Current Series:

  Pokemon

  Video Game(s):

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

  TV Show(s):

  Pokemon