Pokemon games have never been famous for their difficulty, but many of these games have varied massively on how hard they are to complete. Some are widely considered a breeze, while others test a player's skills to greater heights than many other JRPGs.

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When picking a game to replay, or choosing a classic one to try out, you should be completely aware of what level of difficulty you're about to face. There are several traits that Pokemon games have included over the years that make some adventures incredibly easy and others that have made for some immense challenges.

Updated on October 13, 2024, by Jon Eakin: Pokemon never stops evolving, so neither does this list. We've updated it with new features and more information to help you chart your course to becoming a Pokemon Master.

22 Pokemon: Let's Go Pikachu & Let's Go Eevee

A Great Place To Start

This revisit to Kanto on the Nintendo Switch makes a lot of changes to the usual Pokemon formula. Wild battles are a thing of the past and the games have rarely been this accessible to the youngest of the young.

With all that said, the games are sorely lacking in difficulty. Not only do they hand you an extra-powerful Pikachu or Eevee as your starter, but you can even teach them powerful moves of any type you want by visiting a few NPCs in Pokemon Centers. It's totally viable to play the entire game with one Pokemon, and it almost seems to encourage it.

It's worth keeping in mind that these games were never intended to be a challenge. They're a mixture of an entry point into the series and a nostalgia trip for long-time fans, making it ideal for people who love Pokemon but don't play the games.

Pokemon Let's Go

4.0/5 Released November 16, 2018 Developer(s) Game Freak Publisher(s) Nintendo, The Pokemon Company Franchise Pokemon Platform(s) Switch Powered by Expand Collapse

21 Pokemon Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire

Despite being remakes of Pokemon Ruby & Sapphire, which will appear much later on this list, Pokemon Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire are almost a joke in their challenge level. Many foes give ludicrous amounts of experience, and from your starter's Mega Evolution to a free Latios or Latias, it's difficult to fail in this adventure.

That's not to say it isn't fun, and it had a wonderful competitive scene thanks to its many new Mega Evolutions and access to various legendaries. That said, you'll absolutely need a personal restriction like a Nuzlocke challenge if you want a little more bite with this game.

Pokemon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire

Released November 21, 2014 Developer(s) Game Freak Publisher(s) Game Freak Franchise Pokemon Platform(s) Nintendo 3DS Powered by Expand Collapse

20 Pokemon X & Y

Not Mega Hard

Like Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire, the Kalos games released beforehand also gave trainers a few too many tools. A free Kanto starter and more Mega Evolutions made for degenerative teams, but this game at least had new Pokemon and Gyms that players might not be as familiar with.

That novelty makes it much more interesting to replay it and might result in some Gym Leaders and rivals catching you off-guard. Will it make you sweat at all, though? No, probably not.

Pokemon X and Y

Released October 12, 2023 Developer(s) Game Freak Publisher(s) Nintendo Franchise Pokemon Platform(s) 3DS Powered by Expand Collapse

19 Pokemon Sword

Letting The Side Down

Despite being extremely similar, Pokemon Sword & Shield do have some key differences that impact their respective difficulty levels. While most of the split versions mainly stick to their Pokemon as the primary changes, Pokemon Sword suffers due to some version-exclusive Gym Leaders with very little substance.

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Namely, these would be Bea and Gordie. Both of them have competitive Pokemon, but they have too many weaknesses and shortcomings in their movepools to be a challenge. They end up being remarkably easy to beat, and this is further pronounced by Dynamax making most Gym Leaders a breeze with the right strategy.

Pokemon Sword

Released November 15, 2019 Developer(s) Game Freak Publisher(s) The Pokemon Company, Nintendo Franchise Pokemon Platform(s) Nintendo Switch Powered by Expand Collapse

18 Pokemon Shield

Shield Beats Sword

Pokemon Shield ramps things up a bit compared to its companion. This is mostly due to the Ghost-type Gym Leader, Allister, who replaces Bea in this version and has a much stronger team. It features both fast and defensive Pokemon with fewer common weaknesses.

Even Melony beats out Gordie in the late game thanks to her Ice-type proficiency. Her team still has a similar number of weaknesses — however, her defensive stats are much more well-rounded on teammates like Lapras. And her speedier Pokemon can actually threaten your team, making Pokemon Shield the harder Pokemon game between the eighth-generation picks.

Pokemon Shield

Released November 5, 2019 Developer(s) Game Freak Publisher(s) Nintendo Franchise Pokemon Platform(s) Switch Powered by Expand Collapse

17 Pokemon Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl

The Power Of Love

While they were hotly awaited by the community, these games do leave something to be desired in the difficulty department. For the most part. Between permanent experience share and the affection system that may have you witnessing your Pokemon survive deadly hits multiple times in a row, the game isn't too challenging.

That's not to say there aren't challenges, though. The Elite Four ramps up the difficulty quite a bit, and Cynthia herself is something of a demon. For most of the game, though? Not so much.

Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl

Released November 19, 2021 Developer(s) ILCA Publisher(s) ILCA Franchise Pokemon Platform(s) Nintendo Switch Powered by Expand Collapse

16 Pokemon HeartGold & SoulSilver

Almost Perfect

Pokemon HeartGold & SoulSilver have some especially strange traits. While being mostly identical to the original Pokemon Gold & Silver, several bits make them far easier. Some of this has to do with Special and Physical moves being divided, which makes many of the weakest Pokemon far stronger.

However, it ends up being substantially easier due to its status as a fourth-generation game, as it doesn't prevent you from evolving certain Pokemon like Gligar and Aipon into their new evolutions. This can lead to some absurdly powerful Pokemon that you aren't expected to have, and it ends up being a much simpler experience as a result.

Pokemon HeartGold and SoulSilver

Released March 14, 2010 Developer(s) Game Freak Publisher(s) Nintendo Franchise Pokemon Platform(s) Nintendo DS Powered by Expand Collapse

15 Pokemon Diamond & Pearl

A Pokedex Problem

The original Sinnoh games from the Nintendo DS aren't as difficult as they are boring. In theory, it should be quite difficult due to its level spike, as many trainers like Cynthia late in the game can be astonishingly more powerful than an average trainer's team.

Unfortunately, most of the game's Gym Leaders have pretty predictable weaknesses, and there's a lack of certain Pokemon types to utilize this level advantage. Flint, the Fire-type expert from the Elite Four, actually has very few Fire-types because of the problems with Sinnoh's Pokedex, meaning Grass and Steel-types had an unusual advantage.

Pokemon Diamond and Pearl

Released April 22, 2007 Developer(s) Game Freak Publisher(s) Nintendo Franchise Pokemon Platform(s) 3DS, Nintendo DS Powered by Expand Collapse

14 Pokemon Scarlet & Violet

Freedom To Set Your Own Challenges

via Game Freak

The latest mainline games in the Pokemon series are notable for letting you venture off into high-leveled areas nearly right off the bat. Their three-pronged approach to storytelling meets this relative freedom head-first, letting people choose to do things in a 'bad' order, leading to the potential for some real challenge if you try to face a Gym Leader or other boss-type encounter too early.

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That doesn't mean Scarlet & Violet are by any means difficult if played at roughly the most anticipated path, with Gym Leaders and Team Star captains fought at more appropriate intervals. There are so many ways to buff up your Pokemon in this game that it's still pretty much your game to lose, however.

Pokemon Scarlet and Violet

2.0/5 Released November 18, 2022 Developer(s) Game Freak Publisher(s) Nintendo, The Pokemon Company Franchise Pokemon Platform(s) Switch Powered by Expand Collapse

13 Pokemon Black & White

Those Poor Plasma Grunts

Pokemon Black & White is where the difficulty on our list ramps up a bit, as Unova brought an entirely new set of challenges that no player had ever faced before. No original Pokemon in the main story meant teams could look incredibly different from each other and forced you to create a diverse team to make your way through it.

The main problem in this game is Team Plasma, which ends up being disappointingly easy to defeat in nearly every story segment. Few members use evolved Pokemon and their teams rarely consist of unusual partners, making your new foe N the only real threat from this major aspect of the game.

Pokemon Black and White

Released March 6, 2011 Developer(s) Game Freak Publisher(s) Nintendo Franchise Pokemon Platform(s) Nintendo DS Powered by Expand Collapse