Pokemon, the beloved video game series and multimedia franchise featuring over a thousand strange creatures known as Pokemon or Pocket Monsters, has entertained fans for nearly three decades. Despite the constantly expanding number of Pokemon, many of the mainline games feature all of them, with later entries making some Pokemon inaccessible until after the credits have rolled and others completely excluding some Pokemon.
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Posts 1But does the number of available Pokemon determine the overall quality of an entry? No, of course not, but if you're ranking them by the number of available Pokemon, some are easily considered to be better than others. Below, we'll rank every mainline Pokemon game by its Regional Pokedex size, from the original Red and Blue versions to Generation Nine's Scarlet and Violet.
Updated September 25, 2024, by Ryan Hay: We strive to make sure that we have the most accurate information around when it comes to your Pokemon knowledge needs, so we took a look back at all the Regional Pokedexs across all the generations of games and made sure everything is to date. In that process, we added some extra little tidbits of information and trivia for everyone to enjoy!
18 Red, Blue, And Yellow
Your First Adventure
Pokemon Red
Adventure JRPG Released February 27, 1996 ESRB e Developer(s) Game Freak Publisher(s) Nintendo Engine unity Franchise Pokemon Platform(s) Nintendo Game Boy Genre(s) Adventure, JRPG How Long To Beat 27 hours GameRankings Rating 88% Powered by Expand Collapse- Kanto Pokedex Size: 151
The original trilogy and the Japan-exclusive Green Version had 150 Pokemon in the game, with the 151 Pokemon Mew only being available through event distribution or hacking. Because these were the first few Pokemon games, their number isn't as big as later entries, but having that many catchable creatures was nothing short of impressive at the time of its launch.
These games, of course, were also the first to introduce a version-exclusive Pokemon that encouraged trading with other players. These may not have the largest amount of Pokemon, but their legacy and influence at the beginning of the series should not be understated.
17 FireRed & LeafGreen
A Return To Kanto
- Kanto Pokedex Size: 151
- National Pokedex Size: 386
The third generation remakes of the first generation games, FireRed Version and LeafGreen Version, featured the original 150 Pokemon, with Mew still only available through event distribution or hacking, and added the abilities and attacks first introduced in Ruby Version and Sapphire Version.
The post-game featured an exclusive new area known as the Sevii Islands, not to be confused with the anime-exclusive Orange Islands, which have some second-generation Pokemon that weren't available to catch in Ruby and Sapphire. Pokemon evolutions for first-generation Pokemon introduced in the second and third-generation games were only available once players reached the post-game.
16 Diamond & Pearl
Rebooting The Series
Pokémon Diamond
RPG Released April 22, 2007 ESRB E for Everyone Developer(s) Game Freak Publisher(s) Nintendo Engine Unity Multiplayer Local Multiplayer Franchise Pokemon Platform(s) Nintendo DS Genre(s) RPG How Long To Beat 41 Hours Metascore 85 Powered by Expand Collapse- Sinnoh Pokedex Size: 151
- National Pokedex Size: 493
Diamond Version and Pearl Version were the series' first entries on the Nintendo DS. They introduced 107 new Pokemon, with 151 Pokemon in the Sinnoh Pokedex, matching the number of Pokemon in the original Kanto Pokedex. Seven new Pokemon were also not featured in the Sinnoh Pokedex, increasing the number of Pokemon in the National Pokedex to 493.
Due to the Game Boy Advance slot of the Nintendo DS, Pokemon from the third generation games could be transferred via the Pal Park. In this Safari Zone-like post-game area, players could recapture their transferred Pokemon, providing a way to reobtain Pokemon from games on a previous console.
15 Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl
A Modern Remake
Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl
RPG Adventure Released November 19, 2021 ESRB rp Developer(s) ILCA Publisher(s) ILCA Engine unity Multiplayer Local Multiplayer Franchise Pokemon Platform(s) Nintendo Switch Genre(s) RPG, Adventure How Long To Beat 109 Hours Powered by Expand Collapse- Sinnoh Pokedex Size: 151
- National Pokedex Size: 493
Brilliant Diamond And Shining Pearl are faithful Nintendo Switch remakes of Diamond and Pearl, so they don't include many features introduced in Pokemon Sword and Shield. The Sinnoh Pokedex has the same number of Pokemon as the original pair of fourth-generation games, with 151 Pokemon in total.
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Posts By Gary KayThe National Pokedex can only be obtained once the player has obtained the data for every Pokemon in the Sinnoh Pokedex, which only includes the 493 Pokemon from the first four generations, with a few exceptions. Any Pokemon from the fifth generation onward cannot be transferred to Brilliant Diamond or Shining Pearl from Pokemon Home.
14 Let's Go Pikachu & Let's Go Eevee
Pokemon Go On Console
Pokemon Let's Go
RPG 4.0/5 Released November 16, 2018 ESRB E for Everyone: Mild Cartoon Violence Developer(s) Game Freak Publisher(s) Nintendo, The Pokemon Company Engine unity Franchise Pokemon Platform(s) Switch Genre(s) RPG Powered by Expand Collapse- Kanto Pokedex Size: 153
The Nintendo Switch exclusive Pokemon Let's Go Pikachu, and Let's Go Eevee are remakes of the Yellow Version that take away some of the improvements from previous games in favor of borrowing specific mechanics from Pokemon Go instead and are also able to connect with the popular mobile game.
As remakes of Pokemon Yellow Version, Let's Go Pikachu and Eevee have the original 151 Pokemon but also added the Mythical Pokemon Meltan and its evolved form Melmetal from Pokemon Go, meaning the total number of Pokemon was increased to 153, with no other newer Pokemon besides temporary in-battle Mega Evolutions featured in the post-game. You also do get access to special regional forms, though they are listed as different forms rather than unique Pokedex entries.
13 Black & White
Off To A New Region
Pokémon Black
RPG Released March 6, 2011 ESRB E for Everyone: Comic Mischief, Mild Cartoon Violence Developer(s) Game Freak Publisher(s) Nintendo Franchise Pokemon Platform(s) Nintendo DS Genre(s) RPG How Long To Beat 32 Hours Metascore 87 Powered by Expand Collapse- Unova Pokedex Size: 155
- National Pokedex Size: 649
Black Version and White Version serve as a sort of "soft reboot" of the series, with a regional Pokedex filled with only the 156 new Pokemon, with three only available through event distribution or hacking. Older Pokemon still appeared in the game but were either only obtainable in the post-game or through transfer, increasing the total number of Pokemon to 649.
This pair of games was also the first to include the Poke Transfer feature, which allowed Pokemon to be transferred to them from the fourth-generation games, with players having to recapture them in a Poke Ball shooting mini-game, which was a little different from the previously introduced Pal Park feature.
12 Ruby, Sapphire, And Emerald
A Perfect Mobile Game
Pokemon Emerald
RPG Released May 1, 2005 ESRB E For Everyone Developer(s) Game Freak Publisher(s) The Pokemon Company, Nintendo Multiplayer Local Multiplayer Franchise Pokemon Platform(s) Nintendo Game Boy Advance Genre(s) RPG How Long To Beat 31 Hours Metascore 76 Powered by Expand Collapse- Hoenn Pokedex Size: 202
- National Pokedex Size: 386
Ruby Version and Sapphire Version were the first entries in the series to launch for the Game Boy Advance and introduced 135 new Pokemon to the series, with 200 Pokemon available in-game and two Mythical Pokemon, Jirachi and Deoxys, only available through event distribution or hacking.
Although these games increased the total number of existing Pokemon to 386, many were not available to trade to the games until the launch of FireRed and LeafGreen due to the lack of connectivity features between the Game Boy Advance and its predecessors, but the launch of FireRed and LeafGreen helped to alleviate this issue. This changed with the release of the third game, Emerald, which made completing the Pokedex a bit easier.
11 Platinum
Laying The Groundwork For Future Games
Pokémon Platinum
JRPG Released March 22, 2009 ESRB E For Everyone Developer(s) Game Freak Publisher(s) Nintendo, The Pokemon Company Multiplayer Local Multiplayer Franchise Pokemon Platform(s) Nintendo DS Genre(s) JRPG How Long To Beat 35 Hours Metascore 83 Powered by Expand Collapse- Enhanced Sinnoh Pokedex Size: 210
- National Pokedex Size: 493
An updated third version of Diamond and Pearl, Platinum Version, added 59 Pokemon to the Sinnoh Pokedex, boosting the number from 151 to 210, with all 493 Pokemon of the time still in the National Pokedex. Like its predecessor, it also had several Pokemon that had to be obtained in other games and traded or transferred, with 14 Pokemon missing.
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Posts By Andrew ScariatiPlatinum Version was also notable for introducing a number of new forms for previously introduced fourth-generation Pokemon, including Rotom, Shaymin, and Giratina, with Shaymin and Giratina each getting one new form and Rotom getting five new forms.
10 Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire
Back To Honnen
Pokemon Omega Ruby
JRPG Released November 21, 2014 ESRB E For Everyone due to Comic Mischief, Mild Cartoon Violence Developer(s) Game Freak Publisher(s) Nintendo Multiplayer Online Multiplayer Franchise Pokemon Platform(s) 3DS Genre(s) JRPG Metascore 83 Powered by Expand Collapse- Hoenn Pokedex Size: 211
- National Pokedex Size: 721
The only pair of remakes for the Nintendo 3DS, Pokemon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire once again featured 202 Pokemon in the Hoenn Pokedex, with a few older Pokemon being dropped in favor of evolutions and pre-evolutions of third-generation Pokemon that were introduced after Ruby and Sapphire Version.
Like Pokemon X and Pokemon Y, Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire featured 721 Pokemon total and introduced several new Mega Evolutions for pre-existing Pokemon, as well as Primal Groudon and Primal Kyogre, new forms for the Legendary Pokemon similar to Mega Evolution but obtained through a process called Primal Reversion.
9 Legends Arceus
Transported To The Past
Pokemon Legends: Arceus
RPG Action 3.5/5 Released January 28, 2022 ESRB E for Everyone: Mild Fantasy Violence Developer(s) Game Freak Publisher(s) Nintendo, The Pokemon Company Engine Proprietary Engine Cross-Platform Play n/a Cross Save n/a Franchise Pokemon Steam Deck Compatibility no Platform(s) Nintendo Switch Genre(s) RPG, Action How Long To Beat 26 Hours X|S Optimized no Metascore 83 Powered by Expand Collapse- Hisui Pokedex Size: 242
Pokemon Legends Arceus, a more experimental Pokemon title based on Diamond Version and Pearl Version, features all the Pokemon from the Sinnoh Pokedex. It also adds some new regional forms for Pokemon introduced in other generations, their pre-evolved forms, and seven brand-new Pokemon, bringing the total number of featured Pokemon to 242 for the Hisui Pokedex.
Pokemon Legends Arceus also features several previously event-exclusive Mythical Pokemon, such as Darkrai, Manaphy, and Shaymin, available in the game through side quests that NPCs give the player, with Arceus only being obtainable in the post-game after catching all other Pokemon in the Hisui Pokedex.
