Across the Pokémon franchise, there are many, many different games, and some of them have vastly different gameplay than the others. The “main series” Pokémon games (also referred to as the “core” games) are the games that are most similar to the original Pokémon Red and Blue, featuring the familiar turn-based combat, mechanics, and moves.
These core experiences may evolve or improve with each generation, but the general flow of the game is the same in the main series games, as opposed to spin-off games, which sometimes consist of their own dedicated series such as the Pokémon Mystery Dungeon series or the Pokémon Ranger series, where each of these spin-off games play substantially different from the main series games.
List of Main Series Pokémon Games
Generation I (Gen. 1)
- Pokémon Red and Blue
- Pokémon Yellow
In Japan, the main series Pokémon games are slightly different. Pokémon Red and Green were the first two Pokémon games ever released, and Pokémon Blue was released later on as an enhanced version, which brought the graphical changes that were seen in the international releases of Pokémon Red and Blue (the latter of which being based off of Green rather than the Japanese Blue version).
Generation II (Gen. 2)
- Pokémon Gold and Silver
- Pokémon Crystal (enhanced version of Gold and Silver)
Generation III (Gen. 3)
- Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire
- Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen (remakes of Red and Blue)
- Pokémon Emerald (enhanced version of Ruby and Sapphire)
It can also be argued that Pokémon Colosseum and Pokémon XD: Gale of Darkness are both main series games as they feature many of the traditional gameplay features as the other main series games in the generation and are also directly compatible with them, while also having a dedicated story mode (making it more than just a battle simulator such as the Pokémon Stadium games from previous generations).
Generation IV (Gen. 4)
- Pokémon Diamond and Pearl
- Pokémon Platinum (enhanced version of Diamond and Pearl)
- Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver (remakes of Gold and Silver)
Generation V (Gen. 5)
- Pokémon Black and White
- Pokémon Black 2 and White 2
Generation VI (Gen. 6)
- Pokémon X and Y
- Pokémon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire (remakes of Ruby and Sapphire)
Generation VII (Gen. 7)
- Pokémon Sun and Moon
- Pokémon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon (enhanced remakes of Sun and Moon)
- Pokémon Let’s Go, Pikachu and Eevee (remakes of Pokémon Yellow)
Generation VII was a bit of an odd generation as Pokémon Let’s Go, Pikachu and Eevee were released for the Nintendo Switch as opposed to the other games in that generation, which were for the Nintendo 3DS. These games have some rather major mechanical differences compared to other main series games, such as the fact wild Pokémon are not battled against with your own Pokémon but you instead just throw Poké Balls at them to catch them.
Despite these games strongly deviating from the traditional definition of main series games, they have been confirmed to be main series games instead of spin-offs, although many players still consider these games spin-offs.
Generation VIII (Gen. 8)
- Pokémon Sword and Shield
- Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl (remakes of Diamond and Pearl)