It started with a high-pitched, 8-bit screech and a choice between a lizard, a turtle, and a bulbous plant. Honestly, nobody in 1996 could have predicted that those grainy sprites on a monochromatic screen would evolve into the most profitable media franchise on the planet. We're talking bigger than Star Wars. Bigger than Marvel. And at the heart of this empire sits the Pokemon main series games, a lineage of RPGs that has somehow managed to stay relevant while breaking almost every rule of modern game development.
People love to complain about them. They really do. If you spend five minutes on any gaming forum, you'll see fans tearing into the latest release for its frame rate drops or "dated" textures. Yet, every single time a new generation drops, the sales numbers are absolutely staggering. Pokemon Scarlet and Violet shifted 10 million units in their first three days. That isn't just nostalgia talking; it's a testament to a gameplay loop that is, quite frankly, peerless in its ability to hook both a seven-year-old and a thirty-five-year-old accountant.
What actually counts as Pokemon main series games?
There is a weird amount of confusion about this. Basically, if it’s developed by Game Freak and introduces a new "Generation" or a major remake, it’s the real deal. We aren't talking about Pokemon GO or that weird teeth-brushing app. The core series is defined by the journey: Eight badges, a villainous team with questionable fashion sense, and the Elite Four.
Since Pokemon Red and Blue (or Green if you're a purist in Japan), the formula has been remarkably stubborn. You’re a kid. You leave home. You catch monsters in tall grass. You've probably done it a dozen times, but it still works. Why? Because the variety is baked into the DNA. With over 1,000 unique creatures now, no two players' teams look exactly the same. Your journey with a Crobat you found as a lowly Zubat feels personal. It’s your story, even if the script is the same for everyone else.
The "Third Version" Era is Dead
Remember Pokemon Yellow, Crystal, or Emerald? For years, Game Freak would release two versions and then follow up a year later with a "definitive" third version that fixed the bugs and added a few bells and whistles. That's over. Nowadays, they've shifted to the DLC model, seen first with the Expansion Pass for Pokemon Sword and Shield. It was a controversial move, sure, but it beat buying the entire game again just to see a new island.
The transition that changed everything (and broke some stuff)
The jump from 2D to 3D was a mess. There, I said it. While other franchises like Zelda handled the leap to high-definition hardware with grace, the Pokemon main series games struggled with the growing pains of the Nintendo Switch. Pokemon Legends: Arceus was the first real sign that the developers were willing to break the mold. It ditched the traditional gym structure for an open-world survival vibe that felt dangerous. For once, the Pokemon could actually hurt you, the player, not just your monsters.
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But then came the technical hurdles. Scarlet and Violet launched with bugs that became instant memes. Characters clipping through floors, sunbeds vibrating into space, and a frame rate that occasionally chugged like an old steam engine.
Critics like IGN's Rebekah Valentine pointed out that while the "soul" of the game was better than ever, the technical polish was severely lacking. It creates this bizarre duality. You’re playing a game that feels like the future of the franchise—totally open, seamless exploration—but it looks like it's struggling to stay held together with duct tape. And yet? We keep playing. Because the core loop of catching and battling is still the best in the business.
Competitive depth that most people miss
Most casual fans play the story and stop. They think the games are easy. They're mostly right—the main campaigns are designed so a child can finish them. But if you peer under the hood, the Pokemon main series games are some of the most complex math-heavy simulators in existence.
- IVs and EVs: Individual Values and Effort Values. This is hidden data that determines if your Pikachu is a glass cannon or a tank.
- Nature and Abilities: A 10% boost in Speed can be the difference between winning a world championship and going home in the first round.
- Tera Types: The latest mechanic allows a Pokemon to change its elemental type mid-battle. It’s basically high-stakes chess with dragons.
Wolfgang "Wolfey" Glick, a former World Champion, has built an entire career explaining these nuances. When you see a high-level VGC (Video Game Championships) match, you aren't seeing luck. You're seeing players predict their opponent's moves five turns in advance based on damage calculations they've memorized. It’s brutal.
The Dexit Controversy
We have to talk about the "National Dex." Up until Pokemon Sword and Shield, you could theoretically bring every single Pokemon from previous games forward. Then Game Freak cut the cord. They argued that balancing 1,000+ monsters and creating high-quality animations for all of them was unsustainable. Fans were livid. "Dexit" became a rallying cry. While the developers haven't backed down, they have started rotating which Pokemon are available in each new title, making each "Regional Dex" feel a bit more curated, even if your favorite shiny Lugia has to sit in Pokemon HOME for a few years.
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How the games actually make money (It's not just the cartridges)
The Pokemon main series games act as the "engine" for the entire brand. Even if a game sells 20 million copies, that's peanuts compared to the plushies, the Trading Card Game (TCG), and the anime. But those things need the games to introduce new characters. Without Pokemon Sun and Moon, you don't have Rowlet. Without Rowlet, you don't sell millions of round, owl-shaped pillows.
This creates a punishing schedule for Game Freak. They can't really delay a game to polish it for six months because the toy factories, the card printers, and the TV animators are all waiting on that release date. It’s a "Business First" reality that often clashes with the "Art First" desires of the fans.
Regional influences and real-world geography
One of the coolest things about the modern era is how the regions are based on real places. It’s not just "Grass Land" and "Fire Mountain" anymore.
- Kalos was a love letter to France.
- Alola captured the specific island culture of Hawaii.
- Galar leaned hard into United Kingdom tropes (looking at you, Galarian Weezing with the top hat).
- Paldea took us to the Iberian Peninsula.
This isn't just window dressing. It affects the music, the architecture of the in-game towns, and even the "regional forms" of old Pokemon. Seeing a Grimer turn into a colorful, oil-slick version of itself because of the specific waste in Alola is a level of world-building that keeps the setting fresh even when the mechanics stay familiar.
Stop playing it like it's 1996
If you're jumping back into the Pokemon main series games after a long break, you'll notice things are... different. Exp. Share is always on now. You don't have to grind for hours just to beat the second gym. Some veterans hate this. They call it "hand-holding."
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But honestly? It respects your time. The "challenge" in the old games was often just a test of patience. The new games shift the focus to exploration and team building. You can access your PC boxes from anywhere—no more running back to a Pokemon Center just to swap your team. These quality-of-life changes make the games significantly more playable for adults with jobs and actual lives.
Actionable steps for the modern trainer
If you want to get the most out of the current state of the series, don't just rush the credits. The real game starts once you're the Champion.
First, get into Tera Raids. In Scarlet and Violet, these are cooperative battles that actually require strategy. You can't just spam "Earthquake" and win. You need to coordinate with other players to heal, debuff the boss, and time your Terastallization. It's the closest the main series has ever gotten to an MMO raid.
Second, use the "Nuzlocke" mindset if it feels too easy. If you find the games lacking teeth, try a self-imposed challenge. Only catch the first Pokemon you see in each area. If a Pokemon faints, it's "dead" and you must release it. It completely changes your emotional connection to the game. Suddenly, that Raticate you never cared about becomes the hero of your entire run because he's the only thing standing between you and a "Game Over."
Third, dive into Pokemon HOME. If you have old saves on your 3DS or even older hardware, look into moving them up. There is something deeply cool about having a Blaziken from a 2003 copy of Pokemon Ruby sitting in your modern Nintendo Switch library. It’s a digital legacy.
The Pokemon main series games are in a weird spot. They are technically flawed, occasionally frustrated by their own success, and bound to a release schedule that would break most studios. But they still capture a specific kind of magic. That feeling of stepping out into a world where adventure is just a patch of grass away? Nobody else has quite nailed that yet. Whether we're heading back to Johto or off to a completely new "Generation 10," the formula is clearly here to stay.
Focus on building a team you actually like, rather than just the "strongest" ones. Explore the corners of the map that the story doesn't force you into. That’s where the real game is hiding.