Our 2025 Pokémon Presents Predictions – What Are You Hoping For?

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Pokémon Legends: Z-A

OLLIE: At this point, I think we can probably expect a decent chunk of gameplay looking at Lumiose City, the protagonist, the battle system, and all that good stuff. A release date isn’t out of the question, but I’m not too confident about that just yet. I feel like The Pokémon Company is keen to avoid a specific date until it’s absolutely ready in the hope that it can avoid another Scarlet and Violet situation, but we’ll see.

GAVIN: Gameplay and a few reveals are obviously expected, although I’m wondering if they’ll stop short of a release date. With Switch 2 reveal details still unknown, I wouldn’t be surprised if they flag a Legends: Z-A-specific broadcast later on that will have the release date details. Just a hunch — and it’ll obviously be launched in time for the holidays — but if they want some wiggle room to push the launch between weeks in October or November, perhaps they’ll keep the launch date to a vague ‘Late 2025’ at the mo.

JIM: Everything that my learned colleagues have said above feels like a safe bet to me, too. I can picture a first gameplay trailer that’s all about some ‘new’ ‘mon (be that a regional variant or some swish Legendary) and how you’ll be interacting with them in the urban environment. It would be really nice to get a decent look at the art style too — I like that little neon Pika from last year’s tease, but give me something else to look at… please.

ALANA: This won’t be the place for a deep dive on Z-A, and part of me is slightly fearful of a minor delay, but I do think we’ll get some sort of a trailer, as others have said. If we do get gameplay, I want to see something brand new — give me that city-building feature that I’m dreaming of, Game Freak…

App Updates

GAVIN: Sure, some limited-time Pokémon GO event. Sleep gets an overhaul or something. The Café game gets some new mode. I’ll grab a coffee during this bit.

OLLIE: Normally I’d be on the same page as Gavin here, but if there’s new information provided for Pokémon TCG Pocket, I’ll be paying close attention. I’m not completely invested in the game and have yet to venture into the world of battling and trading, but I do love opening those packs every day. A special event or the announcement of new booster packs would be welcome.

JIM: Much like Ollie, I’m all about TCG Pocket and have my fingers crossed for some news on it. It feels a little early to drop the next expansion after Space-Time Smackdown, but the reveal of the headline cards and a release date could work. Aside from that, I am willing to put all my money on hearing “[insert obscure Pokémon here] is being added to Pokémon Unite!”

ALANA: Is it time for a new app? I mean, the franchise turns 30 next year, so I wouldn’t be surprised if we got something new for phones and tablets. A Pokémon cooking app, maybe? You know you want it.

A Remake?

Pokémon Flatlay — *Image: Gemma Smith / Nintendo Life*

OLLIE: A remake announcement at this stage would really surprise me. Let’s face it, although Z-A is a known entity now, it’s still yet to be showcased properly, so I would imagine The Pokémon Company will want all the focus to be on that for now. A new remake would completely steal its thunder.

ALANA: I mean, if we do see a remake, it’ll be Black & White, right? But again, given the big 3-0 is next year, I’m 100% expecting them to wheel out some new take on Kanto. Just not this year. Honestly? Remake — or remaster — Pokémon Colosseum. Now that’d get me excited.

JIM: I agree that revealing something else at this point makes very little sense, but let’s look at things another way: this is The Pokémon Company. We got zero games from them last year, and a bit of me wonders whether that means 2025 will see TPC back with a vengeance. Who am I kidding? I just want to see ‘HeartierGold and SoulierSilver’.

GAVIN: I don’t think TPC could put out another Kanto remake with a straight face, but Johto? They could get away with that and have almost the same level of Red/Blue nostalgia.

First peek at Gen 10?

Image: Zion Grassl / Nintendo Life

ALANA: Noooo. Outside of “we’re working on it” (and that’s being optimistic), I think TPC needs to let Z-A have the spotlight. We have some new forms from the new Legends game to look forward too, after all!

JIM: Off the back of my last answer, there’s a part of me that can imagine this. Does it make any sense? Heck no! But we ended up getting Arceus and ScaVi in the same year back in 2022, and if TPC wants to drum up hype for Switch 2 with a teaser of what’s to come, Gen 10 and a mysterious ‘2026’ release window could be the way to do it.

GAVIN: Hmm, I don’t see it. I get the sense that the backlash against Scarlet and Violet’s tech issues have been taken to heart and Switch 2 will give Game Freak some room to manoeuvre without transforming into optimisation wizards – and a new-gen, mainline Pokémon game would drive Switch 2 sales very nicely, too. Switch has an enormous install base, granted, but I think Gen X will debut on more powerful hardware.

OLLIE: Yeah, again this would encroach on Z-A’s territory, and like Gavin said, I’m not sure anybody wants a repeat of Scarlet and Violet. Z-A will launch later this year and take full advantage of the Switch install base while also catering to those early adopters for the Switch 2. Meanwhile, Gen 10 can cook for a bit longer and maybe start the ball rolling in 2026.

Wild Cards!

Image: The Pokémon Company

GAVIN: It’s too early to take the wind out of Z-A’s sails with another Legends game before the second is even out, but a Kanto-based Legends could let TPC have its Kanto cake and eat it. Maybe not this time, but I can see it happening next.

OLLIE: Everyone wants the classic games on NSO, right? Though I’ve also seen chatter online that The Pokémon Company may simply opt for a full release compiling multiple Gens in one package. Honestly, either approach is viable, but if they’re going to be released on NSO, I think they’ll be locked to the higher tier, regardless of platform.

ALANA: Let’s expand on that earlier Colosseum mention, then… a double-pack, featuring XD: Gale of Darkness. Can you imagine?

JIM: I think that an NSO drop is out of the question by this point. People would pay full price for the classic games and TPC knows that, so, as ever, I am tentatively hoping for that one. Honestly, a new spin-off would make me so happy (I’m very much in the mood for more Pokémon Snap, as unlikely as that seems) and I’ll hedge my bets and say that a ‘Detective Pikachu 2‘ trailer is on the way. That ‘wild’ enough for ya?

Switch 2?

Image: Nintendo

JIM: Hah… no. Nintendo is keeping all of the Switch 2 goodness for its own April Direct, and no pesky ‘mons are going to spoil that.

GAVIN: At most there’ll be a ‘Playable on Switch 2’ nod to Z-A being playable on the system via backwards compatibility. But with all Nintendo’s plans tightly under wraps, from a PR perspective, this isn’t the venue to be dropping NS2 bombshells that distract from the Pokémessaging.

ALANA: There’s a slim chance, but I don’t think so. I think Nintendo will want the first reveal for Switch 2 of any big first-party stuff — including Pokémon.

OLLIE: I don’t think Switch 2 will be mentioned at all. In fact, there won’t even be a disclaimer to say that Switch 2 won’t be mentioned, it’ll just be completely absent. I suspect there will be a few nods to the system in Z-A’s marketing later in the year, i.e. post-April Direct, but for now, it’ll be focused entirely on the OG Switch.

So, what’s the big reveal that you’re hoping for? You can let us know in the following poll and then take to the comments to share your full predictions.