Pokémon 30th Anniversary Events and Games: What's Left

Play these now

1. Pokémon Pokopia

Nintendo Switch 2 only · Out March 5, 2026 · Official site

You play a Ditto that wakes up looking like a human and rebuilds a withered world by crafting and learning moves from other Pokémon. Up to four players can share a town, locally or through Nintendo Switch Online, and GameShare lets a friend without the game join from a Switch or Switch 2. Nintendo and The Pokémon Company reported 2.2 million sold worldwide in four days, a million of those in Japan.

Pick it if you own a Switch 2 and want the cozy side of Pokémon, alone or with a household. Skip it if you're still on the original Switch. It won't run there, and GameShare only lends it out while a Switch 2 owner hosts.

If you like the "befriend creatures, build a home" loop and want it on PC too, Palworld is the rougher, survival-crafting take on the idea.

2. Pokémon Champions

Switch, Switch 2, iOS, Android · Switch April 8, mobile June 17, 2026 · Free-to-play

A battles-only Pokémon game. It's free with optional purchases, cross-play between Switch and phones, and your save follows your Nintendo Account. It was also the video game format at the 2026 World Championships. Z Mega Evolutions were set to arrive on September 9: Mega Lucario Z, Mega Garchomp Z and Mega Absol Z, with Baxcalibur and Rillaboom announced for the same day.

Pick it if you want Pokémon battles without buying a new mainline game. Skip it if you play offline. An internet connection is required.

3. Pokémon FireRed Version and LeafGreen Version

Nintendo Switch · Out February 27, 2026 · Digital only, on Nintendo eShop

The 2004 Game Boy Advance remakes of the first games, released on Pokémon Day "just as they were," with one modern addition: you can send what you catch to Pokémon HOME. Each version is sold separately in English, French or Spanish.

Pick it if you want the Kanto anniversary trip with nothing changed. Skip it if you've already got the GBA cartridges and don't use HOME.

4. Pokémon XD: Gale of Darkness

Nintendo Switch 2 · Added March 17, 2026 · Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack

The classic GameCube RPG about Shadow Pokémon and the Legendary Shadow Lugia joined the GameCube library for Expansion Pack members on Switch 2. One limit to know: Pokémon you raise in XD can't be moved to other games, and nothing comes in either.

Pick it if you already pay for the Expansion Pack. It costs nothing extra. Skip it if you'd be subscribing just for this.

BESTPRICE: Want Pokémon Pokopia? Eneba sells a Steam key: Buy on Eneba →

Still ahead

5. Pokémon Night Out, London

The O2, London · November 10, 2026 · Tickets on AXS

An EDM show with Marshmello headlining and Alison Wonderland supporting; the official page promises "animation to bring Pokémon to life in ways you've never seen before." The Los Angeles date at the Intuit Dome on October 24 is marked "Completed" on the official Night Out page, and London is the only show left. As of September 28, The Pokémon Company said London tickets were still available.

Image: The Pokémon Company, official Night Out wallpaper (30.pokemon.com)

Read the LA reaction before you buy. An attendee on r/pokemon who paid "$300+ for an early-bird GA ticket" wrote on October 25 that "it felt like a couple of DJs playing their regular sets while VJs threw some Pokémon visuals on the screens." The same post grants that "Alison Wonderland at least incorporated recognizable Pokémon music, including a town theme". Time Out Los Angeles heard the same split: Marshmello "stuck to his usual repertoire of songs", while Alison Wonderland's set had remixes of the anime's "gotta catch 'em all" intro and the Lavender Town theme.

Pick it if you're a Marshmello fan first and the Pokémon theme is a bonus. Skip it if you want Pokémon music all night. In LA that came mostly from the opening act.

6. Pokémon Winds and Pokémon Waves

Nintendo Switch 2 only · 2027, no date announced · Official site

The next main-series RPGs, announced in the Pokémon Day Presents. The Pokémon Company describes "an open world of windswept islands and an ocean of glittering waves" and promises a global simultaneous launch in 2027. No day, month or price has been announced, so treat any specific date you see elsewhere as a guess.

Pick it if you're deciding on a Switch 2: this one is exclusive to it. Skip it if you want news this year. There is no release date yet.

Image: The Pokémon Company, PokémonXP and Worlds 2026 art (pokemon.com)

7. 2027 Pokémon World Championships

Singapore EXPO · August 13 to 15, 2027 · worlds.pokemon.com

Announced at the close of Worlds 2026. It's past the anniversary year, but it's where the 30th-year competitive season lands next.

Already over

These Pokémon 30th anniversary events have ended, so there's nothing left to join or claim:

• PokémonXP and Worlds 2026, San Francisco, August 28 to 30, the first PokémonXP fan event alongside the championships.
• Pokémon GO 10th Anniversary Celebration, August 12 to September 6. The free Mewtwo Timed Research has expired.
• Pokémon Day Out, the in-person events in Bordeaux-Mérignac, New York City, Dresden and Mexico City. The official page now just thanks visitors.
• Pokémon Champions launch gift: Dragonite and 100 Quick Coupons for players who started by August 31.
• Pokémon GO's March run: GO Tour: Kalos Global (February 28 to March 1), a Kanto event (March 3 to 6) and a three-day mass return of past Pokémon (March 7 to 9).

Honorable mentions

• Pokémon Legends: Z-A, Mega Dimension DLC: Mega Garchomp Z was revealed for it on Pokémon Day. Worth a look if you already own Z-A, not a reason to start.
• Pokémon UNITE: Morpeko, Toxtricity, Jolteon and Flareon were announced at Worlds as upcoming playable Pokémon.
• Pokémon TCG Pocket: dual-type Pokémon were set to start in October 2026. The physical 30th anniversary cards are a collector topic we leave to card specialists.

Want another creature-catcher outside Nintendo's hardware? Aniimo is a free-to-play creature collector that's out now, and Voidling Bound is a single-player creature-combat game built around breeding and splicing.

How we checked this

On October 28, 2026 we read the Pokémon Day Presents recap on pokemon.com, The Pokémon Company press releases for Pokopia, Champions and PokémonXP, Nintendo's sales release and its FireRed, LeafGreen and XD announcements, the 30.pokemon.com Night Out and Day Out pages, the Pokémon GO anniversary post and the Worlds site, and the r/pokemon thread about the Los Angeles Night Out. We haven't attended Night Out or played these games for this piece, so nothing here is a review.

References

1. News and Updates from the Pokémon Day 2026 Pokémon Presents, The Pokémon Company International
2. Create Your Own Pokémon Paradise with Pokémon Pokopia, Available Now, The Pokémon Company International
3. Global Sales of Pokémon Pokopia Surpass 2.2 Million in First Four Days, Nintendo
4. Pokémon Champions Launches June 17 on iOS and Android Devices, The Pokémon Company International
5. Pokémon Celebrates 30 Years with New Announcements at Inaugural PokémonXP and 2026 Pokémon World Championships, The Pokémon Company International
6. Pokémon Night Out, The Pokémon Company
7. Pokémon GO 10th Anniversary Celebration, Pokémon GO
8. Pokémon Winds and Pokémon Waves official site, The Pokémon Company