Pokémon Is Changing In A Big Way In 2027

Published Aug 29, 2026, 12:00 PM EDT

James is a gaming writer from London who has spent thousands of hours exploring titles from every genre. Though he has a particular affinity for multiplayer titles like World of Warcraft, Destiny 2 and League of Legends, he has also put thousands of hours into single-player experiences, from deep RPGs to epic PC strategies. When he's not playing or writing, he can usually be found supporting his beloved Brentford FC.

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Over the years, the Pokémon franchise has been through some bold new iterations and diversifications in its offering, and that has been a big factor in why it has not only managed to stay relevant for so long, but also grown significantly in popularity to its current zenith.

Now, it's currently celebrating a fairly staggering 30 years since its debut, and there are all sorts of unique releases on the way to mark the occasion properly for fans. As part of that, we're about to get the chance to see the tenth generation of creations for the first time, but there's a raft of players who simply won't get the chance to play it without a significant upgrade.

In case you somehow missed it in all the recent hubbub, The Pokémon Company and Game Freak confirmed that the first games of their tenth generation were going to be Winds and Waves. The new region is based on the archipelago of South-East Asia, and the new starter Pokémon look great, so if they manage to get the gameplay right then we really could be on to a winner.

That said, there will be plenty of potential players out there who simply won't be able to give it a go. That comes as the new game is set to be the first Switch 2 exclusive for the series so far.

From the developers side, the decision is entirely fair, as the Switch 2 is Nintendo's most recent, and really, the only relevant piece of hardware they have right now. It's also significantly more powerful than the original, which should hopefully allow them to make the Pokémon game we have always dreamed of.

That said, it is worth sparing a though for those who will be left behind this time around, either because of a lack of access or affordability in the current hardware market. The stats back this up as well, as at last count, the Switch 2 had sold an impressive 24 million units, compared to the staggering 159 million of the original. Even if all of those are upgrades, there are plenty of players who aren't currently in a position to play the latest Pokémon game when it arrives.

In any case, as we always do, the gaming industry must move with the times, and this is simply the tipping point where the original Nintendo Switch can no longer hack it. Let's just hope Pokémon Winds and Waves is everything we're hoping it will be, if only to make that transition worthwhile.