Pokémon Winds & Waves New Monster Designs Officially Unveiled For 30th Anniversary

Pokémon Winds & Waves Shows Off New Look At Starter 'Mon Designs

Published Aug 23, 2026, 3:20 AM EDT

Ewan is Deputy Editor for ScreenRant's gaming section. He still quite hasn’t gotten out of his mid 00’s emo phase, and knows more about The Legend of Zelda and Doctor Who than is probably healthy.

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Pokémon has been going for 30 years now, but you'd best believe we ain't done yet. Pokémon Winds & Waves was announced as part of the series' 30th anniversary earlier this year, alongside a gorgeous new tropical open-world region and all-new monsters to collect on Nintendo Switch 2 in 2027.

At the time of writing, we've only had the one official trailer from Nintendo, during which just three new Pokémon were unveiled. Those were, of course, the new starters: Water-type Gecqua, Fire-type Pombon, and Grass-type Browt. I already know I'm a Pombon man through and through.

While Game Freak has yet to confirm the full evolutionary line for these starter 'mon, we have been given a brand-new look at the new Pokémon in action alongside some more familiar faces. Better yet, this glimpse has a decidedly retro flavor to it, which is fitting for a 30th anniversary celebration.

Despite Pokémon Winds & Waves not coming until 2027, The Pokémon Company is marking the series' 30th Birthday with an almost alarming number of other releases, including merch, art, collaborations, and special events.

In October, Pokémon will be teaming up with the NHK Symphony Orchestra in Japan, which itself is celebrating its considerably more impressive 100th anniversary. The NHK Symphony Orchestra × Pokémon Classic Concert Tour includes gorgeous new artwork of every single starter Pokémon, including Browt, Pombon, and Gecqua. Curiously, the three new monsters are the only ones without instruments, though I'm sure they'll find what they're good at in time. Pikachu is, of course, the conductor. It's a really wonderful piece of work from an artist who goes by sowsow on social media.

Obviously, this new look doesn't give away a huge amount about the new starter Pokémon, but it's still nice to see them up there alongside all the other starter 'mon from the last three decades. It's unclear when Nintendo and Game Freak will show off the evolutions for Browt, Pombon, and Gecqua. In an ideal world, it's the kind of thing we'd get to find out for ourselves when the game launches, but in an age of increasingly prevalent leaks, I don't think it'll be long before the final forms are posted all over social media. I really hope I'm wrong, though.

As for when we'll get our next official look at Pokémon Winds & Waves? I don't know if 2026 is completely off the table, but I wouldn't hold your breath.