| Pokemon Legends: Z-A | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Release Date | Gameplay & Story | Pre-Order & DLC | Review |
Pokémon Legends: Z-A Review Overview
What is Pokémon Legends: Z-A?
Pokémon Legends: Z-A is the follow-up to Game Freak’s Pokémon Legends: Arceus and marks the third mainline entry in the ninth generation of Pokémon titles, coming after Scarlet and Violet. It’s set to launch on October 16, 2025, and will be playable on both the Nintendo Switch and the Nintendo Switch 2, featuring improved resolution and smoother frame rates on the newer hardware.
The game wholly takes place within the sprawling metropolis of Lumiose City, the grandest settlement in the Kalos region. While it's in the midst of a major rehabilitation and reconstruction plan that seeks to allow humans and Pokemon to live in harmony, players will arrive in the city and will meet its numerous colorful townsfolk and cheerful Pokemon.
Players will choose their partner Pokémon from Chikorita, Tepig, or Totodile and begin their journey through the urban sprawl of Lumiose City. By day, Trainers can explore vibrant city streets and venture into wild zones to discover Pokémon. At night, the action heats up with the Z-A Royale—where players compete to rise through the ranks in intense battles against powerful Trainers. Join Team MZ, a crew dedicated to keeping the peace in Lumiose City, and uncover all-new Mega Evolutions along the way!
Pokémon Legends: Z-A features:
⚫︎ Real-Time Combat System
⚫︎ Return of Mega Evolution
⚫︎ Z-A Royale and Rogue Mega Evolution Boss Battles
⚫︎ Single Setting of Lumiose City and its Wild Zones
⚫︎ Enhanced Character Customization
For more gameplay details, read everything we know about Pokémon Legends: Z-A's gameplay and story.
| Digital Storefronts | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Switch |
 Switch 2 |
||||
| $59.99 | $69.99 | ||||
Pokémon Legends: Z-A Pros & Cons
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
 The Massive Changes to the Classic Formula are Great Tons to Do in Lumiose City Dynamic Soundtrack that’s Full of Variety |
Pop-Ins and Flat Textures Lack of Voice-Acting |
Pokémon Legends: Z-A Story - 9/10
Pokémon Legends: Z-A has a very slow start, but it rewards patience with a ton of Kalos lore that will have fans of X & Y giddy with excitement. Unlike the vast open worlds of Legends: Arceus or Scarlet & Violet, exploration is confined entirely to Lumiose City. The city isn't as vast, but the game focuses its energy within the city limits. The true power lies in the supporting cast, which is arguably the best the franchise has ever seen, surpassing even, in my opinion, Black & White’s ensemble. Their development and relationships make the entire story feel more human and grounded than many recent Pokémon games. The writing dips into some questions about responsibility and power, but it can also be genuinely funny at times—when was the last time a Pokémon game made you laugh audibly?
Pokémon Legends: Z-A Gameplay - 10/10
What makes Pokémon Legends: Z-A truly great is how it completely rethinks the series’ battle system without losing the core of what makes a Pokémon game. Battles now happen in real time, yet they still adhere to the spirit of the classic formula. You’re still managing your moves and type matchups, but everything plays out with a newfound urgency that always keeps you on your toes. Here, your positioning matters, and due to cooldowns, decisions need to be made quickly if you want to maximize your moves. There’s a greater emphasis to trainer battles here than catching Pokémon. I do miss the baits and throwable items from Legends: Arceus, but I’m happy with what we got here. Catching Pokémon still works the way you’d expect, and with the return of Mega Evolutions, there’s always something exciting waiting just around the corner.
Pokémon Legends: Z-A Visuals - 8/10
This might not mean much to some, but in the context of Pokémon, Pokémon Legends: Z-A is easily one of the best-looking Pokémon games to date. Lumiose City looks like an actual city, packed with tiny details that make it feel like a real place where people and Pokémon actually live together. However, some textures still look a little rough up close, and there are times when the game’s draw distance would be its Achilles’ heel. It’s still a good-looking game, especially on the Switch 2. Its art direction carries it hard enough that it’s easy to forgive the rough edges.
Pokémon Legends: Z-A Audio - 9/10
The audio design in Pokémon Legends: Z-A is fantastic, with Lumiose City’s soundtrack mixing electronic, orchestral, and jazz elements so well that I often found myself intentionally seeking out fights just to hear the battle themes again. What’s more is how the music changes depending on the situation. For instance, when you crouch in tall grass to sneak up on a wild Pokémon, the track becomes muffled and subdued. When a Mega-Evolved Pokémon rages, the battle theme becomes more intense. It’s a shame that, even after all these years, Pokémon games are still non-voiced because some of the story moments would hit even harder with properly delivered lines.
Pokémon Legends: Z-A Value for Money - 8/10
In terms of sheer content, Pokémon Legends: Z-A gives you plenty to do for the base price of $60-$70, with around 30 hours of gameplay just in the main story and some side quests. The upgrade pack for the Switch 2 and the Mega Dimension DLC add even more to this cost, so completing everything can get pricey, especially if you want all the new Mega Evolutions and Pokémon. Trading limitations and the absence of features like the Linking Cord mean you might need a friend with a copy to fully finish your collection. If you want a fuller experience, you can always wait for when Nintendo inevitably bundles the game with its DLC. Even so, the core game is engaging and fun enough that most players will feel satisfied without spending extra, though completionists should be prepared for a bigger investment.
Pokémon Legends: Z-A Overall Score - 88/100
Pokémon Legends: Z-A might not shake things up as much as Legends: Arceus did, but it proves that the series still has room to grow in fun and interesting ways. Its open-world design feels tighter and more focused, with battles and exploration blending together more smoothly than before. There are still a few rough edges and familiar frustrations, but the game’s mix of new ideas and classic Pokémon charm makes it easy to lose hours just wandering around and experimenting. It’s a solid and confident step forward for the Legends line, one that reminds you why this series is still so popular even after all these years.
Pokémon Legends: Z-A Review: The Mega Evolution Fans Were Waiting For
Pokémon Just Keeps on Evolving
Before I dig into the nitty-gritty of Pokémon Legends: Z-A, let me pull back a little and talk about how we got here. Back when Pokémon Legends: Arceus dropped in 2022, it felt like an overdue breath of fresh air. Game Freak had been churning out mainline Pokémon entries that just kind of repeated themselves (i.e., new region, new Pokémon to catch, but still the same-old formula) without really shaking things up. Fans had been asking for something more ambitious than what X & Y and later what Sun & Moon or Sword & Shield offered, a sense of space, real exploration beyond fixed Routes and invisible walls.
Pokémon Legends: Arceus gave that; Game Freak took the risk of trying something different, focusing on catching, exploring, lore, and open areas. This made it feel more alive than just walking from Gym to Gym in perpetuity or pressing a button to catch Pokémon.
I’m a big fan of Legends: Arceus. Loved it, really. It made me feel like I was doing more than playing through battles and leveling up; it made me feel like I was gathering, exploring, engaging in the Pokémon world.
If you’re going to play Pokémon Legends: Z-A wanting more Legends: Arceus, it might be best to discard all expectations first. The former feels a lot different than the latter. Right off the start, the scale feels narrower, with you mostly confined in Lumiose City from Kalos instead of sweeping the entire region to catch ‘em all. Some mechanics I adored in Arceus (e.g., bait and throwable items) are missing in Legends: Z-A. When I first booted it up, it made me question what defines a Legends game when the mechanics diverge so much between entries.
From what I see, after 30 hours in Legends: Z-A, Legends entries are more about diving deep into a region’s lore and identity, while simultaneously allowing Game Freak to bend or break tradition. Legends: Z-A is not a massive step forward as Legends: Arceus, but it had me hunched over in front of my TV at 4:00 A.M. in the morning, not thinking about food or sleep, just completely sucked into Battle Zone after Battle Zone, taking out trainers one after the other. A lot of what I miss from Legends: Arceus I can excuse, because the game is just so darn fun.
Welcome to JUST Lumiose City
You begin Legends: Z-A much like Legends: Arceus did, just in a more ordinary way. You’re not time travelling or dealing with weird cosmic lore right away; you arrive in Lumiose City in the Kalos region. After picking your starter from your rival—either from Urbain or Taunie, depending on your avatar’s appearance—and doing the usual Pokémon battle with a random stranger, you’re immediately asked to join Team MZ, a group of teens consisting of your rival, Lida, and Naveen.
The basic plot line is simple enough to follow, with some small twists and moral questions that keeps things interesting, to a degree. Your goal here, as with many Pokémon games, is still to be the very best like no one ever was, but what that means here goes beyond collecting badges and battling Gym after Gym. The danger is in Lumiose City being wracked by an outbreak of rogue Mega-Evolved Pokémon who aren’t being controlled by trainers, and no one seems able to explain what’s happening. Part of your job with Team MZ is to figure out why this is happening, where Zygarde fits in, and how to stop things before the city’s redevelopment plans collapse under all the madness. In true Pokémon fashion, you, a kid, end up being the one to save the city.
There are somewhat mature themes that I did not expect; questions about responsibility, about when power is misused, and about how much people should intervene when Pokémon themselves seem to be acting wildly beyond usual boundaries. They didn’t dive into these as much as I would’ve liked, and I don’t really expect Pokémon to do so, but it’s nice to see Pokémon games getting solid storylines with great characters. The twists around who’s involved, and why, are better experienced in the game rather than spoiled here, though. As a tease, you meet Emma (from X & Y’s post-game) early in the game, which adds a fun connective thread for Kalos fans.
The true strength of the story, for me, lies in supporting characters. The banter among them is, without a doubt, one of the strongest parts of the story. I laughed out loud more than a few times at jokes dropped unexpectedly, whether it was during a strategy meeting or right after we won a tough promotion match in Z-A Royale (the nightly competition where you climb from Rank Z up to A). The dialogue feels natural and unforced, and it’s probably the silliest Pokémon has ever been.
These scenes, however, are still unvoiced. Pokémon games have generally skipped voice work for human characters. Given how good the writing can be during emotional and comedic moments, I feel like voice acting could’ve made a big difference.
Dialogue works fine without voices; you can read and imagine yourself. But sometimes, I caught myself wishing for the impact that hearing someone deliver a line could bring, especially during moments that you just know are begging to be voiced. The game doesn’t have to be fully voiced, but as someone who’s been playing since Pokémon Emerald and has witnessed how the series has slowly added more polish, this feels like a feature that’s been long overdue. I have my fingers crossed, though, for the 10th generation of Pokémon games..
Walking Along Lumiose City’s Streets and Rooftops
A big change is in how exploration is contained entirely within Lumiose City instead of spanning an entire region. I don’t think that’s necessarily a bad thing, though I understand why some players might see it as a drawback. After all, Legends: Arceus gave us a taste of what a "real" open-world Pokémon game could feel like. By contrast, Legends: Z-A keeps you grounded in one city, but that focus also gives Game Freak a chance to really flesh out a single, living place rather than stretch themselves thin across multiple zones.
Everything in Legends: Z-A happens within Lumiose City. You won’t be trekking across Kalos this time around, but the city itself is far larger and denser than I expected. Sure, it’s smaller in overall scale compared to Legends: Arceus, and the Wild Zones, where Pokémon peacefully roam to be beaten up by some kids, scattered across the city are much more contained, but exploration here is more vertical.
You’ll be wandering through busy streets, yes, but you’ll also be climbing rooftops and scaffolding, and even heading down to sewers to see how Pokémon and people coexist beneath the surface. The city feels alive in a way that some previous Pokémon settings haven’t. There’s a sense of community in cafes where Pokémon and trainers eat together, alleys where Trubbish scavenge happily through restaurant waste, and parks with kids playing with their Pokémon. It captures the anime-like atmosphere of a world where Pokémon are also neighbors sharing the same space.
It’s refreshing to see Game Freak put this much effort into showing how urban life and Pokémon life intertwine. Because everything takes place in one city, they’re able to pack in little details that make Lumiose feel lived-in. You see kids running around with their partners, workers with their livestreamer merch taking breaks with their Pokémon, and even wild ones wandering near streets and rooftops. It’s neat seeing a Pidgey perched on a lamppost or an Ariados resting on the sewer ceiling.
This, however, means that the game no longer feels as wide or as adventurous as Legends: Arceus, and that in itself is going to be contentious for many players. Some might find Lumiose’s urban layout a little claustrophobic, especially if they came in expecting multiple biomes to explore. Personally, I like this focus. Not every new release in our modern age has to be an open world. I’d rather have a compact world that feels meaningful than a huge one that feels empty.
Pokémon Legends: Z-A Switch vs Switch 2
Visually, the game benefits from this smaller scope. Unlike the first Legends game and even Scarlet & Violet, Legends: Z-A isn’t trying to render giant open areas or dozens of Pokémon at once, which helps keep performance steady. From a distance, Lumiose City looks great. Its skyline lit up at night, streets bustling with color and movement. However, once you start looking closer do you see the dirt in this otherwise decent-looking game.
Building textures are flat, with balconies that look like they were just painted onto the wall. NPCs tend to pop in too close for comfort, and there were moments where NPCs even vanished after stepping out of frame. At one point, I tried sneaking up on a trainer by jumping down on them from a rooftop for a surprise advantage, and found the guy had despawned entirely. For context, this was on the Nintendo Switch 2, which makes that kind of thing harder to excuse.
That being said, performance on the Switch 2 is otherwise solid. The game runs at a smooth 60 frames per second (fps), and load times between fast travel points are quick enough that moving across the city feels seamless. It’s clear Game Freak learned a lot since polishing Scarlet and Violet for the newer hardware.
On the standard Switch, things are understandably rougher. The game runs at 30fps with occasional slowdown during particle-effects-heavy cutscenes, and loading screens are slightly longer. You can also see some compromises made for performance, with draw distance being noticeably closer, and animations getting choppier the farther they are from you.
It’s not bad by any means, I’ve experienced far worse with Scarlet & Violet when it first released, and these kinds of technical shortcuts aren’t rare in games, but they’re still noticeable if you’re paying attention.
Probably The Best Battle System The Series Has Ever Had
What will probably have heads turning in Pokémon Legends: Z-A is its new battle system. As much as I’ve loved Pokémon’s tried-and-tested battle system before, this is hands down the best one the series has ever had. Gone is the turn-based combat that’s been around since the Game Boy days. Battles now play out in real time, and that one change transforms how the whole game feels. It’s a massive leap for Pokémon, and it finally captures that high-energy anime feeling of you shouting out orders while your Pokémon are actively fighting in the field. If I had to compare it to anything, it’s a little like Xenoblade Chronicles 2, but without the auto-attacks.
Each Pokémon has four moves mapped to the face buttons, and you can use them freely. There’s no PP anymore. Instead, every move has its own cooldown timer. You can’t just mash the same attack over and over; you’ll need to switch moves on the fly depending on what’s ready and what’s not. Speed stats still matter, but not the way they used to. Instead of deciding who gets to attack first, Speed now affects how quickly your Pokémon recovers between actions, how long that brief downtime lasts after one attack before they can move again. It’s a small change, but in action it completely changes how battles should be approached.
Because everything happens in real time, there’s no waiting for turns or shuffling through menus. Every second counts. You’re constantly deciding whether to use an item, go on the offensive, or hope your Pokémon is fast enough to switch out in time.
Some traditional moves even have new effects that make more sense in real-time combat. Spikes, for instance, now create lingering hazards on the ground that damage Pokémon standing in them over time. Moves like Roar or Whirlwind don’t force opponents to switch anymore; they now push enemies back to create space between you and them.
Positioning plays a huge role, too. You can take damage yourself if you get caught in a Pokémon attack, much like in Legends: Arceus. You’ll need to move around the battlefield to stay safe while giving your Pokémon commands. Your partner Pokémon follows your lead and fights close to you, though its position can change depending on the move used. Ranged attacks might have it back off, while close-range ones push it closer. And this is where strategy gets interesting. Because moves now rely on distance and hitboxes, size and placement matter more than ever.
I learned that lesson the hard way with my Alpha Scolipede. It looked intimidating with its massive size, but this immediately became an issue in battle. Pin Missile required it to stand at a certain distance from the target. If a smaller opponent, say, a Fletchling, rushed in, Pin Missile would completely miss and fire over their heads instead of hitting it point-blank. I had to adjust by positioning Scolipede differently, learning where to stand and when to strike. That level of micro-adjustment isn’t something I ever thought I’d associate with Pokémon, but it’s what makes Legends: Z-A’s combat so addictive.
Victory now not only depends on type matchups or who got the lucky crit; it’s also about reading the battlefield, knowing when to attack, and knowing when to hold back. I can’t overstate how exciting it is to finally see Pokémon combat evolve into something that feels this active. It might take some time for many players to adjust, but it is undoubtedly an exciting system I wish they’d bring back in future Legends games.
Who Needs Sleep When You Can Grind for a Challenger Ticket at Night?
You’ll get to test out this new battle system in plenty of ways throughout Legends: Z-A. Most of the time, it happens naturally through exploration, whether in side missions around Lumiose City or while roaming the Wild Zones. At night, though, Z-A Royale’s Battle Zones appear. These are timed nighttime events where trainers patrol parts of the city to battle others for points, with the goal of earning a Challenger Ticket that lets them fight in ranked matches. Win enough of these matches and you’ll get promoted to higher ranks, with better rewards waiting the further up you go.
These zones spawn randomly across the map, meaning you never quite know where you’ll end up fighting next. You can charge straight into a trainer battle or sneak your way behind opponents to land a preemptive strike that damages their Pokémon before combat even begins. Either approach works, though sneaking does give you a large edge. There are also bonus cards you can grab mid-run that increase post-battle rewards if you meet certain conditions. They’re nice to have but not really essential unless you’re really into optimizing your runs. At the end of each night, your total medals and trainer defeats translate into cash rewards.
Even after 30 hours of play, I never got tired of wandering into these Battle Zones and wiping out random trainers. They’re usually on the easier side, especially once you get a good team going. If you're having a hard time, though, you can freely fly to a Pokémon Center, heal up, and return to clean out trainers without penalty. It's a routine that never gets old.
What isn’t easy, though, are the Rogue Mega Evolution encounters. Mega Evolution makes a big comeback here, which makes sense given how tied it is to the Kalos region. These fights are similar to the frenzied noble Pokémon battles from Legends: Arceus, but they feel far more intense this time around. Rogue Megas hit hard, their attacks cover large areas, and most of the time it feels like regular Pokémon can barely scratch them. You’ll quickly realize that bringing your own Mega-Evolved Pokémon is practically a requirement. Battles against Rogue Megas are fast-paced and often force you to juggle your own safety as well as your Pokémon’s.
The longer these fights go, the wilder they get. Some Rogue Megas can alter the battlefield mid-fight, summoning hazards or changing the terrain to give themselves an edge. Others have second-phase transformations that completely shift how you approach the battle. These encounters are chaotic, to say the least, and easily one of the most exciting moments in the game. Game Freak clearly wanted to make sure each Rogue Mega left an impression, both as a test of skill and as a visual showcase of what Mega Evolution can really be when it’s let loose.
Is Pokémon Legends: Z-A Worth It?
Yes; It’s Pokémon At Its Best Despite and Because of Its Big Changes
Triple-A video game prices are at an all-time high these days, and how much that matters to you really depends on what kind of player you are. Many major releases now cost $70 or even $80, so it’s understandable if you’ve started to think twice before picking something up. Pokémon Legends: Z-A launches at $60 on the regular Nintendo Switch, which sounds reasonable compared to today’s standards. However, if you’re planning to play it on the Switch 2 for the smoother 60fps performance and less technical mishaps, that’s another $10. And that’s just the start of what can be a pretty costly experience.
At base price, you’re looking at around 30 or so hours of playtime if you stick to the main content. But this doesn’t include catching every Pokémon or grinding through online matches for ranked rewards. In fact, you can’t even catch ‘em all in the standard version. To access all Mega Evolutions and several Pokémon, you’ll need to get the Mega Dimension DLC for an additional $30 when it comes out next year. Add in the lack of a Linking Cord (which previously allowed trade-based evolutions), and you’re once again dependent on finding someone else who owns the game if you want to fully complete your Pokédex. At that point, you’re spending close to or above what most premium releases cost today. Paid post-launch content is not an uncommon practice for the series and the video game industry in general, but this still stings a bit.
However, I argue that you don’t need any of those extras anyway to enjoy what’s here. Even without the DLC, Pokémon Legends: Z-A is still a great experience with a solid gameplay loop. The jump from Legends: Arceus isn’t revolutionary, but it doesn’t really need to be. The large refinements to its systems and stronger city design make the experience more fun overall.
If this is the direction Pokémon continues to take with Legends, building on what works and experimenting where it can, then the series is in a good place. There’s room to improve, sure, but Legends: Z-A proves that Game Freak still knows how to capture that magic that keeps us coming back, Poké Ball in hand, and maybe even our hats on backwards.
| Digital Storefronts | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Switch |
Switch 2 |
||||
| $59.99 | $69.99 | ||||
Pokémon Legends: Z-A FAQ
What Time Does Pokémon Legends: Z-A Release?
Pokémon Legends: Z-A releases at midnight local time on October 16, 2025, for most regions, but it will become available in North America based on Eastern Time (12:00 AM ET on October 16), meaning players on the West Coast (PT) will be able to play on the evening of October 15, 2025.
Does Pokémon Legends: Z-A have regional variants?
Unlike Pokémon Legends: Arceus, Pokémon Legends: Z-A does not feature regional variants. It does, however, introduce many new Mega Evolution forms for existing Pokémon. This includes new Mega Evolutions for the Kalos starters.
Game8 Reviews
Pokémon Legends: Z-A Similar Games
Pokémon Legends: Z-A Product Information
|
|
| Title | POKÉMON LEGENDS: Z-A |
|---|---|
| Release Date | October 16, 2025 |
| Developer | Game Freak |
| Publisher | Nintendo The Pokémon Company |
| Supported Platforms | Nintendo Switch 2 Nintendo Switch |
| Genre | Adventure, RPG, Strategy |
| Number of Players | 1-4 |
| ESRB Rating | ESRB E - Everyone |
| Official Website | Pokémon Legends: Z-A Website |
@Umbra Nah man. You can like the game but see that Pokemon still needs to improve. ZA is great. One of the best on the Switch 2 imo but I see where some of the criticisms come from. GF needs to step up for sure.
@Jake Every new pokemon gets hate. Nothing new.
A lot of the criticisms GF is getting over ZA are valid and GF could do better with Pokemon... but cmon the hate this game is getting is so overblown it's crazy. It's not the tragedy people make it out to be. It's a fun game that I didn't expect to put 100 hours to. Kinda bummed by some things in ZA too but after a while they just didn't matter anymore. Different people will get different mileages from the game I guess. It doesn't matter if this guy score it a 88/100 or IGN a 8/10 or VGC a 5/5.
88 points is too high imo, 8/10 visuals? a bit too forgiving but let's say it can take that score... "so completing everything can get pricey, especially if you want all the new Mega Evolutions" $70 and you can't have all your megas unless you pay the pass (and the Nintendo Switch Online) so, if you want your whole game it costs 100$+? implying they won't release more mega stones later. Price should have an absolute lower score. I love pokemon but they are getting too greedy and deliver poorly.
No need to glaze the Poke Gods. just because its Pokémon does not mean you can rate off nostalgia factor. To be blunt the graphics are copy and paste, the new megas are lazy and feel like a troll, worst value for your money all together. they took the open battle system from Digimon worlds even the function where you can walk around while battling. this is the first Pokémon game i will be skipping out on and probably be done with Pokémon altogether moving forward. pokemon never grew up.
There's no way it's 88/100. It's the worst Pokemon Game to this date. It's a massive downgrade from Scarlet & Violet which itself was barely decent.
Worst Pokémon game to date
Way too overrated. So far gotta say, when it comes to catching pokémon, it's a massive downgrade from Arceus. Another annoying thing is that switch from day to night that happens way too quickly which is really annoying during exploration. The combat is okay, finally more different than that usual turn based crap, but is it that innovative? No. Again they removed abilities which was the most interesting part when it came to strategies. Still can't produce a Pkmn game worthy for 2025 imo