Series guide
All Pokémon remakes in order
By Lenn Hodes · founder — every cartridge tested by hand
Roughly every second generation, the series goes back and rebuilds an older region on the current hardware. Below are all five remake pairs in order — which original each one retells, what it added, and what to check before you buy a used copy — followed by the games people call remakes that are not, and what is coming next.
The short answer
FireRed & LeafGreen (2004, GBA) → HeartGold & SoulSilver (2010, DS) → Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire (2014, 3DS) → Let’s Go, Pikachu! & Eevee! (2018, Switch) → Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl (2021, Switch). No sixth pair has been announced as of Pokémon Day 2026.
Tested Pokémon remakes in stock
FireRed, LeafGreen, HeartGold, SoulSilver, Omega Ruby, Alpha Sapphire and Let’s Go — every cartridge save-tested and checked for counterfeits.
Pokemon Fire Red
Personally tested · Good condition
Pokemon Shining Pearl
Personally tested · Good condition
Pokemon FireRed
Personally tested · Good condition
Pokemon Let's Go Pikachu
Personally tested · Good condition
Pokemon LeafGreen Version
Personally tested · Good condition
Pokemon Alpha Sapphire
Personally tested · Good condition
Pokemon FireRed Version
Personally tested · Good condition
Pokemon Omega Ruby
Personally tested · Good condition
Pokemon Alpha Sapphire
Personally tested · Good condition
Pokemon HeartGold
Personally tested · Good condition
Pokemon SoulSilver
Personally tested · Good condition
Pokemon HeartGold (Not For Resale, USA)
Personally tested · Good condition
Pokemon SoulSilver (Not For Resale, USA)
Personally tested · Good condition
Pokemon SoulSilver + Pokewalker (USA)
Personally tested · Good condition
Pokemon SoulSilver
Personally tested · Good condition
Pokemon SoulSilver
Personally tested · Good condition
Pokemon HeartGold
Personally tested · Good condition
Every Pokémon remake in order
- Pokémon FireRed & LeafGreen · 2004 · Game Boy Advance · remakes Red & Blue (1999, Game Boy) — Kanto rebuilt on the Ruby/Sapphire engine, with the Sevii Islands added as a new post-Cinnabar chapter. The box came with the GBA Wireless Adapter. Both save to flash memory — there is no battery to die. Since Pokémon Day 2026 both are also sold digitally on Switch, linked to Pokémon HOME.
- Pokémon HeartGold & SoulSilver · 2010 · Nintendo DS · remakes Gold & Silver (2001, Game Boy Color) — Johto and Kanto, sixteen badges, and your lead Pokémon walking behind you. Shipped with the Pokéwalker pedometer, which pairs through an infrared window in the cartridge. Widely regarded as the best remake in the series, and priced like it second-hand.
- Pokémon Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire · 2014 · Nintendo 3DS · remakes Ruby & Sapphire (2003, Game Boy Advance) — Hoenn in full 3D with Mega Evolution, Primal Groudon and Kyogre, soaring on Latios or Latias and the Delta Episode with Rayquaza and Deoxys. Region-locked like every 3DS game; the eShop closed in 2023, so the cartridge is the only way to buy it now.
- Pokémon: Let’s Go, Pikachu! & Let’s Go, Eevee! · 2018 · Nintendo Switch · remakes Yellow (2000, Game Boy) — Kanto again, this time with the catching from Pokémon GO instead of wild battles, a partner that rides on your head or shoulder, and two-player co-op. The Poké Ball Plus is optional. Trades only with other Let’s Go copies, plus Pokémon GO and HOME.
- Pokémon Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl · 2021 · Nintendo Switch · remakes Diamond & Pearl (2007, Nintendo DS) — A faithful remake of Sinnoh by ILCA rather than Game Freak — most of what Platinum added is not in it. The Grand Underground replaces the old one, and Pokémon HOME support arrived with the 2022 update. Plays on a Switch 2 as well.
Why the remakes exist, and what they keep
Each pair lands two generations after the game it retells, on hardware that could not run the original: Kanto moved from the Game Boy to the GBA, Johto from the Game Boy Color to the DS, Hoenn from the GBA to the 3DS, Sinnoh from the DS to the Switch. The map, the gym order and the story stay; the battle system, the Pokédex and the connectivity are those of the new generation. That is why a remake can trade with its contemporaries but never with the game it is based on.
Not remakes, though often called that
Emerald, Platinum, Crystal, Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon
Third versions: the same region a year or two later with more content. Black 2 & White 2 are sequels. None of them retell an older game, so none of them is a remake — even though Emerald and Platinum are usually the better buy of their generation.
Legends: Arceus and Legends: Z-A
New games set in an old region’s past or present — Sinnoh long ago, Lumiose City now. They share a map with Diamond/Pearl and X/Y, not a story.
The Virtual Console and eShop re-releases
Red, Blue, Yellow, Gold, Silver and Crystal came to the 3DS eShop in 2016–2018 as the original games, unchanged. That shop closed on 27 March 2023. FireRed and LeafGreen on the Switch eShop are the 2004 remakes themselves, sold again digitally.
Which remake should you buy?
- The best one: HeartGold or SoulSilver — two regions in one cartridge, and a DS or 3DS plays it.
- The best value: Omega Ruby or Alpha Sapphire — Hoenn in 3D for a fraction of the GBA and DS prices.
- For a child or a first Pokémon game: Let’s Go, Pikachu! or Eevee! — no wild battles, two-player co-op, and it runs on a Switch 2.
- For the shelf: FireRed or LeafGreen complete in box, Wireless Adapter included — the first remake pair and the one that climbs in price.
- For Sinnoh on modern hardware: Brilliant Diamond or Shining Pearl — or, if you own a DS, Platinum instead: it is the fuller version of the same region.
Buying a Pokémon remake second-hand
FireRed and LeafGreen: no battery, and the most faked cartridges there are
A real FireRed or LeafGreen saves to flash memory. If a seller’s photo shows a coin battery on the board, it is a counterfeit — Ruby, Sapphire and Emerald have one, these two never did. The Wireless Adapter that came in the box is nice to have for trading, but the game plays without it, so a loose cartridge is the sensible buy.
HeartGold and SoulSilver: the Pokéwalker is usually gone
The pedometer was in the original box and most second-hand copies have lost it; the game is complete without it. A boxed set with the Pokéwalker costs roughly double a loose cartridge. On a loose one, check the infrared window in the top edge — fakes leave the sensor out, and the pairing screen then does nothing.
Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire: the cheapest way into a remake
Priced far below the GBA and DS remakes, and no battery or sensor to check. Mind the region: a European 3DS plays European cartridges only. Online trading on the 3DS ended in April 2024; local wireless trading between two consoles still works.
Let’s Go and Brilliant Diamond: still in print, still fine second-hand
Both are current Switch games, so a used cartridge saves you less than on the older ones — but it saves you something, and both run on a Switch 2. A second-hand Poké Ball Plus may already have had its Mew claimed; the game itself does not need the ball.
Every copy tested before it is listed
Boot, save and reload on real hardware, the board checked against the counterfeit list, the Pokéwalker window tested on every HeartGold and SoulSilver. We have been doing this since 2019, with 1400+ verified reviews at 5.0★, and we ship tracked to all 27 EU countries. Originals only; if something ever turns out not to be genuine, you get your money back.
Browse tested Pokémon gamesQuestions we get asked
How many Pokémon remakes are there?
Five pairs, ten games: FireRed & LeafGreen (2004), HeartGold & SoulSilver (2010), Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire (2014), Let’s Go, Pikachu! & Let’s Go, Eevee! (2018) and Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl (2021). Emerald, Platinum and the other third versions are not remakes.
Which Pokémon remakes are on the Switch?
On cartridge: Let’s Go, Pikachu! & Eevee! and Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl. FireRed and LeafGreen have been sold digitally on Switch since Pokémon Day 2026. All of them also play on a Switch 2.
Is there a Pokémon Black and White remake?
Not as of Pokémon Day 2026 (27 February). The new mainline games announced that day were Winds & Waves — the tenth generation, due in 2027 on Switch 2 — and the only remakes in the news were FireRed and LeafGreen arriving on the Switch eShop. Black, White and their sequels are still only playable on the original DS cartridges.
What is the best Pokémon remake?
HeartGold & SoulSilver, by most accounts: two regions, sixteen gyms and the walking Pokémon, on a console that also plays every other DS game. For value, Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire — the same care in 3D at a fraction of the price.
Do you need to play the original before the remake?
No. Every remake is a complete, standalone game. Play the remake for the better experience, and keep the original for the shelf.
Can a remake trade with the game it remakes?
Only within its own generation. FireRed and LeafGreen trade with Ruby, Sapphire and Emerald over a link cable, HeartGold and SoulSilver with Diamond, Pearl and Platinum, Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire with X and Y. None of them connects to the Game Boy original it retells — our trade compatibility chart shows every route.
Remake or original: which should I buy?
To play: the remake — it has the better balance, more Pokémon, and none of the five saves to a battery that can die. To collect: the original. If it is your first Pokémon game, Let’s Go on Switch or Omega Ruby on 3DS is the gentlest start.
Do you ship outside the Netherlands?
We ship to all 27 EU countries with track & trace. Parcels leave from the Netherlands, there are no customs charges within the EU, and your country’s exact rate appears at checkout before you pay.
Years given are the European release. The full mainline list is in all Pokémon games in order; which games can trade with which is in the trade compatibility chart. Alle Pokémon-games op volgorde in het Nederlands.