New Leak Teases the Next Pokemon Ports for Nintendo Switch, But It’s the Wrong Choice If True
Ever since we finally got Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen on Nintendo Switch, Pokemon fans have had one question: what’s next? Given that the ports sold reasonably well, it’s fair to wonder when we’ll get more retro Pokemon games. So far, Game Freak and Nintendo haven’t confirmed whether more games are coming, let alone which ones. But a new leak suggests we could hear something about the next drop soon. If it’s true, though, it’s bad news for fans of HeartGold and SoulSilver.
New rumors about the next Nintendo ports for older Pokemon games started circulating early this morning. The source seems to be leaker @Shpeshal_Nick, who has something of a hit-or-miss track record. That said, they have shared some reliable intel in the past, including intel on the special Legend of Zelda Switch 2 console that looks to be accurate. According to Nick, “ports of Pokemon Ruby/Emerald/Sapphire are planned for late September/October.” If that’s true, it could mean that we’re skipping Gen 2’s remakes altogether. And no thank you.
New Rumor Suggests Pokemon Switch Ports Could Skip Gen 2, Move Right to Gen 3
It’s no secret that I’m a Gen 2 enthusiast. I’ve made my desire for a modern port of Pokemon Crystal pretty well known. Even if that’s unlikely, I certainly expected that FireRed and LeafGreen would at least be directly followed by Switch ports of HeartGold and SoulSilver. That would be going in order, after all. But if what Nick says is accurate, it looks like we could skip Gen 2 remakes and head right along to Gen 3 instead. Unless Gen 2 drops in the next few weeks, a September/October window for Gen 3 on Switch would suggest those are the next ports to release. If so, all bets are off for Game Freak releasing Switch ports of its Pokemon back catalog in chronological order.
However, I have to admit I’m skeptical about the likelihood of this rumor. It comes from a source with a mixed track record of reliable intel, but it also doesn’t quite track with what we’ve seen from Game Freak and Nintendo so far. If we got the newer remakes for Gen 1, why would Game Freak choose to release the original Pokemon Ruby and Sapphire rather than their more recent 3DS remakes? And why add in Emerald when we didn’t get Pokemon Yellow as a Nintendo port? It’s certainly possible, of course, but I don’t think it looks likely at this point.
If we are getting new Switch ports of retro Pokemon games in 2026 or even early 2027, I do think we’ll probably hear about them soon. Going into the Pokemon World Championships and Pokemon XP, it’s pretty likely that The Pokemon Company is about to shower fans with some news for the rest of the year. Whether that includes more ports for Nintendo Switch remains to be seen, but I sure hope we don’t skip Gen 2. Don’t get me wrong, I love Ruby and Sapphire as much as the next fan. But let’s go in order and get the full back catalog on Switch, please and thank you.
