The Road to Pokémon Scarlet & Violet: how many games and new Pokémon were there in each generation?

Pokémon ninth generation already has a name: Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Violet. Last February's Pokémon Presents was the chosen event to present Game Freak's newest Pokémon; an announcement that caught us all off guard, in the midst of still digesting the celebrated Pokémon Legends Arceus.

The truth is that there will be new main video games at the end of 2022, exclusively for Nintendo Switch. Thus, we say goodbye to Generation VIII and enter Generation IX, which will feature a multitude of new Pokémon, but how many main games and new species have there been in each generation? We take a look at the current Pokédex and how we have arrived at the 908 Pokémon in existence to date.

Generation I (Kanto)

Where it all began, with the Red and Green Version in Japan; then Blue, which are the cartridges on which the Western versions of Red and Blue were based. The first generation said goodbye with Pokémon Yellow for Game Boy, the title that gave all the spotlight to Pikachu and went all out with references to the anime’s first season. From Bulbasaur to Mew, the fondly remembered first generation.

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Generation II (Johto)

After the first installments that delighted half the world, the second generation took us to the region bordering Kanto from the west, Johto. Little can be said about Gold and Silver at this point, and the phenomenal Crystal as an enhanced version. This was the last major game in the Game Boy era, exclusive to Game Boy Color. This generation added a total of 100 new species.

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Generation III (Hoenn)

Hoenn is one of the most beloved regions in the Pokémon universe. A tropical archipelago full of aquatic areas where we did diving for the first time and introduced new gameplay features that stay up to date. Ruby, Sapphire and Emerald are the titles that made up the third generation, which brought the total list of Pokémon to 386 with its 135 new additions to the Pokédex. To these games, we have to add the remakes of Red and Green: Fire Red and Leaf Green, which added Generation III’s new features.

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Generation IV (Sinnoh)

Sinnoh is the most recent region in our memories after the remakes of Pearl and Diamond and Pokémon Legends Arceus, based on Hisui, the ancestral name of Sinnoh. The fourth generation was the first on Nintendo DS with the Pearl, Diamond and Platinum Versions; while Gold and Silver returned with their outstanding remakes, HeartGold and SoulSilver. A golden era was experienced with Generation IV, which introduced 107 new species.

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Generation V (Unova)

The fifth generation is not only known for having two of the most brilliant games in the history of the saga and an unforgettable story, but also for being the generation with the most new species added: 156. Black and White took us to Unova, the first canonical generation not based in Japanese territory (it's based in New York). Less than two years later we had White 2 and Black 2, quite a surprise that broke with the predictable: no Pokémon Grey, but some sequels. Generation V is brilliant as a whole. The end of the 2D era.

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Generation VI (Kalos)

This is the beginning of the 3D era, one of the shortest generations in terms of main games, since we only had Pokémon X and Pokémon Y, with 72 new species, plus the remakes of Ruby and Sapphire: Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire. Many things changed with the jump to Nintendo 3DS, not only the design in three-dimensional environments. For the first time, we had less than a hundred new Pokémon (72), but Mega Evolutions arrived... And neither Pokémon Z nor a DLC arrived, instead, Generation VI said goodbye earlier than expected.

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Generation VII (Alola)

The farewell to Kalos had a reason: Alola. Three years after X and Y we embarked on the journey to the Alola archipelago with Sun and Moon, a region without Gyms and with a somewhat atypical Pokémon League -like the rest of the adventure. A freshness on all fronts (the regional forms arrived) with a pair of titles that has been winning the affection of the fans over the years. A year later, in 2017, we had Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon, the second version, with new features and the occasional new creature. The seventh generation said goodbye with Pokémon Let's Go, Pikachu/Eevee for Nintendo Switch, the first HD games. This reimagining of Yellow introduced two new species, Meltan and Melmetal, bringing the number to 88 Pokémon.

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Generation VIII (Galar)

The eighth generation has been gaining importance over time. Galar promised much and offered truly momentous new features for the present and future of Pokémon, starting with the first major open area in the series' history. Sword and Shield did not have a third version, but an Expansion Pass composed of two adventures as DLC: The Isle of Armor and The Crown Tundra. Undoubtedly, a decision that stands out for its originality and how much they added to these releases, which are among the most complete of the saga with this Expansion Pass. The eighth generation also had the remakes of Sinnoh with Brilliant Diamond or Shining Pearl, the first canonical games not developed by Game Freak, but ILCA. Sometime later we understood why, with the announcement of Pokémon Legends Arceus, the first ARPG of the saga. In total, 96 new Pokémon came to raise the figure to 905 Pokémon by adding new regional forms and legendaries.

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Generation IX (Scarlet/Violet)

We reach the ninth generation, the one that will be released in late 2022 for Nintendo Switch. This region based on the Iberian Peninsula (predictably Spain as the main inspiration) still has no name, but we do know that it will be the first game in Pokémon history to be an entirely open world. With Game Freak leading the project, will the new playable features of Arceus Legends be added? We can only hope to have more details coming in the following months.

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All Pokémon games (main line) in chronological order

Generation I

Generation II

Generation III

Generation IV

Generation V

Generation VI

Generation VII

Generation VIII

Generation IX