Pokémon Legends: Z-A
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| Pokémon Legends: Z-A Pokémon LEGENDS Z-A | |
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 English boxart of Pokémon Legends: Z-A | |
| Pokémon Legends: Z-A – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition Pokémon LEGENDS Z-A Nintendo Switch 2 Edition | |
 English boxart of Pokémon Legends: Z-A – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition | |
Basic info
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| Platform: | Nintendo Switch (enhanced for the Nintendo Switch 2 via upgrade pack) |
| Category: | Action RPG |
| Players: | 1 |
| Connectivity: | N/A |
| Developer: | Game Freak |
| Publisher: | Nintendo/The Pokémon Company |
| Part of: | Generation IX core series |
Ratings
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| CERO: | A |
| ESRB: | E10+ |
| ACB: | PG |
| OFLC: | PG |
| PEGI: | 7 |
| GRAC: | ALL |
| GSRR: | 6+ |
Release dates
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| Japan: | October 16, 2025 |
| North America: | October 16, 2025 |
| Australia: | October 16, 2025 |
| Europe: | October 16, 2025 |
| South Korea: | October 16, 2025 |
| Hong Kong: | October 16, 2025 |
| Taiwan: | October 16, 2025 |
Websites
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| Japanese: | Pokémon.co.jp |
| English: | Pokémon.com |
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Japanese boxart
 Japanese boxart of Pokémon Legends: Z-A  Japanese boxart of Pokémon Legends: Z-A – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition | |
Pokémon Legends: Z-A[note 1] (Japanese: Pokémon LEGENDS Z-A Pokémon LEGENDS Z-A) will be the third Generation IX core series game and the second game in the Pokémon Legends series, after Pokémon Legends: Arceus.
The game was announced worldwide on February 27, 2024, at 14:00 UTC, through Pokémon Presents. It is set to be released worldwide on Nintendo Switch on October 16, 2025. A Nintendo Switch 2 Edition, known as Pokémon Legends: Z-A – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition, is planned to release at the same time as both a physical release and a downloadable upgrade pack. The Nintendo Switch 2 Edition will feature enhanced resolution and frame rates compared to the base version. All copies of the game are playable in ten languages: Japanese, English, German, European Spanish, Latin American Spanish, French, Italian, Korean, Simplified Chinese, and Traditional Chinese. It is the first core series game with a Latin American Spanish translation.
Plot
The game is set entirely in Lumiose City[1] some time after the events of Pokémon X and Y. A large corporation called Quasartico Inc. leads an urban redevelopment plan for Lumiose City, aiming to make it a city where humans and Pokémon can live in harmony.
Features
Battle mechanics
Unlike other core series games, which use a turn-based battle system, Pokémon Legends: Z-A uses a real-time combat system where Trainers and their Pokémon can move around a 3D space. This comes with new mechanics, such as precise timing of when to swap out Pokémon or use their moves, moves hitting specific areas of the field, and different lengths of time required to perform certain moves.
As seen in the 2025 Worlds/Gamescom demo, held items return after their absence in the previous Pokémon Legends game.
Catching Pokémon
Wild Pokémon can be encountered throughout Lumiose City. Many of them appear in "wild zones", areas of the city specifically designated as places for Pokémon to live. Similar to Pokémon Legends: Arceus, players can attempt to catch Pokémon without having to battle them, though battling them and lowering their HP will improve the odds of a successful catch. The player is seen using modern Poké Balls.
Friend
Either Urbain or Taunie will appear as the player's friend depending on the appearance chosen for the player character at the beginning of the game. Players with a male appearance will meet Taunie, while players with a female appearance will meet Urbain. The player's friend works at Hotel Z, where they support the hotel's owner, AZ.
The game features Chikorita, Tepig, and Totodile as first partner Pokémon. The player's friend will use the Pokémon that the player's first partner has a type advantage against.
Later in the story, Taunie/Urbain will invite the player to join Team MZ, who aim to protect Lumiose City and have been tasked with battling the Rogue Mega Evolved Pokémon running wild around the city.
Rogue Mega Evolutions
The battles against the Rogue Mega Evolutions appear to use the same system as the noble Pokémon battles from Pokémon Legends: Arceus, with the player dodging attacks in real time and launching attacks to deplete the health bar.
Z-A Royale
The Z-A Royale is a competition held at night in Lumiose City. Participating Pokémon Trainers start at Rank Z, and can rank up by defeating other trainers in promotion matches to progress to Rank A. It is said that Trainers who reach Rank A may have one wish granted.
New Pokémon and forms
Returning Pokémon
Revealed species
The following table lists Pokémon species that have appeared in trailers and promotional material:
Extrapolated species
The following species have not been directly revealed in trailers and promotional material, but their evolutionary relatives have been shown.
Revealed Mega Evolutions
The following Mega Evolutions have appeared in trailers and promotional material:
Extrapolated Mega Evolutions
The following Mega Evolutions have not been directly revealed in trailers and promotional material, but their standard forms or pre-evolutions have been shown.
Pokémon mechanics
Mega Evolution returns for the first time in a core series game since Pokémon: Let's Go, Pikachu! and Let's Go, Eevee!.
Wild alpha Pokémon make their return from Pokémon Legends: Arceus, behaving and looking similarly to as they did in that game.
Gallery
Logos
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English, Japanese, and Korean logo -
Simplified Chinese logo -
Traditional Chinese logo -
French logo -
German logo -
Italian logo -
Spanish logo
Trivia
- This is the first core series game:
- To be rated E10+ by the ESRB.
- To use real-time combat.
- To include letters from the Latin alphabet in its official Chinese name, as Pokémon X and Y were never officially translated to Chinese.
In other languages
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Notes
Subnotes
- ↑ "Z-A" is pronounced in English as /ˌzi ˈeɪ/ in the February 27, 2025 Pokémon Presents and the April 2, 2025 Nintendo Direct. The same American English voice-over was used in the UK English and Asian English videos, pronouncing the letter Z as zee /zi/, even though it would normally be pronounced as zed /zɛd/ in those regions. The English voiceover is also used for the French, German, Dutch, Italian, Spanish (Europe), Spanish (Latin America), Portuguese (Europe), and Portuguese (Brazil) uploads with localized subtitles.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Z-A" is pronounced in Japanese as ゼットエー zetto ē.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Z-A" is pronounced in Korean as 제트에이 jeteu ei.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 "Z-A" is pronounced in Latin American Spanish as zeta a /ˈseta a/ in the February 27, 2025 Pokémon Presents.
References
Related articles
Core series • Side series • Spin-off series • Standalone spin-offs • Pokémon mini • Betas • Demos
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This game-related article is part of Project Games, a Bulbapedia project that aims to write comprehensive articles on the Pokémon games. |