Okay this is the blog post that’s going to start arguments. Every Pokémon fan has a favorite generation and everybody thinks theirs is the best. But let’s actually look at each one fairly — the games, the Pokémon designs, the story, the features — and rank them all.

This is my honest ranking from worst to best. You might not agree with everything and that’s totally fine. That’s what makes this fun.

#9 — Generation 6 (X and Y)

Games: Pokémon X and Pokémon Y

Gen 6 gets the last spot and honestly it’s not even close for me. X and Y were the first 3D mainline Pokémon games and they looked great. The Kalos region is beautiful. Mega Evolution was a cool new mechanic.

But that’s kind of where the good stuff ends.

The story is almost nonexistent. Team Flare wants to destroy the world to make it more beautiful. That’s it. There’s barely any character development and the rival characters are some of the weakest in the series. The games are also way too easy — the experience share in its new form made it almost impossible to lose.

The Pokémon designs in Gen 6 are fine but there weren’t that many new ones. Only 72 new Pokémon were added, the lowest of any generation. And the post-game was basically nothing.

X and Y had amazing potential and just didn’t deliver on most of it.

#8 — Generation 8 (Sword and Shield)

Games: Pokémon Sword and Pokémon Shield

Sword and Shield got a lot of hate when they came out, mostly because of the National Dex cut — Game Freak removed hundreds of Pokémon and said it was to improve graphics, but the graphics didn’t really improve that much. That upset a lot of people and honestly it was fair criticism.

The Wild Area was a genuinely new and cool idea. Max Raids were fun to do with friends. Dynamax as a mechanic is fine even if it’s not as creative as Mega Evolution.

The story is again pretty weak. The villain Leon is charming but the actual plot around Chairman Rose is rushed and weird. Hop as a rival is okay by the end but annoying for most of the game.

The DLC — Isle of Armor and Crown Tundra — was actually really good and added a lot of content. Without the DLC, Sword and Shield feel a bit empty. The game gets a bump from the Crown Tundra especially.

#7 — Generation 9 (Scarlet and Violet)

Games: Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Violet

Scarlet and Violet launched in a rough state. The performance issues at launch were genuinely bad — frame drops, pop-in, objects glitching through each other. For a game on a modern console, that was hard to ignore.

But underneath the technical problems is actually one of the most ambitious Pokémon games in years. The open world is real this time — you can go almost anywhere from the start. The three storyline paths (beating gyms, hunting Titans, dealing with Team Star) all intersect in a finale that is genuinely emotional and well-written.

The story of the friends and the truth behind the Area Zero is one of the best stories the series has ever told. If you push through the performance issues, the ending hits really hard.

The new Pokémon designs in Gen 9 are also really creative — Sprigatito’s line, Fuecoco’s line, Gimmighoul, Kingambit. Good stuff.

It’s ranked here because the technical state at launch was just too bad to ignore. But in terms of ambition and story, it deserves more credit than it gets.

#6 — Generation 1 (Red, Blue, Yellow)

Games: Pokémon Red, Blue, Yellow

Gen 1 started everything. It has cultural importance that nothing else can touch. Pikachu, Charizard, Mewtwo, Gengar — these Pokémon are known by people who have never even played the game. That’s how iconic Gen 1 is.

But here’s the thing — as actual games, Red and Blue are pretty rough. The type balance is all over the place (Psychic type was almost unstoppable). There are tons of glitches. The game is unbalanced in ways that Gen 1 defenders sometimes pretend aren’t there.

The Pokémon designs are mostly great. Simple, readable, memorable. But some of them are just weird blobs with eyes and that was kind of lazy even for the time.

Gen 1 is ranked in the middle out of respect for what it started, not because it’s better than the games that came after it as an actual product.

#5 — Generation 5 (Black and White / Black 2 and White 2)

Games: Pokémon Black, White, Black 2, White 2

A lot of fans think Gen 5 is the best generation and honestly it has a strong case. The story in Black and White is the most mature and complex the series ever attempted. N is one of the best characters Pokémon has ever made. Team Plasma actually raises real questions about whether keeping Pokémon is even right.

The problem is the Pokémon designs in Gen 5 are hit or miss. Some are amazing — Hydreigon, Haxorus, Chandelure, Volcarona. But some are really lazy — an ice cream cone, a garbage bag, a gear. The starters also divided fans badly.

Black 2 and White 2 are some of the best sequels in the series with a ton of post-game content, the PWT (Pokémon World Tournament), and strong callbacks to the first games.

Gen 5 is great. The story keeps it from being higher on this list.

#4 — Generation 7 (Sun and Moon / Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon)

Games: Pokémon Sun, Moon, Ultra Sun, Ultra Moon

Sun and Moon took the biggest risk of any Pokémon game — they removed traditional gyms entirely and replaced them with Island Trials. Some fans hated this. But it actually made the game feel fresh and different.

The Alola region is one of the most well-designed regions in the series. Based on Hawaii, it feels alive with culture, color, and personality. The Pokémon designs are creative — Mimikyu, Decidueye, Kommo-o, Toxapex — most of them are really good.

The story is genuinely great. Lillie is one of the most well-developed companions the series has ever had. Her story with her mother Lusamine is actually emotional and the stakes feel real.

The tutorial section drags on too long and slows down the beginning of the game a lot. That’s the main complaint. But once it opens up, Sun and Moon are excellent.

Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon added more content and the Ultra Recon Squad storyline but felt more like an expansion than a true sequel.

#3 — Generation 3 (Ruby, Sapphire, Emerald)

Games: Pokémon Ruby, Sapphire, Emerald

Gen 3 introduced abilities, natures, and the EV/IV system that competitive Pokémon still runs on today. In terms of mechanical contributions to the series, Gen 3 might be the most important generation ever.

The Hoenn region is visually distinct — lots of water routes which people complain about, but the overall world design is unique and interesting. The underwater routes in particular are memorable.

Groudon and Kyogre are still two of the coolest legendary Pokémon ever. The conflict between them and the two teams (Magma and Aqua) trying to expand land and sea is a simple but effective story.

Pokémon Emerald is one of the best individual games in the series — great post-game with the Battle Frontier, the best legendary content of its time, and a version of the story that ties everything together perfectly.

The Gen 3 Pokémon designs are solid — Salamence, Metagross, Absol, Gardevoir, Breloom. A lot of fan favorites came from here.

#2 — Generation 4 (Diamond, Pearl, Platinum)

Games: Pokémon Diamond, Pearl, Platinum

Gen 4 takes second place and it was close for first. Sinnoh is one of the most loved regions in the series. It has incredible mythology — Dialga, Palkia, Giratina, and Arceus give the Pokémon world an actual creation story that feels grand and epic.

Cynthia is the greatest champion in Pokémon history. Nobody debates this. Her team is hard, her battle music is iconic, and she feels like a real final boss.

The physical and special split happened in Gen 4 and completely fixed competitive balance. Before this, Fire Blast was a special move so Gyarados couldn’t use it effectively even though it’s a physical attacker. This change alone made the competitive game so much better.

Pokémon Platinum is one of the best games in the series. The Distortion World, the expanded story with Giratina, and the incredible post-game Battle Frontier make it a near-perfect Pokémon game.

The main complaint about Gen 4 is that it’s slow. Very slow. The Pokémon move animations in Diamond and Pearl are painfully long. Platinum fixed some of this but the games still feel sluggish compared to modern ones.

#1 — Generation 2 (Gold, Silver, Crystal)

Games: Pokémon Gold, Silver, Crystal

Gen 2 takes the top spot because of one thing that no other generation has ever done — after you beat the main game, you can go back to Kanto from Gen 1 and play through an entirely second region. You get 16 gyms, two Elite Fours, and a final battle against Red — the player character from the first game — on top of Mt. Silver.

That post-game reveal was one of the greatest moments in gaming history. Nobody expected it. When you climbed Mt. Silver and found Red standing there in silence, it was genuinely special.

Beyond that, Gold and Silver added so much to the series. Day and night cycles. Held items. Two new types — Dark and Steel — which fixed the broken Gen 1 Psychic problem. Breeding. The Pokégear. Shiny Pokémon.

The Pokémon designs from Gen 2 are fantastic. Tyranitar, Heracross, Scizor, Espeon, Umbreon, Ampharos, Feraligatr — so many great ones.

Pokémon Crystal added the female player character option for the first time and polished the experience even more.

HeartGold and SoulSilver, the Gen 4 remakes of these games, are considered by many fans to be the best Pokémon games ever made. The fact that the remakes are that good tells you how strong the original foundation was.

Gen 2 did the most with what it had, delivered the best surprise in series history, and added features that shaped every game that came after it.

Final Rankings Summary

Final Thoughts

Every generation of Pokémon has something worth loving. Even X and Y, which I put last, have amazing Mega Evolutions and a beautiful region. Even Sword and Shield have Max Raids and a fantastic Crown Tundra.

The point of ranking them isn’t to say any generation is bad — it’s to appreciate what makes each one special and to be honest about where they fell short.

What’s your favorite generation? Drop it in the comments — and don’t be afraid to fight for it.

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