Pokémon Legends: Arceus
A prequel set in the Hisui region centuries before Diamond and Pearl.
Pokémon Legends: Arceus is an action role-playing game released in 2022 for the Nintendo Switch. It was developed by Game Freak and published by Nintendo and The Pokémon Company. As part of the eighth generation of the main Pokémon series, it acts as a prequel to the 2006 titles Diamond and Pearl. The game was revealed during the Pokémon 25th Anniversary event in February 2021 and launched worldwide on 28 January 2022.
The story follows a protagonist who is sent back in time to explore the Hisui region, a version of Hokkaido during early Japanese colonization. The core objective is to complete the Pokédex by catching every Pokémon across several open areas. The game was both a commercial and critical success, selling over 14.83 million copies by March 2023 and earning generally favorable reviews, including a nomination for Best RPG at The Game Awards. A follow-up, Pokémon Legends: Z-A, was released in 2025.
**Gameplay**
Legends: Arceus keeps the basic mechanics of earlier mainline Pokémon games but adds new exploration and capture systems. The map is split into five large areas, each with distinct biomes. Players start at a camp and can fast travel between camps within the same area. On foot, they can unlock rideable Pokémon for faster travel, swimming, climbing, or flying. Wild Pokémon roam the landscape, interacting with the player and their environment—some flee, some attack, and others behave in unique ways. Larger, more powerful "Alpha" Pokémon also appear. Because the game uses multiple areas and a hub rather than a fully open world, critics compared it to the Monster Hunter series, while its art style and gameplay drew comparisons to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.
Unlike previous games, wild Pokémon can attack and harm the player character. Taking enough damage causes the player to faint and reappear at the base camp. Players can capture Pokémon in the overworld without battling, though some must be fought first. Battles are initiated by releasing a captured Pokémon near a wild one. The turn-based battle system remains, but players can trade attack damage for extra turns or vice versa. Special boss battles require the player to dodge and attack powerful Pokémon, with turn-based battles used to stun them.
Progress is made by battling, capturing, or interacting with Pokémon to fill Pokédex entries. Side quests from NPCs are also available
- Developer
- Game Freak
- Publisher
- Nintendo and The Pokémon Company
- Platform
- Nintendo Switch
- Release Date
- 28 January 2022
- Genre
- Action role-playing
- Sales
- Over 14.83 million copies by 31 March 2023
- Series
- Eighth generation of Pokémon video game series
Lore & Background
The game follows the protagonist, who is sent back in time and travels through the Hisui region, which is based on the island of Hokkaido during early Japanese colonization. The game is centered around exploration of the region's several open areas populated with Pokémon, with its main objective being to complete the Pokédex by catching all Pokémon. Unlike in previous titles, the player character can be attacked and harmed by wild Pokémon, and players can capture wild Pokémon in the overworld without engaging in battle.
Reader's Guide
Pokémon Legends: Arceus was a commercial success, having sold over 14.83 million copies by 31 March 2023. It was also a critical success, receiving generally favourable reviews, and being nominated for several end of the year awards, including Best RPG at The Game Awards. The game introduced new gameplay mechanics such as rideable Pokémon for traversal, Alpha Pokémon, and special boss battles where the player must dodge and attack powerful Pokémon. It featured 242 Pokémon on release, including 7 new species and 17 new forms. A second Legends game, Pokémon Legends: Z-A, was released in 2025.
Did You Know?
- Pokémon Legends: Arceus is the first mainline game to feature starter Pokémon from different regions together.
- The game does not feature multiplayer battles, unlike previous installments in the series.
- Poké Balls in the game are made of 'Apricorn' fruit and puff steam when a Pokémon is caught.
- The game was first revealed in the Pokémon Presents on 26 February 2021 alongside Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Pokémon Legends: Arceus?
It is an action role-playing game for the Nintendo Switch that launched on 28 January 2022, developed by Game Freak and published by Nintendo and The Pokémon Company. It functions as a prequel to Diamond and Pearl, placing the player in the ancient Hisui region.
What is the Hisui region in Pokémon Legends: Arceus?
Hisui is an early-era version of what later becomes the Sinnoh region, modeled after Hokkaido during a period of initial settlement. The player's central task is to fill out the region's very first Pokédex while navigating conflicts with the Galaxy Team.
How does Pokémon Legends: Arceus's story end?
After the player finishes the Pokédex and resolves the tensions between the Galaxy Team factions, the legendary Pokémon Arceus appears and reveals its role as the being that shaped the land. The protagonist then departs back to their own era, closing the chapter on Hisui's ancient past.
How does Pokémon Legends: Arceus differ from other main-series Pokémon games?
Combat shifts from strict turn-based exchanges to real-time action where you dodge attacks, time your strikes, and throw Poké Balls on the fly. Exploration also moves to a largely open map you can traverse freely, rather than the linear town-to-town structure of earlier titles.
Why is Pokémon Legends: Arceus important to the franchise?
It broke the long-standing battle and exploration formula by introducing real-time mechanics and an open-world structure, signaling a willingness to reinvent core gameplay. Its commercial success, with over 14.8 million copies sold by early 2023, confirmed that players were hungry for a fresh direction in the series.
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