Pokémon Legends: Z-A
A real-time combat sequel set in Lumiose City.
Pokémon Legends: Z-A is a 2025 action role-playing game developed by Game Freak and published by Nintendo and The Pokémon Company for the Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch 2. It is the second entry in the Pokémon Legends sub-series, following Pokémon Legends: Arceus (2022), and serves as a sequel to the sixth-generation titles Pokémon X and Y (2013). The game takes place entirely in the Kalos region's Lumiose City, five years after the events of X and Y, and was released on 16 October 2025 to generally positive reviews.
- Developer
- Game Freak
- Publisher
- Nintendo and The Pokémon Company
- Platforms
- Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch 2
- Release date
- 16 October 2025
- Genre
- Action role-playing game
- Generation
- Ninth generation of Pokémon video games
- Sequel to
- Pokémon X and Y (2013)
Lore & Background
The game is set in Lumiose City, which is undergoing an urban redevelopment project led by Quasartico Inc. after an incident involving Team Flare five years prior. The player character arrives as a tourist, befriends either Taunie or Urbain, and receives a starter Pokémon. They join the Z-A Royale tournament, where participants compete to rise from Rank Z to Rank A to have a wish granted by Quasartico. The player also joins Team MZ, a small group of trainers based at Hotel Z, owned by the 3,000-year-old AZ and his Floette.
Reader's Guide
Pokémon Legends: Z-A is significant for introducing a real-time combat system that replaces the traditional turn-based battles of previous Pokémon games, incorporating positioning, timing, and dodging. It also features Mega Evolution through collecting Mega Energy during battles, and a nighttime competition called the Z-A Royale in Battle Zones. The game's plot revolves around Rogue Mega Evolutions, a phenomenon where wild Pokémon spontaneously Mega Evolve and go berserk, which the player must subdue. The story involves the Legendary Pokémon Zygarde, former Team Flare leader Lysandre, and the deactivation of a device called Ange that emits Mega Energy. The game supports connectivity with Pokémon Home and various other Pokémon titles, though transfers are one-way into Legends: Z-A. Paid downloadable content, Pokémon Legends: Z-A – Mega Dimension, was released on 10 December 2025, adding a new dimension called Hyperspace Lumiose and the Mythical Pokémon Darkrai.
Did You Know?
- The game was announced in February 2024 as an exclusive to the original Switch console before later being announced for an enhanced port on the Switch 2.
- Critics praised the battle system but found the city setting to be visually restricting.
- The game features a multiplayer mode called the Battle Club, where up to 4 players can participate in Link Battles or Ranked Battles.
- The downloadable content Mega Dimension was announced on 12 September 2025 and released on 10 December 2025.
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