Everything we know about ‘Pokemon Legends: Z-A’

February 27 is Pokémon Day, a day that celebrates the original release of Pokémon Red and Green in Japan in 1996. This year, Pokémon Day gave us a major update on the franchise’s next mainline game, Pokémon Legends: Z-A.

The previous Pokémon Legends game, Pokémon Legends: Arceus, played around with Pokémon’s tried and true game formula to bring fans something fresh, new, and exciting. Players traveled back in time to the Hisui region, which later became known as Sinnoh, and became part of a society only just beginning to learn how to coexist with Pokémon. New game mechanics and new regional variants were introduced—all in all, the game was a massive success, having sold over 14 million copies globally by March 2023.

Before Legends: Z-A was officially announced on Pokémon Day 2024, speculation about the franchise’s next console game was rampant. Most, myself included, figured that the next Pokémon Legends game would be tied to the Unova region, the region introduced in the 5th generation of Pokémon games, Pokémon Black & White. Instead, The Pokémon Company threw us a curveball: we’re getting Pokémon Legends: Z-A. Get ready to return to the sixth region instead—the Kalos region. More specifically, Lumiose City.

What is Pokémon Legends: Z-A?

In Pokémon Legends: Z-A, players will travel back to Kalos’s grandest city, Lumiose City, which is undergoing a massive urban redevelopment led by Quasartico Inc., reimagined as a haven for both people and Pokémon. Many familiar Pokémon, including Pyroar, Furfrou, Floette, Aegislash, Talonflame, Sylveon, Flaaffy, Trubbish, Lucario, Hippowdon, Absol, and more, will be present in the game. We expect Z-A will introduce a few new regional variants, too, though, at this time, we can only guess which Pokémon will get that kind of makeover.

The trailer for the upcoming game has revealed that players will have a choice of three starter Pokémon: the water-type Totodile (Gen II), the grass-type Chikorita (Gen II), and the fire-type Tepig (Gen V). Given what happened in Arceus, we’d expect the starters’ final evolutionary stages to look remarkably different from their original forms; we’ll have to wait until the game comes out to know for certain.

Pokémon seems to have made a few tweaks to the gameplay. Though the catching system is similar to the one pioneered by Arceus—players will be able to catch wild Pokémon in designated Wild Zones throughout the city—Pokémon battles will look different this time. In a franchise first, Pokémon battles will no longer be turn-based affairs. Instead, your Pokémon will attack whenever you command them to in real time, and your success will depend on multiple factors like timing, “areas of effect,” and how long a move needs to damage an opponent.

We don’t know why The Pokémon Company has decided to skip the 5th generation with this Legends game. Perhaps they’re planning a full-fledged remake of Black & White instead. Though we’d love to see more of Unova, we couldn’t be more excited to return to Kalos, too, especially as it marks the return of Mega Evolution, one of Pokémon’s most compelling battle gimmicks. It hasn’t been used in the mainline games since Pokémon: Let’s Go, Pikachu! and Let’s Go, Eevee! You can, however, encounter and use Mega Evolution in Pokémon GO.

Hopefully, this means that we’ll get to see some new Mega Evolutions, too. The Kalos starters, perhaps? Will Legends: Z-A reference what happened to Ash Ketchum’s Greninja in the 6th-gen Pokémon anime?

Pokémon Legends: Z-A release window

We don’t have an exact release date yet, but The Pokémon Company has confirmed that Legends: Z-A will officially be released in late 2025. We’re guessing we’ll be able to get our hands on the game just before the holiday season, and honestly? We can’t wait.

Pokémon Legends: Z-A trailer

If you’re dying for an extended glimpse of Pokémon Legends: Z-A‘s gameplay and features, you can watch the official trailer released during the February 2025 Pokémon Direct below. Happy journeying!