Pokémon is one of the biggest franchises on the planet. With nine generations of mainline games, as well as all kinds of spin-offs and DLC, there’s more than enough to keep you busy when it comes to officially licensed products. However, there are realms that The Pokémon Company hasn’t visited or isn’t willing to explore. That’s why we’ve compiled this list of the best Pokémon fan games that are worth your time, ones that expand the Pokémon universe in creative ways without feeling like they’re lore-breaking or outright bonkers.
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10 of the best Pokémon fan games worth playing
We’ve listed each of the Pokémon fan games we believe is worth playing below in no particular order. They’ve all got their merits, so read through them and decide which one you’d like to play first. We haven’t included any links for where to download these games because the creators often move them around depending on whether the host websites allow fan-made Pokémon games or not in accordance with The Pokémon Company’s rules. However, they’re easy enough to find if you know your way around Google, though do keep in mind that these are unofficial, so download them at your own risk.
PokeMMO
As you’d expect with a name like PokeMMO, this game is an MMO. It’s packed with four generations of Pokémon content to explore alongside other players. What makes this game so worth playing, though, is its community. Players are happy to help you get into your journey, work with you along the way to achieve your goals, and take part in all sorts of nonsense together. The game is still being worked on by its developers and hasn’t been shut down yet, so it will likely continue to operate for the foreseeable future.
Pokémon Ash Grey
If you love the Pokémon anime more than the games, then this is the fan game for you. It’s a ROM hack based on Pokémon Fire Red and follows the events of the Pokémon anime rather than the original games. You get the benefit of the improved visuals from the base game with the story that started the Pokémon franchise in the first place. You’ll play as Ash as he explores the vast world of Pokémon and becomes the very best.
Pokémon Blazed Glazed
Pokémon Blazed Glazed is a ROM Hack that expands upon Pokémon Glazed, another ROM Hack. This is a more polished version of the original that already packs in a lot. You get all three of the first Pokémon generation regions, six generations of Pokémon to capture and train, and three championship battles to compete in. There is a lot of depth to this game, meaning it’ll be one you can easily play for 50 hours and still not complete everything there is to do.
Pokémon Dark Rising Trilogy
Pokémon Dark Rising was already a colossal project, bringing together the first five regions from the mainline Pokémon games, plus 386 Pokémon to find throughout them. However, the game was so popular that it spawned two sequels, making for a trilogy of titles that you can explore for around 100 hours. If you love the older Game Boy and DS style of Pokémon games, these three are what we’d point you to if you’re looking for something new but don’t want to play Pokémon Scarlet and Violet.
Pokémon Gaia
Pokémon Gaia is another Pokémon Fire Red ROM hack, and it is massive. It’s set in the Orbtus region and throws you into a new story with every single Pokémon from the first six generations of official Pokémon games. The game includes new types, moves, an unfamiliar evil organization, and more. What we love most about this game is that it pays more attention to the Regi sub-species of legendaries such as Regigas.
Pokémon Infinite Fusion
If you’re looking for something very different from the usual Pokémon experience, Pokémon Infinite Fusion is it. The game is set across the Kanto and Johto regions, but the real draw is the Pokémon fusions. While you can use a website to see what Pokémon would look like if they were combined by some mistake of nature, this game takes that concept and pulls it to the forefront of your story. You can create 176,400 different Pokémon combinations, all of which offer something different. For example, fuse a ghost type with a normal type, and you have a powerhouse Pokémon that can only be hit by a select few other Pokémon in the game.
The community is constantly updating sprites for the title, meaning you’ll always have a high-quality finish to the Pokémon you’re playing with. This game has the potential for dozens of playthroughs and challenges.
Pokémon Insurgence
Another RPGMaker title, Pokémon Insurgence is one of the most popular fan-made Pokémon games. It adds a new region, includes a massive roster of Pokémon, and has an incredible plot you won’t want to put down. However, the real attraction of this game is Delta Pokémon. These are official Pokémon that have been given new types and a new look. It changes the formula so much that it feels like you’re playing a totally different style of game. You can also expect to see new Mega Evolutions like Delta Venusaur and Delta Charizard. There are even armored Pokémon to contend with, giving you more than enough to sink your teeth into.
Pokémon Light Platinum
Pokémon Light Platinum was one of the first big hits of the Pokémon ROM Hack boom. While it isn’t as unique as some of the other fan-made games on this list, it does offer something different from the mainline games that will keep you engaged long after you think you’re done with it. The new story is set in the Zhery region and brings Pokémon from every game up to Pokémon Black and White into the fray for you to master. The visuals have been upgraded enough to make you take note, and that’s good because you’ll be seeing a lot of this game with its surprising endgame content that takes place in a brand new region.
Pokémon Phoenix Rising
Easily the most ambitious fan-made Pokémon game out there, Pokémon Phoenix Rising completely revamps the core experience you get in these games. In addition to what you’d normally get from a Pokémon title, there are skill trees, an XP system, quests, and a decision-based plot that you can change depending on your choices. New forms of Pokémon are also included, but the sheer scale of the project means that it’s still a not-for-profit work in progress.
Pokémon Uranium
Built with RPGMaker, Pokémon Uranium is often touted as one of the best fan-made Pokémon games. It takes players to the all-new Tandor region. This area is filled with all sorts of new Pokémon to discover, battle with, and capture. It also adds a new type to the universe, Nuclear. These Pokémon deal twice as much damage but also take double damage. Throughout the story, you’ll uncover a sinister mystery that links the events of the protagonist’s past and present. With so much creativity and passion in this project, it’s hard not to become completely engrossed by it.
At one point in time, Pokémon Uranium was banned, and the original developers abandoned the project.
