Long-time fan-made games are referred to as ROM hacks and are created by players accessing the Read-Only Memory (ROM) of an original game and making changes to it. Some ROM hacks are as simple as quality-of-life updates to improve on annoying aspects of an existing game, while others completely redesign the game’s story and style of play.
ROM hacks for Pokémon games have been around for ages at this point, meaning there is an overwhelming number of them to choose from. Some will likely appeal to certain players' niche interests but fail to gain widespread popularity. However, some of the better ROM hacks have become widely accepted as the best of their kind, with some players even preferring them to even the best Pokémon games.
20 Pokémon Darkfire Has A New Nefarious Corporation To Take Down
Created By SynonymTFI
Reddit SynonymTFI created this Pokémon Rom hack, which remakes the generation 3 title, Pokémon Emerald. The hack is intended to revisit the feel of the days of getting lost in the games back when they first came out. Darkfire tells a whole new story, one which sees Pokémon acting strange or even downright disappearing.
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The player is sucked into the story when a suspicious man approaches their character with a proposition to use their Pokémon in a whole new kind of battle, one where there are no rules. From there, the player is confronted with the mysteries of an underground battle ring and the corporation that's pulling the strings. Pokémon Darkfire is still in development, and it currently ends at Route 11. Still, that's 10-12 hours of playtime, three badges, and a whole new and interesting story to discover.
19 Pokémon Maxie's Island Strands Players On A Mysterious Island
Created By wiz_1989
This Pokémon Rom hack, created by wiz_1989 on Reddit, is not a full remake, but rather an escape room contained set within the boundaries and rules of the Pokémon universe. The hack strands players on a remote island where they'll have to use their wits and the tools available to them to escape back to civilization.
Players will have to explore the island and discover all its hidden secrets to learn how to escape. There are puzzles to solve and opponents to take on as players try to find their way back home. Maxie's Island is the third game in a trilogy of Pokémon escape rooms by wiz_1989, each of which place players in a different tricky environment to overcome. The other two are complete and available to play on PokéCommunity as well, titled Pokéscape and National History Museum.
18 Pokémon Emerald Seaglass Is An The Emerald Version
Created By JackWellman101
Although many Pokémon Rom hacks add story or largely change the original game, Pokémon Emerald Seaglass is a different kind of hack. Emerald Seaglass, as the name suggests, is a Rom hack of Pokémon Emerald, and it rebuilds the game to be more beautiful and overall fun to play. The hack was created by JackWellman101 on Reddit and is clearly a labor of love for the original title it's based on.
The hack upgrades all the visuals to have more color and variety and look crisper and higher quality. Pokémon from generations 1-3 can be obtained, and some of the least popular Pokémon have received upgrades to make them more worthwhile to deploy in battle. Players can now also choose Pokémon to follow them around as they adventure. The hack also adds minigames and events to breathe life into the title, like Scuba Diving and pinball machines. Many other QOL updates and game tweaks were added to make the Emerald experience the best that it can be.
17 Sword and Shield Ultimate Plus Is A Delightful Demake
Created By Phaneropterinae
Players nostalgic for the days of the Game Boy Advanced can get their fix with this Fire Red hack from Redditor Phaneropterinae. The Rom hack is a demake of Sword and Shield, which means it recreates the Switch-era games as GBA titles. This includes a full recreation of the entire game in the cute pixel style of the GBA system.
Besides the visual overhaul, the hack also includes many updates to turn the title into a complete Pokémon experience. The game has all the Pokémon from the first eight generations as well as Hydrapple and its evolutions, Acheludon, and the Hisui starters. Mechanics from the other generations are also present, like Dynamax and Gigantimax. Finally, new music, side quests, and end-game content were also added for players who want even more to do.
16 YU-Gi-Oh Pokéduel Replaces Pokémon And Trainers With Yu-Gi-Oh Characters
Created By ortz3
This hack was created by a maker who goes by ortz3/Reddit on Reddit and it builds on an existing hack. Players will need to have the Complete FireRed Upgrade hack, which adds many quality-of-life updates to Pokémon FireRed, including an overhaul of the battle system, expanded PC boxes, character customization, and much more. The Yu-Gi-Oh Pokéduel hack uses CFRU as a base and turns it into a completely new game.
As the name implies, this hack turns Pokémon Red into a Yu-Gi-Oh game, replacing all the Pokémon NPCs and creatures with Yu-Gi-Oh NPCs and monsters. Each monster comes with its own skills, attacks, abilities, and sprites. The full Pokédex can be browsed on the hack's website, as well as trainers, some of the items, and more. At the time of this writing, this hack is still in beta, but the creator is actively adding new content and improving it, so it's worth giving it a try.
15 Pokémon Scorched Silver Is A Sequel With A Complete New Story
Created By Sloo
This Pokémon Emerald hack, created by Sloo on PokéCommunity, features an original new story from the world of Pokémon Gold and Silver. The hack takes place in the Johto region, where players control a young boy or girl from Cherrygrove City on a journey to become a Pokémon master. The events take place 20 years after the end of Pokémon Gold and Silver, and several familiar faces make an appearance. Throughout their journey, the player will encounter a new threat to the world, Team Phoenix, whose mysterious plans seem to hinge on acquiring a Celebi.
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The hack is a complete new game with eight badges to win from challenging gym leaders and even post-game content like Mega evolutions. There are over 750 Pokémon to find and capture and plenty of quality-of-life updates, like the ability to use HM moves without having to actually teach them to a Pokémon, a Nature changer NPC, and the ability to run indoors. A trailer for the ROM hack is available on Sloo's YouTube channel.
14 Pokémon Black And White 3: Genesis Continues The Story Of Black 2 And White 2
Created By Azure_Keys
Pokémon Black And White 3 is both a sequel and a demake at the same time. Created by PokéCommunity's Azure_Keys, the game takes place 10 years after the events of Pokémon Black 2 and White 2. Players take control of a young trainer from Humilau City as they journey through the world of Unova, meeting both familiar faces and new characters. Throughout they journey, players are also pitted against the villainous Team Plasma, which was supposed to have been disbanded a long time ago.
Although the ROM hack is a sequel to Black and White, it doesn't use the game engine or system of the original. Instead, this is a Pokémon Crystal hack that reimagines the world of Black and White in adorable pixels from the Game Boy Color era. The hack also includes a number of quality-of-life upgrades like new cries for all Pokémon from Gen 3 and up, running shoes available from the start, demade music tracks, and reusable TMs. It also includes 252 Pokémon from the first five generations and an entirely new story in a beloved setting.
13 Digimon Nova Red Reimagines Pokémon As A Digimon Game
Created By Guzeinbuick
Pokémon and Digimon fans no longer have to choose a fandom thanks to this Pokémon FireRed hack. Guzeinbuick on PokéCommunity recreates the classic Pokémon game with over 350 Digimon to tame and train, instead. Each mon offers up unique moves, stats, and abilities, implementing Gen 5 abilities and Fairy type.
Each Digimon has its own sprites and moves have new animations based on their equivalents in the Digimon world. The interface has also gotten a facelift to correspond to the Digimon world, with the iconic computer and Digivice style for the mon selection screens, information s, and more. Several smaller tweaks like reusable TMs, forgettable HM moves, non-lethal poison, and dialogue tweaks make this hack even more enjoyable for any Pokémon or Digimon fan.
12 Pokémon Sweet Version Will Satisfy Any Sweet Tooth
Created By Ephraim225
Players with a sweet tooth will love this Pokémon Red ROM hack by Ephraim225 on PokéCommunity, in which the region of Kanto is turned into Candyland. Players explore the redesigned region among trees of ice cream, frosted grass, cake caves, and a Milky Way ocean. The game has 151 PokéSweets to capture from six generations fully redesigned as delicious PokéSweets with new moves and adorably punny names like Smorelax and Popsichu.
Pokémon Sweet Version also has 12 new types and a type chart to go with them, based on 12 flavors of ice cream (including, for some reason, apple). A new mechanic allows players to either capture their PokéSweets or craft them from berries, and new music completes the hack. The title makes many other upgrades, like turning most trainer battles into Double battles and adding new music in many of the areas. Along their travels, trainers will go up against two new opposing groups who want to steal the players' PokéSweet companions and two rivals ("okay, three, but the third guy's lame").
11 Pokémon Order & Chaos Creates A Full Pokédex Of Fakemon
Created By EasyBakeStudios
Pokémon Order & Chaos, created by PokéCommunity EasyBakeStudios, was remastered in 2024 after eight years of hard work. The effort that went into the making of this Pokémon Red hack is clear, as the title creates an entire new region and story based in the Pokémon universe. The hack takes place in the new region of Mando and includes a complete Pokédex of "Fakemon," and even rare Shiny versions of them.
The game tells the story of a young trainer who is prophesized to rid the land of the evil God Dragon Chaostra. The only problem is that this teenager has a twin, and the prophecy isn't clear on which one of them is the "chosen one." Players travel through Mando, taming and capturing companions with new moves (complete with new move animations) as they strive to become the best trainers, save their home, and emerge victorious both against Chaostra and their own twin sibling.
