With over eight generations of Pokémon Red and Blue RPGs. Decades later, the popular Game Freak series now spans eight mainline titles. However, one region has more Pokémon to catch than the rest.
In Pokémon Red and Blue, players are tasked with discovering and catching the Kanto region's 151 Pokémon. Since Gen 1 the series has expanded with eight additional regional Pokédexes. Following the release of Pokémon Legends: Arceus in January 2022, the popular Nintendo franchise now has a total of 905 Pokémon that can be caught. With Gen 9 Pokémon Scarlet and Violet announced to be released in November 2022, that number could easily climb to over a thousand.
Even though every generation has included the National Pokédex in the post-game, this changed with the release of Gen 8 in 2019. Despite the Pokémon Sword and Shield National Pokédex controversy which upset many fans, the Galar region still ended up having the most catchable Pokémon due to a major design change made by Game Freak. Below is a breakdown of how Pokémon Sword and Shield ended up having the most catchable Pokémon in the series.
Pokémon Sword & Shield Galar Region Has The Most Catchable Pokémon
Although Pokémon X and Y's Kalos region held the record at 457 catchable Pokémon, that total was shattered with the debut of Sword and Shield's DLC expansion . Following the release of The Isle of Armor and Crown Tundra updates, the Galar region has a staggering 651 Pokémon that players can catch right now without needing to rely on promotional event campaigns.
The Pokémon Sword and Shield Crown Tundra DLC even featured over 60 Legendary Pokémon spread across its story campaign and Dynamax Adventures mode. Players looking to physically catch as many Pokémon as possible in one place can't do any better than the Gen 8 games with the DLC added on. Although fans were initially upset by Galar only having 400 Pokémon in its base Pokédex, the expansion has created the single biggest platform where players can go to complete 70% of a living Pokédex in one game.
Pokémon Ultra Sun & Moon Has The Most Accessible Pokémon
Where Pokémon Sword and Shield fall short is the total amount of Pokémon that can actually be brought into the game itself. Pokémon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon take the crown by having a total of 790 Pokémon accessible by trading and the Nintendo 3DS Pokémon Bank app. While players can't go out and physically catch all 790 Pokémon, they are technically able to use up to 809 Pokémon in the Alola region with event-exclusive Pokémon counted. Gen 7's Global Wonder Trade feature is the main method that most players have used in the past, in order to eventually be able to obtain 809 Pokémon in the National Pokédex.
Players not interested in Pokémon Sword and Shield's expansion can instead turn to the Kalos region, as Pokémon X and Y have 457 catchable Pokémon. The Gen 6 RPG actually beats out Sword and Shield's base game Pokédex number by a good amount. As far as which generation has the biggest regional Pokédex, that goes to Gen 5's Pokémon Black and White Unova region, which introduced a staggering 156 new Pokémon at launch. With Gen 9 releasing this fall, the Pokémon franchise could have a new record-holder for the Pokémon game with the most catchable Pokémon.
