Summary

• Gen 10 of Pokémon has high potential sales, especially if fan-favorite features are included in the game's release.
• Leaks suggest Gen 10 may not arrive until 2026, aligning with Pokémon's 30th anniversary for more development time.
• The revival of Pokémon's National Dex for Gen 10 would be a monumental celebration and a dream come true for fans.

The next Generation of return of fan-favorite features in Gen 10, especially given the likely circumstances of its release.

While leaks suggest that Gen 10’s release date may not be until 2026, in many ways, this is arguably far from a negative. Not only does this date auspiciously align with the 30th anniversary of Pokémon as a whole, but it also gives the core games one more year of development time when compared to other recent titles like Pokémon Scarlet and Violet. Naturally, this means that developers will have plenty of time to find and fix glitches, but it also offers an opportunity for the development of much bigger features than might otherwise be feasible.

Reviving Pokémon’s National Dex Would Be A Perfect 30th Anniversary Celebration

Gotta Catch 'Em All

Assuming that Pokémon Gen 10’s leaked release window is accurate, the next core games will undoubtedly be central to the franchise’s 30th-anniversary milestone. As this will undoubtedly be a year celebrating Pokémon as a whole, it would make perfect sense for these games to reintroduce the National Pokédex. After all, there would be no greater celebration of the franchise than to release new titles that have every existing Pokémon available to catch. Although recent games have featured Pokémon from across the franchise, none since Gen 7 have made all Pokémon obtainable in some way.

The National Dex is typically a piece of postgame content, allowing the focus to remain on new Pokémon for the main storyline before the game opens up to include more familiar species.

The appeal of a Pokémon game that allows the player to “catch ‘em all” is immediately understandable. In the past, there was immense disappointment at the initial amount of Pokémon available in Pokémon Sword and Shield, although later DLC did expand the Pokédex considerably. Likewise, even now, Scarlet and Violet do not the full list of 1025 species of Pokémon. On the other hand, there was a form of National Dex in Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl, but it was limited to only the first four Generations in line with the original Diamond and Pearl.

If Gen 10 were to utilize a full National Pokédex, then it would be a tremendous, era-defining moment in the franchise. There are currently 1025 known species of Pokémon, with Gen 10’s own additions likely to raise that total to over 1100. The prospect of well over 1000 separate species of Pokémon being available in a single game is incredible and would be a delight for any Pokemon fan. Of course, with that being said, it must also be acknowledged that actually accomplishing this would be an immense undertaking no matter how long the games stay in development.

The Appeal Of The National Dex Would Be Worth The Difficulty Of Creating It

An Uphill Battle

One of the main problems with creating a National Pokédex at this point is its size. In order for the Gen 10 games to include all existing Pokémon in addition to their own additions, each would need to be programmed into the game. Although it may be possible to recycle some assets from the most recent titles, it cannot be denied that this would still be a long (and therefore expensive) process. Similarly, undertaking the classic mission to “catch ‘em all” would also take an incredibly long time in the finished game, perhaps to the point of being prohibitively so.

On the other hand, it can also be argued that the incredible variety this would offer people in their gameplay justifies the time and effort needed to realize it. Even if the average player does not capture every Pokémon, the simple fact that anybody could do so would still be a major selling point. Especially as these games are anticipated to mark three decades of Pokémon. Moreover, if Gen 10 is released for the Switch 2 console, then ing a fully inclusive depiction of the Pokémon world would be a perfect demonstration of its capabilities.

Although it would be a challenge from a development standpoint, it cannot be denied that a full National Pokédex would be an incredible feature for Pokémon’s Gen 10 games to include. Not only would this be a perfect accompaniment to the 30th anniversary, but it would also allow the Pokémon world to be depicted in full as it never has before, with every known species existing alongside each other. This would easily make the future Gen 10 games the ultimate culmination of all that came before them, and almost certainly the best Pokémon games to date as well.