February 27 marked exactly 30 years to the day since the original Pokémon Red and Pokémon Green Game Boy games were released in Japan and it's no surprise that the Pokémon company is going big for their 30th anniversary.

The celebration started earlier this year with their "What's Your Favorite?" campaign, but we were recently treated to a list of new Pokémon announcements including new games, trading cards, Pokémon-themed events, merch, and more. If you have twenty minutes to spare, you can check it all out in their latest Pokémon Presents video.

 

"Pokémon has captured the imagination of millions around the world,” said Kenji Okubo, president of The Pokémon Company International. "This Pokémon Day is extra special as we kick off the celebration of 30 years of Pokémon with exciting announcements for Trainers everywhere. I can’t wait to see  'What’s Your Favorite' as we embark on new adventures together.”

Pokémon Video Game News

Probably the biggest news from the announcements is Pokémon Winds and Pokémon Waves, two brand new games for the Switch 2 set to be released in 2027. According to the announcement, "these new titles feature an open world to explore, with beautiful windswept islands and a vast ocean with glittering waves." It's safe to assume these will follow the tried and true formula of running around, battling other trainers, and growing your own Pokémon collection like the many generations of Pokémon games before it. What is new is the inclusion of new 10th generation Pokémon, including three new starter Pokémon to choose from: Browt, the Bean Chick Pokémon; Pombon, the Puppy Pokémon; or Gecqua, the Water Gecko Pokémon.

 Image via The Pokemon Company

Additionally, Pokémon Champions, a free-to-start online game that lets players battle one another, is coming to the Nintendo Switch in April. This game can be linked to Pokémon HOME, a cloud-based hub that lets you transfer Pokémon across games. For example, the Pokémon you catch in Pokémon GO can be sent to your Pokémon HOME hub to then be moved over to Pokémon Champions for battle against other players. It's a little confusing, but super convenient if you like playing multiple Pokémon games at one time. 

Pokopia is another new game coming to the Switch 2 next week, March 5 (and it already has the highest Metacritic score of the year). This is a "cozy" Pokémon game that looks to be modeled after Animal Crossing or Stardew Valley, where you have to build a world and tend to crops with the help of Pokémon companions.

It was revealed that "Pokémon Pokopia supports multiplayer play with up to three other players. Players can visit one another’s towns, invite friends to their own, and even bring along one Pokémon from their town to explore together." Typical battle-focused Pokémon games can be stressful at times. This sounds to be like a great alternative for Pokémon fans looking for more lowkey gameplay. To promote the game, trains on the Hanzomon Train Line in Tokyo have been taken over by the Pokémon Ditto, the star Pokémon in the game.

Image via the PR Times

According to the Tokyo Weekender, "From March 2 to March 15, fans will be greeted by Ditto adding a bit of extra whimsy to their train commutes with special decorations adorning both the train cars and select station platforms." Lastly on the video games front, Pokémon FireRed Version and Pokémon LeafGreen Version are now available on Nintendo eShop and My Nintendo Store.

These games, originally released in 2004 on the Game Boy Advance, are remakes of the original Pokémon Game Boy games that have now been digitised to be downloaded on the Switch and Switch 2. Being able to play a Pokémon game with the original mechanics on a new device in 2026 has been a dream for many fans. This is an exciting chance for both longterm fans and ones who maybe grew up playing the games, fell off, and are looking to revisit for nostalgia.

Pokémon Event News

Image via The Pokemon Company

A brand new event was included in today's announcement. PokémonXP is an upcoming first of its kind Pokémon-themed fan convention running from August 28-30th at the Moscone Center in San Francisco, California. 

According to the website, "PokémonXP is the first fan convention of its kind hosted during select years by The Pokémon Company International! Taking place in downtown San Francisco this August, PokémonXP will celebrate the amazing world of Pokémon, with incredible activities and events for Pokémon fans of all kinds."

The event will include shopping at the Pokémon Center Store, panels, autographs, special guests, workshops and more. It sounds pretty much like Comic-Con catered directly to Pokémon fans. The interest list for a multi-day pass opens up on April 2nd, with single day passes coming later this year. 

Pokémon Trading Card Game News

Surprisingly, given how popular the Pokémon cards are today, there was little news given about upcoming cards. A new expansion was announced but no further information was shared about it at this time.

The Pokémon Company had this to say, "To further celebrate 30 years of Pokémon, Trainers can look forward to an exciting new Pokémon TCG expansion in 2026 – the first-ever to debut with a simultaneously coordinated global launch in participating markets, followed by additional product releases throughout the year."

Fans can stay up to date on additional TCG news here.

Pokémon Merchandise News

Any Pokémon fan will tell you how important the music is to Pokémon games. Recognizing this aspect of the fandom, The Pokémon Company is releasing the Pokémon Red & Pokémon Blue Game Music Collection: Game Boy Jukebox.

This handheld audio device, modeled after the original Game Boy system from Nintendo, lets listeners enjoy the familiar melodies or sound effects from the game in any setting. It's been described as providing a "nostalgic audio tour through the Kanto region."

The one drawback is that these sounds are stored on 45 different cartridges, which seems like a hassle switching through sounds. The Jukebox is only available on the Pokémon Center, the official online store, but is unfortunately sold out at the time of writing this article. Additionally, the Pokémon company has released an entirely new line of 30th Anniversary merch including attire, collectibles, and more. One particulary exciting item that fans have been clamoring for is the "fat pikachu" plushie which is an ode to the character's design in the original games before his trimmed down look for the anime and beyond. 

You can shop the entire 30th Collection here but we recommend checking out sooner than later. As you know everyone is trying to "catch 'em all!"