The Most Difficult Pokemon Game, Ranked

Voting rules: Choose the game you think is the most difficult!

Updated on Apr 30, 2024 06:25

For many gamers, the challenge a game presents is a key part of its allure. When it comes to Pokemon games, each title carries its own set of challenges and puzzles that can significantly vary in difficulty. This dynamic creates extensive discussions among fans about which game truly presents the greatest test to their skills and strategic thinking. By casting your vote on which Pokemon game you find the most difficult, you contribute to a live ranking that reflects the community's collective opinion. This updated ranking not only guides new players about what to expect but also stirs a fun competition among veterans to conquer the peaks of the more formidable editions.

What Is the Most Difficult Pokemon Game?

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40
votes
en:Game Freak, en:Nintendo, en:The Pokémon Company · Public domain

Pokemon Platinum

Game Freak

The game features tougher gym leaders and a challenging Elite Four, making it one of the toughest Pokemon games to date. It also introduces the Battle Frontier, an endgame challenge that requires a high level of skill to complete.
Pokemon Platinum is an enhanced version of the original Pokemon Diamond and Pearl games. It takes place in the Sinnoh region and follows the journey of a young Pokemon trainer aiming to become the Champion. The game introduces new features, improved graphics, and a revised storyline compared to its predecessors.

Release Date: September 13, 2008

Platform: Nintendo DS

Genre: Role-playing

Difficulty Level: Hard

Number of Pokemon: Over 493 species
2

48
votes
Pokemon Black 2 and White 2

Game Freak

The post-game content in these games is notoriously difficult, featuring challenging battles with powerful trainers and a tough Elite Four rematch. The game also introduces the Pokemon World Tournament, which requires a high level of strategy and skill to win.
Pokemon Black 2 and White 2 is a role-playing video game developed by Game Freak and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo DS. It is a direct sequel to Pokemon Black and White, set two years after the events of the previous games. The game features a new storyline, new areas to explore, and a variety of new and familiar Pokemon to catch and train.

Platform: Nintendo DS

Genre: Role-playing

Release Date: October 7, 2012

Number of Players: Single-player, Multiplayer (up to 4)

Region: Unova
3

17
votes
Pokemon HeartGold and SoulSilver

Game Freak

The game features a long and challenging main storyline, with tough gym leaders and a difficult Elite Four. It also includes the Battle Frontier, which offers a range of challenging battle modes.
Pokemon HeartGold and SoulSilver are enhanced remakes of the 1999 role-playing video games Pokemon Gold and Silver. They were developed by Game Freak and published by The Pokemon Company and Nintendo for the Nintendo DS.

Platform: Nintendo DS

Release date: September 12, 2009

Genre: Role-playing

Difficulty level: Advanced

Number of Pokemon species: 493
4

4
votes
Pokemon Emerald

Game Freak

The game features tougher gym leaders and an enhanced Battle Frontier, which offers a range of challenging battle modes. It also introduces the Battle Tower, a tough endgame challenge that requires a high level of skill to complete.
Pokemon Emerald is a role-playing video game developed by Game Freak and published by Nintendo. It was released in 2004 for the Game Boy Advance handheld console and is the enhanced version of Pokemon Ruby and Sapphire. The game is set in the Hoenn region where players embark on a journey to become a Pokemon trainer and defeat the region's eight Gym Leaders and Elite Four to become the Champion.

Platform: Game Boy Advance

Release Year: 2004

Genre: Role-playing

Players: Single player, multiplayer (link cable)

Region: Hoenn
5

14
votes
Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen

Game Freak

The game features tougher gym leaders and an enhanced Elite Four, making it one of the toughest Pokemon games to date. It also introduces the Sevii Islands, an endgame challenge that requires a high level of skill to complete.
Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen are enhanced remakes of the original Pokemon Red and Green games released for the Game Boy in 1996. Developed by Game Freak and published by Nintendo, these games were released in 2004 for the Game Boy Advance.

Compatible with: Pokemon Ruby, Sapphire, Colosseum, XD, and Emerald

Battle Tower: Yes

Wireless Linking: Yes

Platform: Game Boy Advance

Genre: Role-playing
6

10
votes
Pokemon X and Y

Game Freak

The game features tough gym leaders and a challenging Elite Four, making it one of the tougher Pokemon games to date. It also introduces the Battle Maison, an endgame challenge that requires a high level of skill to complete.
Pokémon X and Y are role-playing video games developed by Game Freak and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo 3DS. They are the first mainline Pokémon games released for the 3DS and belong to the sixth generation of Pokémon games.

Platform: Nintendo 3DS

Genre: Role-playing

Release Date: October 12, 2013

Region: Kalos

Number of Pokémon: Over 450
7

6
votes
Pokemon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire

Game Freak

The game features a challenging main storyline, with tough gym leaders and a difficult Elite Four. It also includes the Delta Episode, an endgame challenge that requires a high level of skill to complete.
Pokemon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire are enhanced remakes of the third-generation Pokemon games, Pokemon Ruby and Sapphire. Developed by Game Freak and published by Nintendo, these games were released in 2014 for the Nintendo 3DS. The storyline follows a young trainer who embarks on a journey to become the Pokemon League Champion while battling against a villainous team called Team Aqua (in Omega Ruby) or Team Magma (in Alpha Sapphire) to save the Hoenn region from their destructive plans.

Platform: Nintendo 3DS

Release Year: 2014

Genre: Role-playing

Difficulty Level: Challenging

Number of Pokemon Species: Over 700
8

3
votes
Pokemon Sun and Moon

Game Freak, Nintendo

The game features a challenging main storyline, with tough gym leaders and a difficult Elite Four. It also introduces the Battle Tree, an endgame challenge that requires a high level of skill to complete.
Pokemon Sun and Moon is the seventh generation of mainline Pokemon games, released in 2016 for the Nintendo 3DS. It takes place in the Alola region, a tropical archipelago featuring new Pokemon species alongside familiar ones. The game introduces several innovative features, such as the Alolan forms of existing Pokemon and the removal of traditional gyms in favor of Island Challenges. Trainers must navigate through trials and face off against powerful Totem Pokemon to earn Z-Crystals, which grant powerful moves.

Release Date: November 18, 2016

Platform: Nintendo 3DS

Generation: Seventh

Region: Alola

New Pokemon: Over 80
9

7
votes
Pokemon Sword and Shield

Game Freak

The game features a challenging main storyline, with tough gym leaders and a difficult Elite Four. It also introduces the Battle Tower, an endgame challenge that requires a high level of skill to complete.
Pokemon Sword and Shield is a role-playing video game developed by Game Freak and published by The Pokemon Company and Nintendo. It is the first mainline installment for the Nintendo Switch console. The game takes place in the new Galar region and features a new generation of Pokemon for players to discover and capture. Players embark on a journey to become the champion of the Galar region's Pokemon League, battling against various trainers and Gym Leaders along the way.

Platform: Nintendo Switch

Genre: Role-playing

Release Date: November 15, 2019

Number of Pokemon: Over 400

Gym Leaders: 8
10

5
votes
Pokemon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon

Game Freak

The game features a challenging main storyline, with tough gym leaders and a difficult Elite Four. It also includes the Ultra Wormholes, an endgame challenge that requires a high level of skill to complete.
Pokemon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon is a role-playing video game developed by Game Freak and published by The Pokemon Company and Nintendo. It is an enhanced version of Pokemon Sun and Moon, featuring an alternate storyline and additional content. The game takes place in the Alola region, where players embark on a journey to become Pokemon Trainers and challenge various trial captains and Kahuna to become the Champion.

Platform: Nintendo 3DS

Release Date: November 17, 2017

Genre: Role-playing

Players: 1-4 (Local/Online)

Rating: E (Everyone)

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Ranking factors for difficult game

Difficulty of battles

This includes factors like the strength and diversity of opponents, how smart the AI behaves during battles, and the difficulty of crucial battles like Gym Leaders, Elite Four, and the Champion battle.
Level curve

The rate at which the levels of wild and trainer-owned Pokemon increases throughout the game. A steeper level curve means players need to spend more time grinding for experience to progress through the game.
Variety of Pokemon

A wider variety of accessible Pokemon can make a game more or less challenging. Having access to a better collection of Pokemon can make reaching higher levels for some easier, while having fewer choices can limit a player's options and make battles more difficult.
Mechanics and features

Various mechanics and gameplay features like Mega Evolutions, Z-Moves, and Dynamax can influence the difficulty of a game. The availability of held items, TMs, and HMs also plays a role.
Storyline and progression

More complex storylines can sometimes be more difficult to navigate than simpler ones. Additionally, the number of obstacles, puzzles, and side quests can impact the difficulty level.
In-game resources

The abundance or scarcity of resources such as money, healing items, and move tutors can influence a player's overall experience and the game's difficulty.
Game difficulty settings

If a game has multiple difficulty settings, like in Pokemon Black 2 and White 2, the higher settings will naturally make the game more challenging.
Potential for self-imposed challenges

Many Pokemon fans take on self-imposed challenges, such as Nuzlocke runs, to increase the difficulty of the game. The degree to which a game's mechanics support such challenges can impact its overall difficulty.
Balance and competitive aspects

The balance between different Pokemon species, types, and movesets in a game can impact how difficult it is to achieve success in competitive battles or in-game battles. A game with a well-balanced meta can make it harder to dominate battles with just one or two Pokemon.

About this ranking

This is a community-based ranking of the most difficult Pokemon game. We do our best to provide fair voting, but it is not intended to be exhaustive. So if you notice something or game is missing, feel free to help improve the ranking!

Statistics

2825 views
156 votes
10 ranked items

Voting Rules

A participant may cast an up or down vote for each game once every 24 hours. The rank of each game is then calculated from the weighted sum of all up and down votes.

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More information on most difficult pokemon game

Pokemon has been a fan-favorite franchise for over two decades, and with each new game release, fans eagerly await the challenge of catching 'em all. However, not all Pokemon games are created equal when it comes to difficulty. From the original Game Boy games to the latest Nintendo Switch releases, the difficulty level of Pokemon games has varied greatly. Some games are a breeze, while others are notorious for their challenging gameplay and tough opponents. So, what is the most difficult Pokemon game? Let's take a closer look at the history of Pokemon games to find out.