The 10 Biggest Problems With Pokémon Games (They Need To Fix)

It’s difficult to name a franchise more beloved and enduring than Pokémon. It’s spawned successful games, movies, shows and adorable merchandise. Even though the games have been around for nearly 25 years, Game Freak is still proclaiming record sales in recent years thanks to the success of Pokémon Sword and Shield and, of course, Pokémon Go.

Still, there are some ways it can—and should—keep getting better. With the controversy over “Dexit” and allegations of rushing game production, Game Freak should hear fans out when it comes to the biggest problems. As Pokémon games continue to advance and sell for higher prices on better consoles, it’s imperative to find fixes for the future.

10 More World To Explore

Fans don’t go into a Pokémon game expecting Breath of the Wild, but over two decades into the series, they do expect a bit more. It’s no secret that Pokémon games are still fairly small.

Even with the addition of the free-roaming Wild Area, fans are still hoping for a larger world in which they can run around. For the most part, the games have confined players to small towns and designated trails.

9 New And Updated Graphics

One of the controversies to erupt among fans during the release of Sword and Shield was the allegation of reusing old models from previous installments. While this was disproved, fans had a field day scrutinizing the renderings.

It led to another theory: that Game Freak was rushing its graphics. With fans paying a premium to play a popular handheld console game on the Switch, they were expecting higher-level graphics to come with it.

8 Trouble Joining Max Raids

This issue is specific to Sword and Shield, but it will become a larger issue if future games continue the structure of Max Raid challenges and invites. Some fans have complained that it has been hard to join a challenge when using the Y-Comm system.

There’s another “glitch” in the matrix: if choosing not to invite others or join a challenge, there can be an issue with the non-player characters being weak and altogether useless during the Max Raid in question. Here’s hoping Game Freak can get this on track.

7 Hand-Holding Gameplay

It started a few gens back: fans noticed that Pokémon became increasingly instructive. Especially during the tutorials, the games began treating players as if they haven’t played the series before without the option to skip the instructions.

Even beyond the tutorials, some games would hold the player’s hand long after it was needed. This may have been helpful for younger novices, but seasoned fans had a tough time tolerating this.

6 It’s Too Easy

Fans have loved to cry foul in recent years about how easy the games have become. Newer players will never know the pain of keeping certain Pokémon in the party because it can learn a certain HM or of the stress that comes with having all your Pokémon faint against a non-player character.

This was exacerbated by the explosive success of Pokémon Go, which translated directly into the easiest game yet: Pokémon Let’s Go. When Game Freak anticipated a slew of young players joining the mainline series for the first time, gameplay difficulty decreased exponentially.

5 Competitive Balance

Sometimes it feels like there are two versions of Pokémon: the one for casual and nostalgic players, and the one for fans on the competitive circuit. The latter group have been committed to perfect IVs and stats for years.

But one fan raised the issue many have seen in regards to competitive balance. Some types are far too strong while others hardly stand a chance. In over two decades of gameplay, one would have expected Game Freak to even the odds at some point.

4 Gen One Nostalgia

Lifelong fans are bonded to the earliest generation of Pokémon games, Red and Blue; since the beginning, they’ve sworn the first installments are the best. Pokémon seems unfairly skewed toward the first gen only. Time after time, gen one Pokémon began to reappear in later versions, not only as catchable Pokémon but as special versions.

Take Charizard: it has Mega X and Y and Gigatamax forms, while other Pokémon in later generations can hardly get a repeat appearance. Meowth, on the other hand, has both Alolan and Galarian versions while many fans are still mourning the loss of their favorite Pokémon from the National Dex. Many fans think it’s time to cut the cord and give later Pokémon their due.

3 You Can’t Catch Them All

The first games, shows, and movies revolved around this tenet: “gotta catch ’em all.” Every fan can still sing the snappy theme song by heart. Unfortunately, this staple no longer holds true. With a National Dex of 890 Pokémon in total, it hardly seems possible.

But, the game doesn’t make it easy. Mew is now hidden behind a paywall. Meltan exists outside of the mainline series. And, of course, there’s the controversy around Dexit, which meant that only a fraction of all Pokémon appeared and can be caught in Sword and Shield. 

2 The Lifelong Fans Are Upset

Speaking of Dexit, this one issue probably rattled diehard fans more than any other problem. Some players had been transferring the same Pokémon from their childhood into the latest generations, like special pets.

When Game Freak announced that they would be slicing the National Dex as they could no longer support them all, fans were outraged. In order to continue thriving, it will be important for the company to listen to their fans moving forward. This is one problem many want to see fixed.

1 It’s Still the Same

A common complaint among many fans is this: the Pokémon series simply hasn’t outgrown its roots the way many other franchises have. It does not take many risks or make many big changes to its core formula. Some love it, but others want variety.

In order to keep competing with other major titles, Pokémon will have to find ways to excite and surprise all players, both new and old. They took one major step with the addition of the Wild Area in Sword and Shield, but players are hungry for more.