For many, the Gameboy Advance era of Pokemon games was the greatest of them all, with Pokemon Emerald being the best among them. So will it ever be brought back to life on the Nintendo Switch?
While Ruby and Sapphire received remakes with Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire, Emerald was never given that treatment. So do fans of the only green Pokemon game to hit western shores have any hope of seeing Hoenn in this way again?
Is there a Pokemon Emerald Switch port?
At this time, there is no sign of Pokemon Emerald being ported or remade on Nintendo Switch.
There have been various rumors and leaks over the years that suggest that something might be in the works for Pokemon Emerald. Nintendo once applied for a trademark on Pokemon Delta Emerald, but years removed from that there is no sign of this becoming a reality. Dataminers also discovered signs of some sort of Nintendo Switch generation three remake in the code of Pokemon HOME.Â
Despite this, there have been no serious rumors regarding any more gen three remakes. It’s also not a situation where Game Freak or The Pokemon Company can reasonably be expected to be working on something in secret. There are two major releases on tap in the Pokemon series with Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl, and Pokemon Legends: Arceus.
How about a Pokemon Emerald remake?
There is no word that Pokemon Emerald is set to be remade for the Nintendo Switch, but if it is being resurrected it will likely be a remake.
Nintendo was previously rumored to be working on a Game Boy and Game Boy Color emulation addition to the Nintendo Switch Online service, this didn’t pan out to be true. Instead, Nintendo 64 and Sega Genesis titles are set to arrive as part of a higher-tier service. Though a Game Boy emulator makes sense for the Nintendo Switch and fans would certainly get a lot out of it, there’s no word on whether this is happening.
Nintendo has shown that it’s planning to remake classic handheld titles rather than simply porting them. The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening received a Nintendo Switch remake, and Pokemon Let’s Go Pikachu and Eevee are effectively remakes of Pokemon Yellow. A remaster of the first two Advance Wars titles is also in the works.
If Pokemon Emerald is ever brought to the Nintendo Switch, it will likely be in the form of a remake or enhanced port. That said, players shouldn’t expect it any time soon, or possibly ever.
