Pokemon Legends: Z-A is on the horizon, and so is the Nintendo Switch 2, but will the game be available on the next-generation console?
The general perception among gamers is that Pokemon is a first-party franchise in the same way that Mario or Metroid is. The reality is actually much more complicated. Nintendo is actually just a part owner of The Pokemon Company alongside Game Freak and Creatures Inc.
This can be seen in practice in a few different ways, from Pokemon games not appearing in Nintendo Switch Online to the series’ early arrival on mobile devices. But perhaps the greatest demonstration is the series’ willingness to opt against launching on new hardware. This is seemingly set to be the case with Pokemon Legends: Z-A, given how it’s seemingly set to ignore the Nintendo Switch 2.
Pokemon Legends: Z-A is set to be released on the original Nintendo Switch console.
When The Pokemon Company first announced Legends: Z-A at Pokemon Day 2024, it was announced as a Switch game. At the time, Nintendo was still extremely coy about its next-generation hardware. Though numerous leaks from official sources, including court documents released by Microsoft, revealed Nintendo’s plans for a next-generation console, it took a long time for Nintendo to officially confirm anything.
It wasn’t until May 2024 that Nintendo CEO Shuntaro Furukawa officially stated that the company had another console in the works. An official reveal of that console didn’t come until January 2025.
Despite the momentous shift that is the announcement of the Nintendo Switch 2, plans haven’t changed regarding Pokemon Legends: Z-A.
Pokemon Legends: Z-A is seemingly positioned to be exclusive to the Nintendo Switch, and there are no indications of a native Switch 2 port being released.
Many fans watched the Pokemon Day 2025 trailer and were excited by the obfuscation regarding Pokemon Legends: Z-A’s platform. The trailer didn’t have any sort of overt Nintendo Switch branding during the trailer, leading some to believe that its release had been realigned for the next-gen console. That’s not the case, though.
An Extended Look at Pokémon Legends: Z-A!
Promotional materials regarding Pokemon Legends: Z-A explicitly indicate that it will be a Nintendo Switch game, not a Switch 2 title. The trailers posted to Pokemon’s official social media channels start with the Nintendo Switch “snap” sound and the official Pokemon Center online store is doing promotions that explicitly denote the game as a Switch title. While The Pokemon Company is aggressively advertising a Nintendo Switch release for Pokemon Legends: Z-A, there’s no word on a Switch 2 version.
That said, the game will still be playable on the console. Nintendo’s Furukawa explicitly announced that the Switch 2 will have backwards compatibility with Nintendo Switch titles. This means the game will, at worst, be fully playable on the console.
With backwards compatibility, a next-gen upgrade patch is possible and many games on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S have this sort of feature. But even so, playing on the superior hardware of the Switch 2 will likely confer some benefit, similar to playing Pokemon Sun and Moon on a New Nintendo 3DS rather than an original 3DS.
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