10 Pokémon Games That Made Catching Rare Pokémon A Thrill

Catching legendaries in the Pokémon series is part of the fun, a crescendo each game builds to before the endgame. Some entries let you use the legendaries to battle the Elite Four and become the Ultimate Pokémon Master, while other games send you to battle some world-ending threat because you've already reached that status.

However, after a while, this formula can start to feel stale. But, now and then, a Pokémon game comes along that makes catching Legendary Pokémon exciting again. Here are 10 titles that do exactly that.

10 Pokémon Black 2 / White 2

Back in Black and White

The original Black and White games focused on Zekrom and Reshiram, but as with all enhanced versions, Black and White 2 focused on the third member of the Tao Trio, Kyurem. Technically, Black and White 2 weren’t enhanced versions of Black and White; they were full sequels that took place several years later.

This added some extra context to events and allowed the story to build up this third legendary Pokémon into something extra special. Sure, the story was similar to the first Black and White, but we all knew Kyurem was the main event this time. Not only that, it could change its form to resemble Zekrom or Reshiram more closely.

9 Pokémon Ultra Sun / Ultra Moon

Turning Up the Drama

The first Pokémon Sun and Moon games were fine. They were just fine. But the enhanced re-releases took things to a whole new level by focusing on the Ultra Beasts. These guys were powerful Pokémon from a parallel universe and became such a threat that humans even tried to build their own Arceus to fight them.

While the adventure was largely the same as vanilla Sun and Moon, the extra content around the Ultra Beasts made Ultra Sun and Moon the definitive Gen 7 versions, with these legendary Pokémon being the jewel in the crown.

The Pokémon Z Version We Always Wanted

Longtime Pokémon fans will remember the time after Pokémon X and Y, and how all the rumors hinted we’d be getting a Pokémon Z version. Heck, we even got other media centered around it with the Pokémon Zygarde as the star. Alas, Gen 6 came and went, and Pokémon Z never materialized.

However, two generations later, Pokémon Legends Z-A would resurrect this concept and finally give us something similar. Z-A was a sequel to Pokémon X and Y, once again set in the Kalos region, and finally gave Zygarde the spotlight it deserved and was once denied. Better late than never.

7 Pokémon Let’s Go Pikachu / Eevee

Let's Go Back to Where it All Began

Pokémon Let’s Go Pikachu / Evee isn’t for everyone. It was released to capitalize on the success of Pokémon Go and use the nostalgic draw of Gen 1 to bring back lapsed fans, but more importantly, their kids. The controversial Pokémon Go mechanics aside, Let’s Go gave us a stunning reimagining of Kanto that was a joy to explore.

Hunting the Legendary Birds and facing off against Mewtwo again in Cerulean Cave made many of us feel like children discovering Pokémon for the first time all over again. It may not beat Leaf Green / Fire Red as far as faithful remakes go, but wow, did it make us remember the magic of catching our first legendaries.

6 Pokémon Emerald

Hoenning The Craft

Pokémon Emerald is universally adored, and we wait with bated breath for it to one day (Please!) be added to the Nintendo Switch Store. But Emerald was the first enhanced remake to really go to town on the idea of a “third legendary” to draw the spotlight from the original two.

Sure, Pokémon Crystal had Suicune, but it wasn’t the same thing. Pokémon Emerald made the epic dragon Rayquaza its centerpiece, put it in charge of Groundon and Kryorgre, then had it go and help the player save the world from a new threat in the form of Deoxys. There’s a reason why Rayquaza is a fan-favorite.

Playing God

While Pokémon Brilliant Diamond / Shining Pearl were adequate remakes of Gen 4, it was obvious that it was Legends: Arceus that got all the love from Game Freak. The game was essentially a prequel to Diamond and Pearl that let the player explore Sinnoh’s past, as well as its connection to Arceus and the Creation Trio.

The game lets players catch every legendary from the region/generation and even transfer them to and from Brilliant Diamond / Shining Pearl. Legends Arceus is the ultimate celebration of Gen 4 and made catching its legendaries a focal point of the experience. That final Arceus fight still has us waking up in cold sweats, though.

4 Pokémon Platinum

Sinnoh N'uff

Sticking with the Gen 4 theme, Pokémon Platinum was the enhanced re-release of Diamond and Pearl, and is arguably still superior to their remakes. Borrowing from Pokémon Emerald’s success, Platinum made a new star Pokémon in the form of the edgy Giratina, a legendary with a very bad attitude who needed bringing to heel.

Platinum does a stellar job of building up Giratina as a dangerous threat before sending the player into the Distortion World to fight it. Even if it wasn’t for all the improvements Platinum made over Diamond and Pearl, the story and battle against Giratina were enough to make the game beloved.

3 Pokémon Omega Ruby / Alpha Sapphire

Going Primal

Pokémon Omega Ruby / Alpha Sapphire were the 3DS remakes of Gen 3 and used the engine from Pokémon X / Y to bring the Hoenn region to life in a way that the Game Boy Advance never could. Not only did the remakes let players use Mega Evolutions on more Pokémon, it also gave legendaries like Groundon and Kryogre new “Primal” forms that made catching and battling them even more fun.

Oh, the remakes also incorporated Rayquaza’s story and battle with Deoxys from Pokémon Emerald as a separate chapter players could enjoy after the main quest. Top marks, Game Freak.

2 Pokémon Leaf Green / Fire Red

A Wild Remake Appeared

Pokémon Leaf Green / Fire Red are so well thought of that not even a fully HD reimagining of Kanto could knock them from their lofty perch. That speaks volumes, and it's not just that people were put off by Let’s Go’s Pokémon Go mechanics either. Leaf Green / Fire Red were near-perfect remakes, redesigning Kanto for the GBA and adding quality of life improvements, such as the running shoes, to enhance the experience.

Leaf Green / Fire Red was, and remains, the ultimate Gen 1 experience. It marries nostalgia with (even still today) more modern mechanics and beats the original Red and Blue in nearly every way. And every bit of this applies to catching Mewtwo and the Legendary Birds. The game has even been released digitally on the Nintendo Store, letting fans play it on Switch/Switch 2 and even connect it to Pokémon Home for the first time.

1 Pokémon Soul Silver / Heart Gold

Two Screens of Near Perfection

Look at how many of the lists that came before this one place Soul Silver / Heart Gold as the best Pokémon games ever made. Not only does it do everything for Gen 2 that Leaf Green / Fire Red did for Gen 1, it also lets players explore a fully redesigned Johto AND Kanto. It’s the perfect game to play after Leaf Green / Fire Red, letting players catch legendary Pokémon from both the first and second generations of the franchise.

But that’s not all. Soul Silver / Heart Gold was released on the DS sometime after Pokémon Platinum, so it also connected to Gen 4 and allowed players to hunt down Pokémon from Hoenn and Sinnoh. This meant that it served as a finale of sorts to the first four generations of Pokémon and let players build a super team of Legendaries from across all four regions. Want a team that includes Mewtwo, Suicune, Rayquaza, Giratina, and more? Then, this is the game to do it. There’s legendary, then there’s Pokémon Soul Silver / Heart Gold.