POKÉMON BUYER'S GUIDE / HUB

Which Pokémon Version Is Best? A Buyer's Guide to Every Generation

Every mainline Pokémon generation ships in pairs (or trios) with real version-exclusive differences. Here's the buyer's guide to all of them.

Since 1996, Pokémon has shipped almost every mainline generation as two or three versions with different exclusive Pokémon, different box legendaries, and small story or map differences. That's a deliberate design choice meant to encourage trading — and it means "which version should I buy" is a genuinely different question for every generation. Below is the full breakdown, generation by generation.

Generation by Generation

Gen 1 — Red, Blue, Yellow: the original split, plus Yellow's anime-inspired third version. Full comparison →

Gen 2 — Gold, Silver, Crystal: Crystal added animated sprites and the series' first female protagonist option. Full comparison →

Gen 3 — Ruby, Sapphire, Emerald: Emerald folded in both box legendaries and added the Battle Frontier. Full comparison →

Gen 3 remakes — FireRed, LeafGreen: Kanto rebuilt on GBA hardware. Full comparison →

Gen 4 — Diamond, Pearl, Platinum: Platinum added the Distortion World and rebalanced pacing. Full comparison →

Gen 4 remakes — HeartGold, SoulSilver: widely considered among the best remakes in the series. Full comparison →

Gen 5 — Black, White, Black 2, White 2: a rare direct-sequel pair rather than a third version. Full comparison →

Gen 6 — X, Y: the most minor version split in the series. Full comparison →

Gen 6 remakes — Omega Ruby, Alpha Sapphire: Hoenn with Primal Reversion. Full comparison →

Gen 7 — Sun, Moon, Ultra Sun, Ultra Moon: an original pair plus an enhanced pair, Gen 3-style. Full comparison →

Let's Go — Pikachu, Eevee: the Kanto spin-off built around the partner Pokémon. Full comparison →

Gen 8 — Sword, Shield, Brilliant Diamond, Shining Pearl: Galar plus the Sinnoh remakes. Full comparison →

Gen 9 — Scarlet, Violet: the current generation's past-vs-future split. Full comparison →

The Short Answer, If You Just Want One

If you're buying for nostalgia and only want one cartridge per generation, the "third version" or enhanced version (Yellow, Crystal, Emerald, Platinum, Ultra Sun/Moon) is almost always the more complete experience — that's the whole point of those releases. If you're buying to trade or complete a Pokédex with a friend, the original pair matters more than which specific one you pick.

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