Pokémon Legends: Z-A confirms release date in the run-up to Switch 2 launch

The follow-up to the 2022 spin-off Legends: Arceus, which took place in the ancient Sinnoh region, Z-A is a much more modern take on things, and we now officially have a release date for it.

Pokémon Legends: Z-A will release for Nintendo Switch 2 and Nintendo Switch on 16th October 2025, as was confirmed via Nintendo's official social network channels.

Prior to this announcement, all we knew about the game was that it was on track for a 2025 release, and October is perhaps an unsurprising time for it to launch, given its proximity to the holiday season.

It has been an uncharacteristically long time, in Game Freak terms, since the last main-series Pokémon game released, and many had expected the 10th Generation to come along for the launch of the Switch 2.

Instead, Pokémon Legends: Z-A will take players back to the Kalos region of Generation 6, with players exploring Lumiose City and taking part in a competition known as the Z-A Royale.

One interesting detail about this recent announcement is the confirmation that the game is launching cross-generationally on both the Switch 2 and original Switch.

It was recently confirmed by Nintendo that Mario Kart World was originally intended to be a Switch 1 title, but became a Switch 2 exclusive because the Switch 1 didn't offer the power to accomplish what the team wanted to achieve.

The fact that Legends: Z-A is set to launch on both consoles suggests that it may not be particularly graphically intensive, something that most recent Pokémon games, including Legends: Arceus, have been soundly criticised for.

As for more news on Legends: Z-A, however, we will have to wait for July, as the next edition of Pokémon Presents has officially been confirmed for 22nd July.

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