Pokémon Legends: Arceus is a 2022 action role-playing game created by Game Freak and published by Nintendo and The Pokémon Company for the Nintendo Switch. It is part of the eighth generation of the Pokémon video game series and is a prequel to the fourth-generation games Pokémon Diamond and Pearl, which were released in 2006. The game was first announced during the Pokémon 25th Anniversary event in February 2021 and was released worldwide on January 28, 2022.
In the game, the main character is sent back in time and travels through the Hisui region, which is inspired by the island of Hokkaido during early Japanese colonization. The game focuses on exploring open areas filled with Pokémon, with the goal of completing the Pokédex by catching all Pokémon. By March 31, 2023, the game had sold over 14.83 million copies. It also received positive reviews and was nominated for several awards, including Best RPG at The Game Awards. A second game in the Legends series, Pokémon Legends: Z-A, was released in 2025.
Gameplay
Pokémon Legends: Arceus is an action role-playing game that keeps the same basic way to play as earlier main series games. Players can explore the game map, which is split into five large areas, each with different types of environments. When entering an area, players start at a camp and can quickly move between camps in the same area. Players can walk across the land or unlock rideable Pokémon to move faster, swim, climb, or fly. In each area, Pokémon move around the environment and interact with the player and their surroundings. Some Pokémon avoid the player, while others attack, and some have other unique behaviors. "Alpha" Pokémon, which are larger and stronger versions of regular Pokémon, can also be found in the areas. The game’s structure, with multiple areas and a hub system instead of a fully open world, led reviewers to compare it to the Monster Hunter series. Reviewers also noted similarities between Pokémon Legends: Arceus and The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, including gameplay and art style.
Unlike earlier games, the player character can be hurt by wild Pokémon. If the player takes too much damage, they will fall unconscious and return to the base camp. Players can capture wild Pokémon without fighting them, though some must be battled first. Battles can be started by releasing a captured Pokémon near a wild one. The game uses the turn-based battle system from previous titles but allows players to trade more turns for less damage or more damage for fewer turns. In addition to regular battles, the game includes special boss battles where the player must dodge and attack powerful Pokémon, with turn-based battles used to stun them during the fight.
By battling, capturing, or interacting with Pokémon, players complete their Pokédex entries. Players can also complete side quests given by non-player characters (NPCs) in the game. At release, the game included 242 Pokémon, with 7 new species and 17 new versions ("forms") of existing Pokémon. Three starter Pokémon are available at the start: Rowlet (from Sun and Moon), Cyndaquil (from Gold and Silver), and Oshawott (from Black and White). Pokémon Legends: Arceus is the first main series game to include starter Pokémon from different regions together. While players can trade Pokémon online, the game does not include multiplayer battles, unlike earlier games in the series.
Plot
The game takes place in the Sinnoh region long before the events of Pokémon Diamond and Pearl and their remakes, during a time when the region was called Hisui. Most of Hisui is covered in open areas with few trees, where wild Pokémon live freely. There is one main settlement and several small campsites. Unlike other Pokémon games, Pokémon are seen as wild animals or natural forces, not as companions. Poké Balls are made from "Apricorn" fruit and release steam when a Pokémon is caught. The Pokédex is a paper notebook.
The game begins with the player talking to a voice that is later revealed to be Arceus, the creator of the Pokémon world. Arceus gives the player a task: to meet all Pokémon in Hisui before moving them there through a spacetime rift. When the player arrives, Pokémon researcher Professor Laventon finds them and takes them to Jubilife Village, the main settlement. There, the player joins the Survey Corps of the Galaxy Expedition Team, a group that studies and maps the region. After choosing a starter Pokémon, the player travels through Hisui to complete the Pokédex. During the journey, the spacetime rift causes powerful "Noble Pokémon," which the Diamond and Pearl clans respect, to become wild and uncontrollable. The player must use 'balms' to calm them during battles.
After defeating five Noble Pokémon, the spacetime rift grows stronger. Commander Kamado, the leader of the Galaxy Team, blames the player and sends them away from Jubilife Village. The player must then work with either the Diamond or Pearl clans and the folklore researcher Cogita to find the cause of the rift. They travel to three major lakes in Hisui to meet the legendary Pokémon Azelf, Mesprit, and Uxie, which represent willpower, emotion, and knowledge. As the player completes challenges, they gather materials to create the Red Chain, needed to stop the rift.
At the summit, the player defeats Commander Kamado and reaches Mount Coronet’s Temple of Sinnoh, the region’s center. Depending on the clan the player chose, either Dialga (Diamond Clan) or Palkia (Pearl Clan) appears and breaks the Red Chain. The player catches the legendary Pokémon before its angry counterpart arrives. Using pieces of the Red Chain, a special Poké Ball is made to capture the other legendary Pokémon. The player battles and captures the legendary Pokémon in its original form, sealing the spacetime rift.
After completing the main story, the player teams up with Volo, a member of the Ginkgo Guild who helped them earlier, to find Plates linked to Arceus. Along the way, the player meets legendary Pokémon, each holding a Plate. When reaching the Temple of Sinnoh for the final Plate, Volo betrays the player and tries to steal the Plates to summon Arceus and create a new world. He also worked with Giratina to open the spacetime rift, causing the captured legendary Pokémon to go mad. The player defeats Volo and Giratina, secures the last Plate, and turns the Celestica Flute into the Azure Flute. Once all Pokémon (except those from other games) are captured, the player can use the Azure Flute at the Temple of Sinnoh to meet Arceus. After proving their strength in battle, Arceus gives the player a piece of itself, allowing Arceus to explore the world alongside the player.
Development
Pokémon Legends: Arceus was first announced on February 26, 2021, during a Pokémon Presents event. It was revealed alongside Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl as part of the Pokémon 25th Anniversary celebration. The official Pokémon Twitter account described it as a "pre-remake," a term combining "prequel" and "remake," of earlier Sinnoh games: Diamond, Pearl, and Platinum.
On August 18, 2021, a new trailer was shown, highlighting the game’s exploration, story, and new Pokémon. On September 28, 2021, another trailer displayed customization features, menus, characters, and a new Pokémon named Kleavor. On October 19, 2021, a video styled as "found footage" was shared, hinting at new Pokémon. Two days later, it was confirmed that the hidden Pokémon were regional forms of Zorua and Zoroark.
On December 9, 2021, the official Pokémon Twitter account hinted at a Poké Ball-related announcement for Legends: Arceus. The next day, a regional version of Voltorb, a Pokémon inspired by Poké Balls, was announced. On December 15, 2021, a trailer showed different factions in the game and their leaders. A Japanese-language overview trailer was released on January 7, 2022, but it was not translated into English until January 24, 2022.
The game launched worldwide on January 28, 2022. Pre-order bonuses, including in-game and physical items, were available for those who purchased the game digitally or physically. In Japan, pre-orderers received a gold holographic artbook and a limited-edition Arceus trading card.
A free content update called "Daybreak" was released on February 27, 2022.
In April 2022, a webseries titled Pokémon: Hisuian Snow was announced. It debuted on YouTube and Pokémon TV on May 18, 2022, and follows a boy who befriends a Hisuian Zorua in Hisui. The series won a Webby Award as the "People's Voice Winner."
A limited 4-episode webseries titled Pokémon: The Arceus Chronicles premiered on Amazon Prime Video in Japan in January 2022 and later on Netflix on September 23, 2022.
Reception
Pokémon Legends: Arceus received "generally favorable reviews" from critics, according to the review website Metacritic. OpenCritic reported that 85% of critics recommended the game. Andrew Webster of The Verge praised the game’s changes to the Pokémon formula, especially the world design and Pokédex challenges, stating that it was "the biggest change to the Pokémon formula since the series began." Although Ryan Gilliam of Polygon criticized the battle system, he appreciated the open world and the ease of catching Pokémon compared to earlier games, saying: "It is simple and smooth to catch Pokémon and add them to your team while exploring the game’s green fields or snowy areas."
Jordan Middler of Nintendo Life praised the game for its "rewarding" exploration, "addictive" catching mechanics, the quality of the Pokémon characters, and its "genuine sense of scale," calling it "one of the greatest Pokémon games ever made." Jessica Scharnagle of Dot Esports noted that many repetitive tasks and forced activities from earlier games were simplified or removed, giving players more freedom, but she criticized the game’s performance.
Chris Tapsell of Eurogamer enjoyed the new animations and art for the Pokémon, saying, "Wild Pokémon are more lively and animated than in any previous game, moving with hops, rolls, and splashes. They feel simple but full of personality." Andrew Cunningham of Ars Technica disliked the game’s visual style and the lack of new Pokémon, but he said the battle system and open world exploration worked well together, adding: "After battles, you can continue exploring or catching Pokémon without interruptions." Tom Regan of The Guardian praised the game’s exploration and new gameplay changes, calling it "fresh and exciting," but he criticized the game’s visuals, saying they were not as good as those in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Xenoblade Chronicles 2.
Pokémon Legends: Arceus was nominated for several end-of-year awards, including Best RPG at The Game Awards and Game of the Year by GamesRadar, GamingBolt, The Washington Post, Empire, VGC, GamesHub, and Polygon.
As of March 31, 2023, the game sold 14.83 million copies. Nintendo reported that it sold 6.5 million copies worldwide within a week of its release, outperforming other Nintendo Switch Pokémon games like Sword and Shield and Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl.
In Japan, the game sold 1.42 million physical copies in three days and another 645,000 copies by the end of February, topping sales charts in both months. It sold 125,851 units in March, becoming the second-best-selling game of the month (after Kirby and the Forgotten Land).
In the United States, Legends: Arceus was the best-selling video game in January 2022 (excluding digital downloads). It was the second best-selling game in February and sixth in March, making it the second best-selling game during the first quarter of 2022 (after Elden Ring).