Pokémon Ultra Sun and Pokémon Ultra Moon are 2017 role-playing video games created by Game Freak and published by The Pokémon Company and Nintendo for the Nintendo 3DS. These games are part of the seventh generation of the Pokémon series and are improved versions of Pokémon Sun and Pokémon Moon, which were released the year before. The games were announced in June 2017 and released worldwide on November 17, 2017. They were the last main Pokémon games for the Nintendo 3DS, as the series moved to the Nintendo Switch the following year.

Like earlier games in the series, Pokémon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon follow the story of a young Pokémon Trainer exploring the Alola Region, which is inspired by Hawaii. Differences from Sun and Moon include a different storyline, new game features, characters, Pokémon, and Pokémon forms. These versions also introduce new forms of the legendary Pokémon Necrozma as special symbols for each game.

The games received mostly positive reviews, with critics saying they liked the added features compared to Sun and Moon. However, some reviewers noted that much of the story felt too similar to the earlier games. As of March 31, 2025, a total of 9.26 million copies of the games have been sold worldwide, making them the ninth most popular Nintendo 3DS titles of all time.

Gameplay

Pokémon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon are role-playing video games with adventure elements, similar to other games in the series. These games take place in an alternate version of the Alola Region. The gameplay and graphics are mostly the same as Pokémon Sun and Moon, but the story has been changed to include a new group called the Ultra Recon Squad. Player character designs are different, but players can still customize their characters. A feature called "Global Missions" returns, allowing players worldwide to work together toward shared goals.

New Ultra Beasts are introduced in Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon: Stakataka, Blacephalon, Poipole, and its evolved form, Naganadel. The legendary Pokémon Necrozma now has two new forms, "Dusk Mane" and "Dawn Wings." These forms are obtained by having Necrozma absorb Solgaleo and Lunala, respectively. This is similar to how Kyurem was formed in the games Black 2 and White 2. A new form of Lycanroc, called Dusk Lycanroc, is also added.

Players can collect Totem Stickers by exploring the Alola region, which allow them to summon a larger version of a Pokémon. Three new activities are included: Mantine Surf, which lets players ride Mantine across the seas and earn Battle Points; Alola Photo Club, where players can take pictures of their character with Pokémon in different poses; and Ultra Warp Ride, which lets players travel through Ultra Wormholes to encounter the original seven Ultra Beasts, legendary Pokémon from previous games, and increases the chance of encountering shiny Pokémon.

New Z-Moves are available for several Pokémon, including Solgaleo, Lunala, Lycanroc, Mimikyu, and Necrozma. The Rotom Pokédex has been upgraded with Roto-Loto, which gives players boosts similar to O-Powers from earlier games, and Z-Rotom Power, which allows players to use up to two Z-Moves in a single battle.

Plot

The games focus on the Legendary Pokémon Necrozma, who becomes the main villain in these versions, replacing Lusamine as the primary antagonist. Like the Sun and Moon games, the story takes place in the Alola Region, which is inspired by Hawaii. While similar to earlier games, these versions include new buildings and locations. Characters from Sun and Moon, such as Lusamine and her children, return with changes. A new group, the Ultra Recon Squad, is introduced, with different members in each game. Ultra Megalopolis, a large city where Necrozma has taken all its light, is located in Ultra Space and can be reached through Ultra Wormholes.

Another villain group, Team Rainbow Rocket, appears in a post-game story and includes bosses from earlier games, such as Giovanni from the original Red, Blue, and Yellow games and Lysandre from Pokémon X and Y. Legendary Pokémon from previous generations also appear.

As in Sun and Moon, the player character is Elio or Selene, who moves with their mother from the Kanto Region to Melemele Island in Alola. The player has rivals: Hau, a friendly boy who joins the journey, and Gladion, Lusamine’s estranged son and Lillie’s older brother. During their travels, the player completes trials involving battles with powerful Pokémon called Totem Pokémon. They also meet groups like Team Skull, led by Guzma; the Aether Foundation, led by Lusamine; and the Ultra Recon Squad, who come from Ultra Megalopolis, where Necrozma has stolen its light. The story centers on Legendary Pokémon, including Cosmog, nicknamed Nebby, who evolves into Solgaleo in Ultra Sun or Lunala in Ultra Moon, and Necrozma, who tries to take light from Alola.

In the climax, Lusamine uses Nebby to create a wormhole to Ultra Megalopolis, where she and Guzma fight Necrozma to help the Ultra Recon Squad. They fail and are sent back to their world, with Necrozma following them. Necrozma defeats Nebby, now Solgaleo or Lunala, and absorbs it, gaining a new form. Necrozma then unleashes Ultra Beasts on Alola and fights the player. After defeating Necrozma, it escapes to Ultra Megalopolis, taking the world’s light. The player, with help from the Ultra Recon Squad, travels through Ultra Space to reach Ultra Megalopolis and battles Necrozma in its true form, Ultra Necrozma, to save Nebby and restore light to Alola. After winning, the player battles a new Elite Four and defeats Hau to become the first Alola League Champion.

In the post-game, the player faces Team Rainbow Rocket, a group from another world based on Team Rocket from earlier games. They take over the Aether Foundation’s headquarters and capture Lusamine. The player fights alongside Guzma, Lillie, and Colress to defeat past villains like Maxie, Archie, Cyrus, Ghetsis, and Lysandre, finally facing Giovanni, who leads Team Rainbow Rocket and has a Mewtwo. After defeating Giovanni, he disappears, wondering about future plans. The player can explore Ultra Wormholes, catch Ultra Beasts using Beast Balls, and later catch Necrozma at Mount Lanakila. Colress gives the player an N-Solarizer or N-Lunarizer, allowing Necrozma to fuse or separate from Solgaleo or Lunala. Finally, the Ultra Recon Squad tells the player to defeat or catch Blacephalon in Ultra Sun or Stakataka in Ultra Moon.

Development

Shigeru Ohmori, one of the game's producers, explained that Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon were developed by younger staff members, while more experienced workers focused on future Pokémon games for the Nintendo Switch. However, some experienced staff, like Shigeki Morimoto, also helped with Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon. Ohmori said Game Freak considered Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon to be the "end result of their work with the 3DS system." The team that made Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon had about 80 members, which was roughly half the size of the team that worked on Pokémon Sun and Moon. Despite this, the script for Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon was twice as long as the script for Sun and Moon. In another interview, Ohmori mentioned that the idea to create Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon came later during the development of Sun and Moon. These games were planned to use the popularity of the Pokémon series after the successful release of the mobile game Pokémon Go. Kazumasa Iwao, the game director, previously worked on the battle systems for Sun and Moon.

In the post-game content, the games include a tribute to former Nintendo CEO Satoru Iwata, recognizing his role in creating Pokémon Gold and Silver. The games received their first update in December 2017, which fixed several issues.

Promotion and release

Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon were announced in a Pokémon Direct on June 6, 2017. Early mistakes on the Pokémon website listed the games' release date for the Nintendo Switch as "TBA," but The Pokémon Company later stated the games were only available for the Nintendo 3DS.

Like its earlier version, the game’s files were shared online before its official release. This allowed people to steal the game and others to find new details not previously shared, such as a new form for Necrozma, a new Ultra Beast, a new mythical Pokémon, and more.

Less than a week before the game’s release, the mobile game Pokémon Go updated its features. This allowed players to customize their in-game avatars to look like characters from Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon. This was the first time Pokémon Go was used to promote a main series game.

Reception

Before the games were released, both Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon were among the most exciting new games for the Nintendo 3DS in 2017, according to Nielsen.

Review websites like Metacritic gave Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon "generally favorable" ratings. Another review site, OpenCritic, said 87% of critics recommended the games. Casey Defreitas from IGN wrote that the games included "smart improvements." Kallie Plagge from GameSpot noted that while the games were similar to Sun and Moon, they had enough changes to be considered the best version of the seventh generation games. However, Allegra Frank from Polygon pointed out that most of the gameplay was the same as the previous games, with changes only appearing later in the experience.

After their release, the two games sold 1.2 million physical copies in Japan within the first three days—this number does not include digital copies sold through the Nintendo eShop. By the end of 2017, the games had sold over 2 million copies in Japan alone, making them the best-selling video games in the country that year. Sales of Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon helped the Pokémon franchise reach more than 300 million copies sold worldwide. According to Amazon, Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon were the seventh-best-selling video games in 2017. However, their rankings dropped to 25th for Ultra Sun and 28th for Ultra Moon when other video game-related products and console versions were included. As of March 31, 2025, a total of 9.26 million copies of both games had been sold worldwide, making them the ninth-best-selling Nintendo 3DS titles of all time.

The games were nominated for the "People's Choice" award at the Italian Video Game Awards and won the "Excellence Prize" at the Famitsu Awards.