Pokemon Legends Z-A is officially coming to Nintendo Switch in 2025

The Pokemon Company has announced Pokemon Legends Z-A, a new game for Nintendo Switch.

Announced during Pokemon Presents on Tuesday, the game will take place in the Kalos Region, the setting of Pokemon X&Y. The game will be released in 2025.

Mega Evolutions were teased at the end of the brief trailer, suggesting the mechanic, which has been missing from the series for over a decade, will finally return.

“Pokémon Legends: Z-A, an ambitious new entry to the Pokémon video game series, will launch on Nintendo Switch systems in 2025,” The Pokémon Company said. “A new adventure awaits within Lumiose City, where an urban redevelopment plan is under way to shape the city into a place that belongs to both people and Pokémon.”

The Z in Pokemon refers to Zygarde, a Legendary Pokemon found in Pokemon X & Y.

While Zygarde was catchable in those games, there was little in the way of quests relating to Zygarde, which fans at the time thought may lead to a third entry following X & Y, which was standard for Pokemon games at that time. However, a third game that generation was never released.

The last Pokemon Legends game, Pokemon Legends: Arceus, was released in 2022. The game, which saw players travel back in time to the Hisui region, was met with much praise from fans and critics for the ways it refreshed the Pokemon formula.

Blending action and exploration with Pokémon’s RPG roots, Pokémon Legends: Arceus has one of the most unique settings in the history of the series.

Rather than the regular challenge of defeating gym leaders and the Elite Four to become a Pokémon master, Legends focuses on discovery, with players challenged with studying Pokémon in a bid to complete the Hisui region’s first Pokédex.

VGC’s Pokémon Legends: Arceus review called it “the series’ best game in years”, claiming it’s “the breath of fresh air the series has needed for so long”.

It added: “It may not have been apparent from the trailers, but this is one of the most entertaining, engaging and engrossing games in the entire history of the Pokémon series, and is highly recommended to both long-time fans and complete newcomers.”