Pokémon is living one of its best moments with many main installments, side games, and mobile games that allow us to enter fully into this wonderful universe of Nintendo. But in addition to the new games, starting a game in the classic games is always nice. Here is how to do it on mobile devices.
How to play classic Pokémon games on Android devices
Indeed, Nintendo has already published several games of the Pokémon saga on mobile devices, spin-offs as popular as Pokémon GO, Pokémon UNITE, and soon Pokémon TCG Live. However, there are no classic releases officially available on this platform. The option to play the best games of the saga is through emulators —which do not include ROMS— like the ones we bring you below:
Classic Game Boy Pokémon games on your mobile device with RetroArch
There is no better way to start playing the Pokémon saga than through its original Game Boy installments, both for the original handheld console and the later Game Boy Color and Game Boy Advance versions. All these platforms can be easily emulated on mobile devices with RetroArch, one of the most complete apps of its kind —because it supports many other consoles, too—. Thanks to it, we will be able to run ROMS of the Pokémon Red Version & Blue Version, Pokémon Yellow, Pokémon Gold Version & Silver Version, Pokémon Ruby Version & Pokémon Sapphire Version, and Pokémon Emerald…
All Nintendo DS Pokémon games within reach
One of the best periods of the Pokémon saga was experienced in the years that Nintendo DS was active, with releases as important as the Pokémon Diamond Version & Pearl Version, the Pokémon HeartGold Version & Pokémon SoulSilver Version remasters or the two installments of Pokémon Black Version & White Version. This handheld console was also for which the essential Pokémon Ranger spin-offs and several installments of Pokémon Mystery Dungeon were published. If you want to play them, you can download the free NDS Boy! emulator for your mobile device.
Play must-have Nintendo 3DS Pokémon games on your mobile device
Although it may have fewer Pokémon games than the previous console, Nintendo 3DS also has some Pokémon titles that you can’t miss: Pokémon Sun and Pokémon Moon are among the best-rated of the franchise. However, Pokémon X and Pokémon Y are also highly recommended, as well as the remasters Pokémon Omega Ruby and Pokémon Alpha Sapphire and the spin-off Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Gates to Infinity. You can play them all on your mobile device thanks to Citra Emulator.
Don’t forget the Pokémon games for Nintendo 64
Pokémon not only has good games on handhelds but also on desktop consoles. Nintendo 64 makes short work of this: Pokémon Stadium and Pokémon Snap are two installments that no fan of the saga should miss. Today it is possible to play these games on mobile devices through Mupen64Plus FZ Edition, a specific emulator for this great console.
You can also emulate GameCube and Wii Pokémon games
Of course, it is also possible to play the most modern installments of Pokémon for desktop consoles thanks to Dolphin Emulator, an app that will give us access to the entire catalog of Pokémon games for GameCube —including Pokémon Colosseum and Pokémon XD: Gale of Darkness— and for Nintendo Wii —with spin-offs as curious as Pokémon Battle Revolution or PokéPark Wii: Pikachu’s Adventure—. For now, they are the most modern desktop consoles we can emulate on mobile devices.
