What is your favorite Pokémon-gen, and how would you rank them?

General
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What is your favorite Pokémon generation, and why? Also, how would you rank the generations in terms of quality (region, Pokémon, overall)?

Personal sentiment often plays a big roll in what generation you like best (nostalgia), but arguments for why it is the best are very much welcome too!

If I had to go with pure nostalgia it would be Gen 1 for me, but, I have a lot of nostalgia for the second gen as well and I would choose it over the first one; a more balanced group of Pokémon, more Pokémon in general, day and night cycle and better mechanics like the daycare (eggs) and a lot of moves making more sense. To top it off you have Kanto to go to (best post-game till date I think). After the second gen some of that initial magic was lost. After the fifth gen a lot of it was lost (just my opinions). My ranking would be as follows (best to worst);

2, 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 9, 7, 8.

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Started on Gen 1 so i’ll always be attached to the OG’s but i’ll never forget the magic that was Ruby and Sapphire, maybe I was at an age where I could appreciate the games more, but the trumpets, updated sprites and treecko :heart_eyes: jumping in these games was a feeling i’ve been chasing ever since.

My favourites
3,6,2,1,7,8,9,4,5

Kalos came out during one of the worst times of my life so i replayed those games dozens of times with new challenges, so it’s up there ha

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2, 1, 3, 5, 4, 6, and I minimally played the rest so I dont really have much invested in them and they all kinda rate the same to me 7, 8, 9.

Mostly its based on nostalgia. I started with red/blue followed by yellow but really felt the world opened up with G/S/C. Theres no denying R/S/E were great to play as well though. After that I was playing less but still getting through games when I could so I ranked based on overall feel of the games.

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My favourite is Gen 4 followed closely by Gen 3.

My opinion is very video game centric as that’s my core love for the franchise.
In my opinion those two generations are what shaped Pokémon into what they are today. All of the major things they did like Physical Special split and abilities are foundational at this point and as much as I love going back to generation 1 and 2, they just always feel lacking compared to modern games.

Generation 3 was my childhood generation where I really got into the cards and anime, so that plays into it.
Generation 4 is my favourite though because Diamond was my first game I got new on release day and was still young enough for the nostalgia lenses. I casually played gen 3 games, but Gen 4 is where I went deep into the weeds of Pokémon where that has continued apart from certain lulls in my fandom, such as high school.
Many of my favourite Pokémon and cards are from these eras as well, but I definitely try to keep an open mind to all things new in Pokémon.

My order would probably be: 4, 3, 8, 2, 9, 1, 5, 7, 6.
But I think it lends itself better to “tiers” which in my case is:
S: 4 & 3
A: 8 & 2
B; 9, 1, 5
C: 7 & 6

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I like your reasoning. I like gen 3, and 4 (a bit less) a lot too. It´s just gen 2 has that certain charm.

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3, 2, 5, 1, 4, 6 (don’t like 7-9)

This isn’t a complete answer. I’ve poured innumerable hours into each gen I’ve played, they’re all great, they’re all riddled with issues, and today I wouldn’t want to play any of them just for the sake of playing through the game. White 2 is the the closest they came to building a game that could stand on its own merits.

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I started with Pokemon Red and played pretty much every single game in English and French and available (and complete) rom Hack several times, here’s my ranking:

1: Gen 5 (Game experience, length and overall graphics at the time I loved (especially the pokemon always moving in sprites), especially BW2 (The forgotten era)
2: It’s a tie for Gen 2 and Gen 4, Both very nostalgic
3: Tie Gen 3 and Gen 1, loved and played both too many times I think :laughing:
Then all other generations after that don’t have a ranking I enjoyed them all equally, I just dislike Galar with Passion because they made a region based on the UK, but they did not include the OG Nidoking and Nidoqueen in the regional pokedex :smiling_face_with_tear: (Would have made a cool TCG Box with promos)

Also to you reading this, if you haven’t tried Pokemon Colosseum, Pokemon XD or Pokemon Heart Gold / Soulsilver, you should :stuck_out_tongue:

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My ranking: 2,3,1,8,9,4,5,6,7

To be fair, I haven’t played gens 5-7 at all so I don’t have the nostalgia/experience for them. What I do have is an opinion based on research, the dex, the story, the characters and their impression theyve given from an outside perspective and reviews of the games themselves to base my opinion off of. Of course, music and graphics are a variable too but yeah.

Firstly, I ADORE gens 2 and 3. I have tons of experience with the first 3 gens since i played hundreds of hours of all 3. I grew up with the games and collecting the tcg since it began and I dearly loved my Gold version the most. The change from monochrome to full color, the music, the brand new pokemon, the mystical feel of Johto and all the lore and legendary pokemon had me HOOKED. I also just love the more traditional Japanese feel of the region and the architecture in that game. I still cry when I hear the OST/Brandon Burks Symphonic renditions of the songs as well. (highly recommend btw, hes on youtube) So touching. So near and dear to my heart.

While Gen 2 is amazing, it has its pitfalls and inefficiencies. Much of this was remedied and improved upon in Gen 3 with Hoenn. These are probably the most fun to play games until I experienced PLA in gen 8. Again, the music, the graphics, the gameplay felt like a whole new franchise! Its crazy the changes from Color to Advance made for the feel of the games. A beautiful region, amazing new dex, and the Movies around this time were so freaking good. I had Ruby and Emerald cuz I just had to experience this game to its fullest extent.

Gen 1 is the start of my love for pokemon. There’s nothing like it, the original pokemon designs, the fanfare, the dawn of the IP just hits different. Its ol reliable. Nothing can be said that’s already been said. If you lived through the time of its release and Pokemania, you know exactly how I feel about it. The remakes are very good as well. Loved having new graphics and music with the old game + more.

I would say gen 8 is just under gen 1 because it was when I got back into playing main series games. The QOL upgrades were incredible, the “Open World”, the cool new pokemon; it was all so great to experience after such a long hiatus. Although, what Sword/Shield lack in depth, PLA made up for in spades. Truly might be favorite game in the series just based on gameplay and feel. The music, the new gameplay mechanics, catching pokemon in real time instead of in battles, battling and being able to move around during it, felt so much more realistic. Also having pokemon in the overworld, the classic historic vibe, feeling like you’re living a legendary tale felt so cool. The biggest leap forward for the series ever. Such a cool gen. The art in the TCG grew the most it has in years as well in this gen. Experimenting with AR’s, CSR’s, alt arts and hiring many new artists did the game well in many respects.

Gen 9 had to grow on me for a bit but i’ve come to enjoy it very much. an actual open world was so cool to explore, the amount of freedom felt so good to experience. Although the game lacked in graphics/framerate issues from time to time, the story, the designs, the characters, the paradox mons; everything felt much more vibrant and alive. This era has probably been the greatest in terms of art for the TCG as well and I cant wait to see how it continues to unfold.

Although I dont have much playtime experience with Gen 4, I did fall in love with Hisui in PLA. The dex is home to many of my newer favorite mons; namely Froslass and Dialga, but also Mantyke, Mismagius, Giratina and Darkrai. very cool region, great music, amazing lore additions with Arceus and the creation trio. Very solid.

For gens 5-7, Unova is cool other than the dex. My least favorite dex of all time. There’s some gems in there, but mostly pokemon I dont care at all about. Kalos is nice, Megas are ok to me, not really moved by them, I dont hear much about the music being standout, sadly. Pokemon Z-A should be my first foray into Kalos which im excited for! Gen 7 has a cool dex but I hear the games are such a slog and take forever due to handholding/tutorial overload. I love tropical regions so its a big plus. This gen is when I got back into tcg collecting so its got some recent nostalgia points for that.

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2 is my favorite, but I really love them all. I cant rank them!

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2, 1, 3. Stopped following after Gen 3 so that’s where it ends for me lol.

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I kind of agree, they are all flawed (why isn´t there a hard mode?).

At the same time, playing through the game for the sake of playing through it is still very much fun if it´s the game you have the closest connection with.

I can still play gen 1 and enjoy it for what it is.

Also, I think one conclusion that can already be drawn is that most people dislike gen´s 7-9, and don´t think very special of gen 6. Kind of sad that that would mark a decline.

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Gen 4/5/3 and 7 are my favorites.

Gen 4 ofc are my first games and will always be my favourite and has my favourite champion and character in all of pokemon being Cynthia. Love the additional lore they provided in Pokemon Legends Arceus too along with the ancestors which is amazing.

Gen 5 are the 2nd gen of games i ever played i actually played it first in Japanese before i got Pokemon Black in English (Had White in Japanese, my cousin in Thailand brought it for me after their trip to Japan). and ofc Played BW2 aswell and definitely the peak of the franchise in terms of how complete the games are and it being a sequel to BW.

Gen 3 ORAS was just amazing and love the additions and glow ups to the Hoenn region and the primal and mega forms of the legendary trio. also Zinnia was an amazing addition ofc.

Gen 7 just a fun and change of pace from typical gym structure imo

For Gen 2 since i was more used to the more linear games in comparison the Gen 2 level curve is my biggest gripe with it. Surprised they didnt adjust it in HGSS to make it feel more enjoyable tbh. HGSS overall cool games but the level curve wasnt that fun to even grind and feels awkard running into level 2 after the elite 4.

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Ranking would be difficult but I would say:

Pokemon: 1-3-2-4-6-5 (not too interested in post gen7 pokemon unfortunately)
I Love how solid are gen3 and 1, very good variety and a “monstrous” feeling without over design. I like gen2-4 more “rounded” style, just a bit less than the first ones.
Then, gen6 pokedex, that I think is really underrated.

Region: 2-4-3-1-5-6
Gen 2 is just perfect, with that aesthetic and lore. Gen4 is just a bit behind, while gen3 would be perfect without the infamous water problem.

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Definitely the turning point yeah. Gen 5 is the last of the great generations, Gen 6 is the least terrible new generation. Significantly so I’d say.

The low-fat dex, the low-sugar region, the increasingly idiotic game mechanics, the incessant power creep, infantilized story mode, even the game performance. All the bad stuff takes on a new dimension, and all of this after they finally started to iron out some of the things that plagued the games for so many years, like finite TM’s, DV’s/IV’s, battery-dependent save files, Hidden Power, breeding, level grinding, EV grinding, exclusives without online trading capabilities, etc etc.

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Completely agree. In simple terms, the 2D generations will always be reflected fondly since they are distinctively different to 6-9. ORAS is still very fun but it does share several nuances of newer generations.

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I started with Gen 1, but ranking probably goes:

2, 3, 1, 4, 7, 5, 6, 9, 8

I’ll never forget the excitement of Gold & Silver releasing, all the QoL improvements in the games and the release of Neo Genesis in the TCG alongside it. Every Neo set after & E-Series were absolute bangers throughout that generation.

Gen 3 was something special for the games and the vast majority of the TCG sets were big winners, with the introduction of ultra rares and the legendary Gold Stars. The merch and visibility of Pokémon also took a jump up for the first time since Pokémania subsided, which made it feel like perhaps the franchise wasn’t going to just go quietly into the night.

What can I say about Gen 1 that hasn’t already been said? Iconic and the catalyst for it all. It just doesn’t quite beat out 1st and 2nd place for overall consistent quality.

Gen 4…well, HGSS and the TCG sets save this generation from the bottom end of the ranking for me; Diamond & Pearl were reskins of the plot from Hoenn and painfully slow to play (Platinum improved it, but couldn’t save Sinnoh), plus the introduction of deities and “true” creation myths felt like jumping the shark - the universe feels so small and false if these fantastical animals running around in the wild are also gods that created the entire darn universe. Yuck.

Say what you want about the slog of Sun & Moon, but those games and the TCG at the time felt so full of fun and optimism. The franchise looked like it was enjoying experimenting with formulas again for the first time in years, and it was just a refreshing joy to experience after years of going through the motions.

Then we get Gen 5. Black, White and the sequels are solid, fun games that are let down a bit by the “don’t copy my homework” Pokédex and muddled attempt at soft-rebooting that didn’t have enough conviction behind it. The TCG through the era was overall poor too, with only a handful of cards considered worthwhile today. I’ll mention the anime this once too, because I gather it’s the worst series in the franchise’s history.

X&Y were very lacklustre games (even though the 3D aspect and Pokédex are good), with a cool gimmick in mega evolutions…even if all of the choices/designs aren’t the best. ORAS being a killer update and the TCG saves Gen 6 for me, with full arts being improved from their introduction in Gen 5 and the gold secret rares giving a hint of alternate artworks to come in the future.

Gen 8 & 9 are mostly tied for me, due to SV being roughly comparable to the highs of Legends: Arceus being such a breath of fresh air while balancing out against the massive waste of potential in SwSh, which was only salvageable with the dlc. The TCG in both of these eras has been very solid, with SwSh having the bigger hitters, while SV sets have had the more consistent high quality of releases, with 2025 looking to continue the streak with today’s announcements.

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1, 2, some species from 3 and Alolan Muk from Gen 7.

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Ok this is going to be quick

gen1:10
gen2:8
gen3:6
gen4:0
gen5:0
gen6:0
gen7:0
gen8:0

Thanks.

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My favorite is gen 3.

Ranking would go something like:

3, 1, 4, 9, 2, 8, 5, 6, 7

I have a varied relationship with each of these gens in terms of cards, nostalgia, games played, pokemon liked, etc.

I may move gen 9 higher up once PLZA comes out. For now its more or less tied with 4.

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Yeah, well said. Gen 8 for me was the low point as for the first time in Pokémon I did not enjoy playing the game. Gen 9 wasn´t what I was hoping, but I at least found myself having some fun with it. I usually break the gens in two for these reasons; 1-5 and 6-… (I´m still hoping this trend will break).

What kind of saves gen 6 for me is that it still felt like a fresh take because the 3D was new and not that bad at all (although it completely ruined the caves that were an important part of Pokémon up till then). Also the fairy-typing was a good addition with a lot of obscure gen 1-3 Pokémon gaining the type and suddenly becoming interesting. This was also implemented in the games well, with the Fairy gym being pretty interesting and capturing some of that oldschool mystery.

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