Pokémon Legends Z-A release date speculation & Mega Evolution news
The next Pokémon game? It's a return trip to Kalos.
To mark this year's Pokémon Day celebrations, during an online Pokémon Presents showcase, the next Pokémon game was announced. It's got fans of X and Y, Zygarde and Mega Evolution pretty excited.
It's officially called Pokémon Legends Z-A, although it looks like the internet has collectively decided to just call it Pokémon Legends ZA. Who needs a dash in there anyway?
This new Switch game — seemingly spit across two titles, Pokémon Legends Z and Pokémon Legends A — will bring players back to the France-inspired Kalos region from Pokémon X and Y.
There's even talk of an "an urban redevelopment plan" in the Paris-inspired Lumiose City, the centrepiece location of those 2013 3DS titles. Read on to learn more!
When is the Pokémon Legends Z-A release date? Our speculation on the next Pokémon game
In terms of the Pokémon Legends ZA release date, the official trailer confirms that 2025 will be the year that we all return to Kalos in the next Pokémon game.
More like this
A precise date was not mentioned in the announcement, so it's time to put our speculation hat on.
If the developers at Game Freak wanted to aim for the original X and Y release date, the anniversary for that would be 12th October 2025.
Twelve years on from the original X and Y launch, that October window is as good a guess as any for the arrival of Z and A.
Can I pre-order Pokémon Legends Z-A?
At the time of writing, it is not yet possible to pre-order Pokémon Legends ZA.
We would expect product pages to pop up soon on the Nintendo website, Amazon, GAME and all the other usual suspects.
We'll update this page as soon as we're able to add the specific pre-order links! For now, we've linked off to the some generic landing pages in the paragraph above.
By entering your details, you are agreeing to our terms and conditions and privacy policy. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Which consoles and platforms can play Pokémon Legends Z-A?
We know for sure that Pokémon Legends ZA will be available on Nintendo Switch, with the console's familiar red and white logo being present in the official announcement trailer.
No mention was made in the presentation of the heavily rumoured Nintendo Switch 2, or whatever the next console from the iconic Japanese company ends up being called.
In time, we wouldn't be surprised to find out that Z and A are also available on Nintendo's next console, as well as the Switch. But for now, there's no official word on that next generation hardware.
Pokémon Legends Z-A gameplay news - Is Mega Evolution back in the next Pokémon game?
The trailer for Pokémon Legends ZA only really confirmed one thing in terms of gameplay — by including the familiar icon above, the developers made it clear that Mega Evolution will feature in Pokémon Legends ZA.
People that played the original X and Y games will know that Mega Evolution originated in those titles, before being included in Pokémon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire as well.
Through the use of special stones, Mega Evolution allows select Pokémon to transform into 'Mega' versions of themselves (with new designs, abilities and improved stats) midway through battle.
Similar gimmicks have appeared in more recent games, but some fans have been hoping for a long time to see Mega Evolution return.
Pokémon Legends Z-A story news - Is it a prequel?
In terms of the story, it's currently unclear whether Pokémon Legends ZA is set before or after Pokémon X and Y.
The only previous mainline Pokémon game to have 'Legends' in the title was 2022's Pokémon Legends: Arceus, which travelled back in time to an ancient period way before Diamond and Pearl (all three of those games were set in the same region).
Going by the word 'Legends', you might expect Z and A to be prequels to X and Y. However, the talk of urban redevelopment in the trailer makes us think that it could be set after the events of X and Y.
The Z and A in the name also make us think of the mysterious old man named AZ, who appeared in X and Y. He turned out to be the former king of Kalos, which again could play into the prequel theory.
The Z could be a nod to Zygarde, too, a Legendary Pokémon with many different forms that first appeared in X and Y. Only time will tell if that factors into the story somehow! We'll update this page when we can.
Is there a Pokémon Legends Z-A trailer?
You can check out the Pokémon Legends ZA reveal trailer below. It didn't give much away, to be honest, but it was enough to get us excited!
Read more on Pokémon:
- Best Pokémon gifts - the greatest merch
- Best Pokémon games on Switch - our ranking
- Best shiny Pokémon - the coolest creatures
- Best Dragon-type Pokémon - who's your fave?
- All cat Pokémon - the felines to catch
- Pokémon natures guide - all you need to know
- Pokémon type chart - strengths and weaknesses explained
- Legendary Pokémon - the full list
- Pokémon Scarlet and Violet cheats - handy hacks
- Pokémon Emerald cheats - what you need to know
- Pokémon Fire Red cheats - all codes
- Pokémon Go friend codes - and how to find them
- Pokémon games in order - where to start
Listen to our One More Life podcast and subscribe to our gaming newsletter for all the latest intel.
Looking for something to watch? Check out our TV Guide or Streaming Guide.
Try Radio Times magazine today and get 10 issues for only £10 – subscribe now. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
