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ThePokemonfranchise is still going strong, with a new spin on the anime, exciting expansions for the Pokemon TCG, and the continued interest in mobile-based Pokemon Go. But the core games are still as popular as ever, eclipsing nearly every other IP worldwide in scale.
That’s all well and good, but what if youreallywant to do everything conceivably possible in the games? You’ll want to create a Living Pokedex, then, and it’s going to take you hundreds of hours. If that sounds like a good time to you, we’re here to help you pave the way to Pokemon mastery.
What Is A Living Pokedex?
In Pokemon parlance, aLiving Pokedex, commonly shorthanded to Living Dex, is not justa complete Pokedex, butat least one member of every species in the series that is actively caught and held. As you might imagine, this tremendous task has only gotten harder over the years.
Players in pursuit of a Living Dex often take pride in the multitude of origins of their Pokemon pals; having some from every game in the series. However,you won’t need every Pokemon game in order to complete a Living Dex, as we’ll soon illustrate.
Don’t let us stop you, of course. Thereissomething magical about having representatives as far back as far back as Red and Blue - even if only the Virtual Console versions of Red and Blue can be used in this fashion.
Every Pokemon Game On Switch Is Mandatory
You can catchalmost every Pokemon using only Switch titles, which is good news for intrepid catch-‘em’-all trainers. To do so, you will need the following games:
So. That’s a lot of Nintendo Switch Pokemon games. All of them, in fact. In total,all nine Pokemon games on Switch are requiredto get the vast majority of your Living Dex filled out, including theExpansion Passesfor Sword, Shield, Scarlet, and Violet. Look for some great sales deals if you can, because goodness!
You’ll Also Need The Following Games
Unfortunately, even with all nine Switch installments,some Pokemon remain unavailablein this method. This meansusing Pokemon Bank on Nintendo 3DSto transfer the missing critters intoPokemon Homeorusing Pokemon Go.
You will need Pokemon Home in order to store your Living Dex, regardless, as even Scarlet & Violet’s Pokedex lacks some National Dex species.
This dilemma is made all the more complicated sinceit’s no longer possible to download Pokemon Bank from the 3DS eShop- the eShop shut down over a year ago and counting. You can still use Pokemon Bank; in fact, it’s now free. Butyou must have downloaded it prior to shutdown.
In any case, and assuming you do have Pokemon Bank, here’s what you will need from the 3DS era:
Alternatively,Pokemon Gooffers every species thatcontinues to be missing from the Switch eraeven after Pokemon Scarlet & Violet’s Indigo Disk DLC. These include the following:
