Today during the annual Pokemon Presents livestream, The Pokemon Company gave us the latest update on their next major game, Pokemon Legends Z-A. Unfortunately, the game won't be coming out as early as we expected, with it now having a late 2025 release window. 

Initially thought to be releasing this summer, Pokemon Legends Z-A is now destined for a late 2025 release date. While not currently announced for the Nintendo Switch 2, the new release window means the game will assuredly be available in enhanced form on Nintendo's new system, which is due to launch later this year. The game will still also be playable on the original Nintendo Switch, but like Arceus, Scarlet and Violet, it is likely to look very rough and run with a very choppy frame rate.

Unlike Pokemon Legends Arceus, which was set well in the past, Pokemon Legends Z-A has a more futuristic setting, with a massive sprawling version of Lumiose city, far different to the version of the city we previously saw in Pokemon X & Y back in the day.

The starter Pokemon you'll get to pick are roughly in line with what you would expect. Players will be able to choose from Chikorita, Totodile and unfortunately for anyone who is a Cyndaquil fan, you'll have to settle for Tepig instead as your fire-type starter.

The battle system in Pokemon Legends ZA has evolved a little from Arceus too. You can see in the trailer that now, Game Freak has implemented dodging and positioning mechanics, so whether you land or miss an attack will be firmly within your control. You'll also be able to try and dodge incoming attacks, adding a new dynamic we've not really seen before in a Pokemon title.

KitGuru Says: I really enjoyed Arceus, but it was rough to play on the Switch console. I am hoping that with the Switch 2, we'll get much better frame rates and more anti-aliasing for Pokemon Legends Z-A. 

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