Our Top Hopes And Predictions For Pokémon Gen 10

We still don’t know much about the next generation of Pokémon, but we can dream. Pokémon’s ninth-generation games, Scarlet and Violet, are about to have their sunset moment with the release of the Hidden Treasure of Area Zero epilogue on January 11. With that generation nearing its end, the future of the series is naturally a major topic of discussion.

It’s unlikely that Pokémon’s Gen 10 game will launch in 2024, as the series is typically on a three-year cycle for each generation, so we’re probably due for a spin-off this year to fill the gap. But we can still dream about what a hypothetical Gen 10 game looks like. It feels like Scarlet and Violet were very much the testing grounds for the future of the series, as well as a possible final straw for fans’ patience with the state of these games.

So with all this in mind, here are a few predictions, hopes, and dreams for what we’ll see in the next generation of Pokémon RPGs.

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Avoid the Scarlet and Violet bugs

This may seem obvious, but if developer Game Freak insists on doubling down on the open-world format, it can’t release games that are as buggy as Scarlet and Violet. In theory, Gen 10 will kick off on the rumored Switch successor, so there should be a technical jump between Scarlet and Violet and wherever we go next. But even so, Scarlet and Violet feels broken in a way other open-world Switch games don’t, and that shouldn’t happen going forward.

The Pokémon brand has been able to withstand a lot of controversy over the years—hell, Pokémon’s last year was pretty much defined by controversy. But Scarlet and Violet’s poor technical performance was a new low. Whether it’s due to a lack of time or resources or speaks to Game Freak’s inability to adjust to the open-world format, Gen 10 can’t be the same technical train wreck.

Improve Pokémon raids

Raids are one of the key elements that keeps players coming back to Pokémon games after they’ve rolled the credits, as they’re huge events requiring you to overcome difficult challenges in order to capture powerful Pokémon. But as fun as they can be, Scarlet and Violet’s Tera Raids were showcases for some of the game’s worst technical flubs. And it wasn’t just because of the aforementioned bugs and glitches, but its confusing mechanics and lackluster rewards. Gen 10 should aim to refine and enhance the raid experience, making it a truly engaging and rewarding aspect of the game.