New leaks relating to Pokémon’s 10th generation indicate that the franchise may be about to break with a 14-year-long tradition. There are currently plenty of rumors circulating about Pokémon’s Gen 10 games, although Nintendo is naturally keeping a tight lid on any details for future titles. However, this hasn’t stopped leaks about new and unannounced Pokémon games from appearing online, which have inspired interest and speculation even without official acknowledgment of their subjects.
Although not every Pokémon leak is credible or accurate, there are some sources which are better regarded than others. Leaks can originate in many different ways, from insider information to datamining, and the nature of the internet means it can be difficult to identify hoaxes. As such, when it comes to the latest Pokémon game leaks, it is arguably best to simply look to the most prominent and trusted sources for reputable information. For example, X (formerly Twitter) users Centro LEAKS and Riddler_Khu are both well-known for the information that they have obtained and disseminated for many years now.
According to Centro LEAKS on X, a recent leak points to a release date for the Pokémon Gen 10 games, as well as Pokémon Legends: Z-A. According to this information, Gen 10 will actually be released at some point in 2026, which would coincide with the 30th anniversary of the franchise. Although fitting for the debut of a milestone Generation, this time frame also breaks a long-running tradition for new core games to be released in three-year intervals. As Pokémon Scarlet and Violet were released in 2022, this means that there will now likely be a four-year gap instead.
The tradition of a three-year-long Generation has existed since Gen 5’s Pokémon Black and White, which were released in Japan in 2010. Gen 6’s Pokémon X and Y followed in 2013, Gen 7’s Pokémon Sun and Moon in 2016, and so forth. The sudden breaking of this pattern may come as a surprise to many, although the opportunity to coincide with a franchise milestone alone is an understandable reason for such a delay. Moreover, it is worth noting that this is not the first time the Pokémon franchise’s core game release schedule has suddenly changed.
Although Black and White marked the beginning of the modern three-year release gap, the paired games were themselves released four years after Pokémon Diamond and Pearl originally were in 2006. Of course, the release window of early core games varied greatly depending on the region in which they were released, with Western versions arriving one or two years later than the original Japanese. It is only relatively recently that Pokémon games have begun to release simultaneously worldwide. In this wider context, a four-year period between releases is not unprecedented, although likely disappointing for those invested in the current established trend.
In addition to the fact that 2026 will be Pokémon’s 30th anniversary, it is important to note that a release that year would mean that Gen 10 would almost certainly be part of the catalog for the Switch 2 console. Although little is currently known about the release of the Switch 2, a major announcement about the console will be made before the end of March 2025. With that time frame in mind, it seems very likely that the new Nintendo console will be available by the time a new core Pokémon game releases in 2026.
Of course, the prospect of newer and more powerful hardware being behind Pokémon Gen 10 is an exciting prospect, particularly when considering the processing issues and other bugs that have plagued Pokémon Scarlet and Violet. A more advanced console should be capable of eliminating these problems, or at the very least mitigating them significantly. Moreover, a release for a major franchise like Pokémon would undoubtedly be of great benefit to early sales of the Switch 2, giving Nintendo additional financial incentive to release the next core games for the new console.
In a similar vein, an additional year of development time in comparison to other recent titles can only be a benefit for polishing Gen 10. It would be immensely disappointing if these titles were as badly affected by bugs as Scarlet and Violet were, especially considering that these titles seem set to mark the franchise’s 30th anniversary. As such, the fact that extra time would allow for such issues to be found and corrected is a clear positive for developers to take this approach.
Although traditions can be an important part of any franchise, they should be a benefit to the games involved and not a detriment. Pokémon Scarlet and Violet clearly deserved more time before they were released, and the Gen 10 titles are perfectly positioned to learn from this mistake. In some ways, breaking a tradition can be just as exciting as maintaining it, as doing so allows a game to grow beyond the familiar constraints of its predecessors. If anything, the breaking of this particular tradition will grant the Gen 10 games more time to innovate and improve.
While there may be a longer wait for Gen 10 than most people are accustomed to, the circumstances and benefits of an extra year are more than enough to make up for any initial disappointment. Additionally, although Gen 10 may not begin until 2026, there is every chance that Legends: Z-A will be released at some point in 2025, meaning that there will still be a major new Pokémon title next year. Highly anticipated in its own right, Legends: Z-A should be more than capable of tiding people over until 2026.
Although every leak should be taken with a grain of salt, Centro LEAKS has a reputation for reliability, which makes the prospect of Pokémon Gen 10 coming in 2026 far more likely than not. The convergence of other factors, namely the 30th anniversary and anticipated release of the Switch 2, further support the leak being accurate. As a result, 2026 is likely to be an enormous year for fans of Pokémon, with titles that have the potential to be the franchise’s biggest and most impressive games yet.
Source: Centro LEAKS/X