Why You Should Replay Pokemon Scarlet and Violet in 2026

Pokemon Scarlet and Purple Officially entered its fourth year in November 2025, and while Pokemon Legends: ZA Even with its accompanying DLC that's been out for months, Gen 9 is still a pillar of the series. This is because it was the last brand-new generation of critics, giving fans a lot of content to go through in both the base game and the two full-length expansions. but, Pokemon Scarlet and Purple While their fair share of issues and controversies were involved, they were review-bombed by fans dissatisfied with the games' performance on the Switch. Regardless, there are plenty of good reasons to play or replay Gen 9 games in 2026.

Pokemon Scarlet and Purple features at a glance

a giant Open world to explore
400 Pokemon in the Paldean Pokedex
- above 100 new species In the base game
Over 330 Pokémon in the Kitakami and Blueberry Academy DLC Pokédexes, totaling around 730 unique usable critters
- 15 new Pokemon species in both DLCs
A wider VGC community with ongoing events including World 2026
Lots of missions to complete and items to find
End game content Base game and DLC to keep you busy
a lot Online events To get unique Pokemon, eg Scarlet and purpleWalking wakes and iron leaves
Fight your raid Play both solo and online
One of the best stories in the Pokemon Games

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Why You Should Start Pokemon Scarlet and Violet Playthrough in 2026

Prepare for Pokemon Gen 10 in 2026

completed Pokemon Scarlet and Purplepokedex
Complete the Kitakami Pokedex
Complete the Blueberry Academy Pokédex
Transfer Pokemon Pokemon home
Catch Pokémon you may have missed, such as the DLC's Pecharunt epilogue event or event-exclusive Wake and Iron Leaves.

This year marks the franchise's 30th anniversary, and a new generation Pokemon The games usually start every three years, with 2026 being the fourth year since Scarlet and purple Turns out, it's basically confirmed that Gen 10 will come out. Pokemon Wind and WaveThe leaked titles for Gen 10, are likely to come out between October and November this year, hence the replay Pokemon Scarlet and Purple There's a surefire way to get ready for them when new titles drop.

Experience Pokemon Scarlet and Violet on Nintendo Switch 2

Play with improved graphics
There is a rich open world with more Pokemon Scarlet and purple Compared to switch 1
Play at 60+ FPS, say goodbye to performance issues

When a new Nintendo console came out, it also released an upgrade pack for the Switch 2 Pokemon Scarlet and Purple. If you have a Nintendo Switch 2 this is an incredible upgrade, as the game runs very smoothly on the new console, allowing you to explore Paldea at its best.

Shiny prey in Pokemon Scarlet and Purple

Complete Tera Raid battles to obtain Herba Mystica
Make a shiny sandwich
Get your favorite Pokemon shiny
Try the draft method for egg glaze

Getting inside the shiny attraction Pokemon Scarlet and Purple The game requires catching all the Pokemon, which is easier if you have two consoles and copies of both games, but can also be done through trading. However, once you have it, it combines with the shiny sandwich for incredible odds of about 1 in 500 critters. This makes it much easier to find your favorites, and it's a great way to work through a shiny Pokedex completion.

Shiny Charms increase the chance of finding Shiny Pokémon in eggs, which can be combined with the Masuda Method for even higher chances.

Is Pokemon Scarlet and Violet worth playing in 2026?

If none of these reasons convince you, now is the best time to go back Pokemon Scarlet and Purple Or start a new playthrough, there might be another one. Since this year marks the franchise's 30th anniversary, and Gen 10 could be 9 or 10 months away, there's a solid chance that new, unique online events will be made available for Gen 9 games.

It could be something like this Pokemon Scarlet and PurpleWays to hunt Shiny Rayquaza, Tera Reds for special rewards, or currently Shiny-locked Legendary and Legendary Pokemon. It's unconfirmed as of now, but 2026 will be a big year for Gen 9 games and their send-off as the new generation comes out.