Pokemon Winds and Waves Is Almost Certainly Bringing Back a Fantastic Gen 3 Mechanic

Pokemon Day 2026 has come and gone. While the Presents didn’t pack quite as many big new announcements as many fans expected, it did give us a first look at Gen 10. After many leaks and rumors, Pokemon Winds and Waves is officially confirmed as the next generation of Pokemon main series games. In addition to a sweeping look at the game’s world, we got to meet the starters for the first time. And while those cute little guys have already grown on me, something else caught my attention with the Winds and Waves trailer.

After a nostalgic introduction featuring illustrations of past gens, the trailer begins with a sweeping look at a gorgeous ocean view. From there, we pivot quickly to a “the frame rate will be good this time, we swear” windmill shot. The trailer doesn’t give away too much, but it does show off our new protagonists and a few key areas from the region we’ll explore in Pokemon Winds and Waves. But even if that windmill had me chuckling, it’s all the water that really caught my attention. Because it could mean diving, a mechanic first introduced in Pokemon Ruby and Sapphire, is making a grand comeback.

Pokemon Ruby and Sapphire Had Some of the Best Side Mechanics

Released in 2002, Pokemon Ruby and Sapphire were some of the best games for side content. These games introduced Secret Bases, cozy spaces that players could find and decorate throughout the world. And they also gave us Pokemon Contests and the Poke Blocks that went with them. These features made the world of Pokemon feel more expansive, giving us something to do with our Pokemon besides battling our way to the Elite Four. I will forever keep my fingers crossed for their return in future main series games (looking at you, Gen 10).

Unfortunately, I can’t really point to anything in Gen 10 that suggests the return of Pokemon Contests or Secret Bases just yet. However, with all of that water, and “Waves” being in the actual name of one of the games, another Gen 3 mechanic is likely to return. Along with Pokemon Contests and Secret Bases, Pokemon Ruby and Sapphire also brought us the Dive mechanic. Taught via HM08 in these games, the move Dive would let players actually go underwater to explore. I still remember how exciting it was the first time I used that move and watched my little pixel avatar hop below the waves to explore a whole new world.

Whenever you saw a dark patch of water, using Dive would let you travel below the surface to explore. Once there, you could roam under the sea, exploring relatively small underwater areas where you could find rare and valuable items and even venture through the tall “grass” and underwater caves. The move and its underwater exploration returned in the Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire remakes in 2014, and again in Pokemon Black and White. But since then, underwater exploration hasn’t really been part of main series games. Gen 10 is almost definitely going to change that.

Underwater Exploration Is Almost Certainly Coming Back in Pokemon Winds and Waves

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From the announcement trailer, it’s clear that Pokemon Winds and Waves will have an island setting. Not only that, but it looks like travelling across the water to reach other islands will almost certainly be a part of our journey. Much of the trailer centers on our protagonist characters looking out over the open water, which looks miles ahead of the water graphics in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet. With all that focus on water, Surf (whether on Pokemon or those hoverboards the protagonists are holding) is a given. And Dive is almost certainly coming along for the ride. In fact, some of the trailer even shows off an underwater world full of Pokemon. While we don’t actually see the protagonists go deep-sea diving, this definitely feels like a hint about underwater exploration.

The official Pokemon website notes that Pokemon Winds and Waves will “feature an open world to explore, with beautiful windswept islands and a vast ocean with glittering waves.” While the worlds “open world” and “Pokemon” don’t always go so well together, in this case, I’m hopeful it means we won’t be limited to exploring only above water. The website even notes that we will “dive into the world of Pokemon Winds and Pokemon Waves.” That word choice could be coincidental, but I’ve got a feeling Game Freak knows what it’s doing with that one.

Even if we haven’t seen very much from Gen 10 yet, the names really hint at interesting traversal. “Waves” suggests Surf, at the very least, if not also the return of Dive. As for Winds? Well, here’s hoping we’ll get to take to the skies a bit earlier than we did in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet with this one. Dive was a fun mechanic that expanded the world of Ruby and Sapphire, and bringing something similar back to Gen 10 could help make that open world feel more rewarding to explore. That said, gaming has come a long way since then, so I definitely want to see Game Freak add more to its underwater world than what we saw in Gen 3.

Pokemon Winds and Waves is set to release sometime in 2027. While it’s still a ways off, we’re likely to get more information about the games throughout the year, especially after the Pokemon Pokopia push simmers down. So, mechanics like Dive and other details for Gen 10 are likely going to be confirmed in the lead-up to the game’s long-awaited release. Now, who do I need to talk to about getting Pokemon Contests and Poffin making back in Gen 10, too?

Do you want to see Dive come back in Gen 10? Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!