When Pokemon Go released back in 2016, there were just under 150 Pokemon to catch. Niantic started with the most recognizable Pokemon from the Kanto region, slowly doling out new additions over time. Once upon a time, new Pokemon debuts often featured a lineup of multiple additions from a particular region. But as the lifespan of Pokemon Go has begun to outpace the back catalog of existing Pokemon, the release pace has slowed down. Now, the list of available Pokemon in the mobile game has reached a new milestone.
Videos by ComicBook.com
It’s been a few years since Gen 9 arrived, and we still don’t have a confirmed release date for Gen 10. That means the number of unreleased Pokemon in Pokemon Go is dwindling. And while there are still a few surprising exclusions, the list of Pokemon not in the game has been getting shorter. And with the latest set of debuts in the Go Wild Area 2025 event, Pokemon Go has added 926 of 1025 existing Pokemon. That means that as of November 7th, there are fewer than 100 Pokemon in existence that aren’t available in Pokemon Go.
What’s Next As Pokemon Go Runs Low on New Pokemon Debuts?
As r/pokemongo user @Minuro63 noted, the Pokemon Go Wild Area 2025 release of Impidimp, Morgrem, and Grimmsnarl marks a significant moment in the game’s history. These 3 additions, which debuted during the in-person event in Nagasaki, bring the number of unreleased Pokemon in Go below 100 for the first time. If you’re not traveling to the in-person event, these new Pokemon will debut globally on November 15th, at the start of the Pokemon Go Wild Area: Global event.
This information comes from the Pokemon wiki site, Bulbapedia, which keeps an updated list of Pokemon not yet available in Pokemon Go. There are still quite a number of Gen 9 Pokemon to come, but the list of other remaining omissions is growing thin. That raises questions about what Niantic can do to keep the game fresh as we wait for Gen 10. Even once the new set of Pokemon designs does arrive, Pokemon Go will likely dole them out slowly to help avoid catching up again too quickly.
But as many fans have pointed out, that doesn’t mean Niantic is out of options. After all, costumed Pokemon and Shinies are another way to add something new for players to find without relying on a brand-new Pokemon debut. As one player puts it, “Pokemon are limited, but Pikachu hats aren’t.”
Along with Shiny, Shadow, and Costume variants, Pokemon Go still has the potential to expand on gimmicks like Mega Evolution and Max Battles. Pokemon Legends: Z-A didn’t expand the overall dex, but it did add some new Megas for Pokemon Go to play around with. And then of course, there’s the ongoing influx of new Gigantamax and Dynamax Pokemon.
The game is gearing up for a big winner with the recently announced debut of Dynamax Eevee. The giant form of this fan-favorite Pokemon is set to arrive on Friday, November 21st as part of its own Dynamax Eevee Max Battle Weekend. And I don’t know about you, but if anything is getting me out of the house in November, a new Eevee in Pokemon Go just might do it.
Along with Megas and Max Battles, there are a few past Pokemon gimmicks not yet available in the game. We have yet to see Z Moves or Tera Pokemon in Pokemon Go, so that is another potential next step for the game to keep things fresh. Even so, it’s a little bit wild to think that there are less than 100 Pokemon still not in Pokemon Go, even after all these years.
What Pokemon do you hope arrives in Pokemon Go next? Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!
Most Viewed
-
image courtesy of 20th Century Studios -
Image courtesy of Prokino Filmverleih
