Pokemon Legends: Z-A Map Leaked, And It Has Fans Worried

Pokemon Legends: Z-A is a bold follow-up to Pokemon Legends: Arceus. Rather than focusing on exploration, it has opted for prioritizing battling and has a new battle system never before seen in a Pokemon game. This is only one of many changes being made to the game, and fans are excited for its release on October 16th. However, there is one aspect of the spin-off title that has fans worried, especially after the hands-on demo at the 2025 Pokemon World Championships gave fans an extended look at Pokemon Legends: Z-A, and it turns out this was a fear players had from the beginning.

While exploration is still important in Pokemon Legends: Z-A, it has chosen to have a smaller map than Pokemon Legends: Arceus, a decision that has drawn concerns from the fan base online. One of the main reasons for this small map size is that the game takes place almost exclusively in Lumoise City — the largest city in the Kalos region. But even so, fans do not believe it is big enough for an entire game, especially one that is releasing on the Switch 2 (even though it’s only an enhanced port).

Some fans are remaining optimistic, though. Even if the map in Pokemon Legends: Z-A is small, players are hoping it will be full of interesting locations and things to do. As seen in many action-adventure and open-world games from various publishers, a bigger map doesn’t always mean a thriving world. In this case, The Pokemon Company has already revealed many of the activities and areas of the game, including the ability to travel via the city’s rooftops. There is potential for other locations like this, such as an underground system, meaning there may be more to the map than meets the eye.

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Some fans have compared Pokemon Legends: Z-A’s Lumoise City to the Indigo Disk regarding size. It has been confirmed that many buildings can be entered, which does expand on the game’s size to some degree. There are also reports of an airport, possibly hinting at other areas or regions one can visit. If true, this could be a mechanic in the base game or a way to set up DLC in the future.

The demo only showed a fraction of Pokemon Legends: Z-A, and there is plenty of time to go before the game releases. Players have yet to see the full game, so many of these fears may be unfounded in the end. The Pokemon Company is taking a lot of risks with Pokemon Legends: Z-A, but it succeeded with similar ideas in Pokemon Legends: Arceus. It remains to be seen how the map ultimately shapes up, but it has certainly divided the fan base so far.