Standard Edition
StandardUS$59.99 at launch
In the box
- Game card
- Case with cover art
Switch
Pokémon Legends: Arceus
Pokémon Legends: Arceus is a 2022 action role-playing game developed by Game Freak and published by Nintendo and The Pokémon Company for the Nintendo Switch. It is part of the eighth generation of the Pokémon video game series and serves as a prequel to the fourth-generation titles Pokémon Diamond and Pearl (2006).
Role-playing (RPG)Turn-based strategy (TBS)Adventure
- Time to beat
- about 26.6 hours
- Plays offline
- Yes
Overview
Pokémon Legends: Arceus is a 2022 action role-playing game developed by Game Freak and published by Nintendo and The Pokémon Company for the Nintendo Switch. It is part of the eighth generation of the Pokémon video game series and serves as a prequel to the fourth-generation titles Pokémon Diamond and Pearl (2006). The game was first announced as part of the Pokémon 25th Anniversary event in February 2021, and was released worldwide on 28 January 2022.
The game follows the protagonist, who is sent back in time and travels through the Hisui region, which is based on the island of Hokkaido during early Japanese colonization. The game is centered around exploration of the region's several open areas populated with Pokémon, with its main objective being to complete the Pokédex by catching all Pokémon. Pokémon Legends: Arceus was a commercial success, having sold over 14.83 million copies by 31 March 2023. It was also a critical success, receiving generally favourable reviews, and being nominated for several end of the year awards, including Best RPG at The Game Awards 2022. A second Legends game, Pokémon Legends: Z-A, was released in 2025.
Official trailer
Overview Trailer. Watch on YouTube
Gameplay
Pokémon Legends: Arceus OLED Nintendo Switch Gameplay, Open Surprise. Watch on YouTube
Screenshots
Game details
- Genres
- Role-playing (RPG), Turn-based strategy (TBS), Adventure
- Developer
- Game Freak
- Publisher
- Nintendo, The Pokémon Company
- Series
- Pokémon
- Platforms
- Nintendo Switch
- Age rating
- ESRB E
- Modes
- Single player
- Yes
- Local multiplayer
- No
- Online multiplayer
- No
- Co op
- No
- Age ratings
- GRAC
- ALL
- USK
- 6
- CERO
- A
- ACB
- G
- PEGI
- 7
- ESRB
- E
Release dates
| Platform | Region | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Nintendo Switch | Worldwide | 2022-01-28 |
| Nintendo Switch | Brazil | 2022-10-25 |
Editions
DLC
No paid DLC. The Daybreak update, released free on 27 February 2022, added post-game content.
Playable today
Playable offline todayYes
The whole game still plays; trading works locally and online.
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Price at release | US$59.99, 28 January 2022 |
| Ever released on disc | Yes, on a Nintendo Switch game card |
| Ever released in the store | Yes, 28 January 2022 |
| In the store to buy today | Yes, US$59.99 |
| Can be downloaded again if you already bought it | Yes |
| Disc runs with no patch | Yes Daybreak and online trading need the latest update. |
| Disc runs with the final patch | Yes The update is free on the console. |
| Has online features | Yes Online trading and Mystery Gift. |
| Online servers running today | Running Online trading needs a Nintendo Switch Online membership. |
| Playable offline today: campaign | Yes |
| Playable offline today: local multiplayer | Yes Trading over local wireless only. |
| Playable offline today: online multiplayer | Yes Online trading still works. |
| Playable offline today: DLC | Does not exist No paid DLC. |
Online
Plays offlineYes
Reception
- Aggregates
Outlet Platform Score Scale Metacritic Switch 83 100 - Critics
Outlet Score Scale IGN 7 10 GameSpot 8 10 Game Informer 8.75 10 Nintendo Life 9 10 Destructoid 8 10 Famitsu 38 40 GamesRadar+ 4.5 5 Nintendo World Report 9 10
Staff and cast
- Staff
Role Name Developer Game Freak Publishers Nintendo, The Pokemon Company (Japan) Director Kazumasa Iwao Producers Shigeru Ohmori, Akira Kinashi, Toyokazu Nonaka, Takanori Sowa, Kenji Endo Designer Yuichi Murase Programmer Kazuki Saita Artist Suguru Nakatsui Writer Toshinobu Matsumiya Composers Go Ichinose, Hitomi Sato, Hiromitsu Maeba
Notes for collectors
- Set in the Hisui region, an older Sinnoh, long before the other Pokemon games.
- Single player; trading works over local wireless or online with Nintendo Switch Online.
- Japanese pre-orders came with a gold holographic art book and an Arceus promo card.
- Sold 6.5 million copies in its first week and 14.83 million by March 2023.
- Won Nintendo Game of the Year at the 2022 Golden Joystick Awards.
- Followed by Pokemon Legends: Z-A in 2025.
Credits
- Publisher
- Nintendo, The Pokémon Company
- Developer
- Game Freak
- Director
- Kazumasa Iwao
- Released
- 2022-01-28
- Age rating
- ESRB E
- Region
- US
- Time to beat
- about 26.6 hours
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