is a 2025 action role-playing game developed by Game Freak and published by Nintendo and The Pokémon Company for the Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch 2. Part of the ninth generation of Pokémon video games, it is a sequel to the sixth-generation titles Pokémon X and Y (2013) and the second entry in the Pokémon Legends sub-series, following Pokémon Legends: Arceus (2022). The game takes place entirely in the Kalos region's Lumiose City, five years after the events of X and Y.
Pokémon Legends: Z-A was announced in February 2024 as an exclusive to the original Switch console, before it was later announced that it would also receive an enhanced port for the Switch 2. It was released on 16 October 2025, to generally positive reviews. Critics praised the battle system, but found the city setting to be visually restricting. Paid downloadable content, Pokémon Legends: Z-A – Mega Dimension, was announced on 12 September 2025, and was released on 10 December 2025.
Gameplay As opposed to previous Pokémon games which featured turn-based combat, Legends: Z-A uses a real-time combat system that takes into account the positioning of the player character, their Pokémon, and the timing of used moves, and allows Pokémon to move around and dodge attacks while in a battle. During Pokémon battles, the player can collect Mega Energy in order to temporarily Mega Evolve their current Pokémon. At night, the player can compete in a competition called the Z-A Royale by entering a Battle Zone. In Battle Zones, the player can launch pre-emptive strikes on opposing trainers that wander around, while opposing trainers are capable of the same technique and can stun the player's Pokémon for a few seconds.
Connectivity The game also has a multiplayer mode called the Battle Club, where up to 4 players can participate in Link Battles to defeat the most Pokémon in a given time period, or Ranked Battles, where players battle each other directly for rank points and earn exclusive Mega Stones upon reaching certain ranks. Character customization also returns with improved options.
The game also supports the Pokémon Home online cloud storage app, allowing transfers of supported Pokémon from the Nintendo 3DS app Pokémon Bank, as well as the games Pokémon Go, Pokémon: Let's Go, Pikachu! and Let's Go, Eevee!, Pokémon Sword and Shield, Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl, Pokémon Legends: Arceus, and Pokémon Scarlet and Violet. Unlike the latter four games that support two-way transferring with each other, all supported Pokémon transferred to Legends: Z-A cannot be returned to those games; likewise, all Pokémon obtained in Legends: Z-A cannot be transferred to older titles, allowing only usage in Pokémon Champions in addition to Legends: Z-A and transferring to future games in the series.
Plot Setting
The game takes place in the Kalos region, which was first introduced in the 2013 video games Pokémon X and Y. The plot takes place five years after those games' events, during an urban redevelopment project in Lumiose City, based on Paris, being undertaken by a company called Quasartico, Inc. The game takes place entirely within Lumiose City, where Pokémon coexist with humans in locations known as Wild Zones. During nighttime hours, Battle Zones appear for the Z-A Royale, where trainers wander and can challenge and be challenged by the player to Pokémon battles. The player character's goal is to advance from Rank Z to Rank A via promotion battles with certain trainers to have a wish granted. During the course of the story, the Legendary Pokémon Zygarde takes an interest in the player character, as they take down Rogue Mega Pokemon, a new, mysterious phenomenon within Lumiose City where wild Pokémon spontaneously Mega Evolve and go berserk. One of the player character's goals is to subdue these Rogue Mega Evolved Pokémon in the form of real-time boss battles similar to the Noble Pokémon battles within the prior title, Pokémon Legends: Arceus.
Story Lumiose City is in the midst of an urban redevelopment project led by Quasartico Inc. to restore the city's condition after an incident involving Team Flare five years prior, creating "wild zones" where Pokémon live in the city. The player character arrives as a tourist to Lumiose City, and befriends either Taunie or Urbain (if the player selected a male or female character, respectively), who gives the player their starter Pokémon and brings them to Hotel Z, which is owned by the 3,000-year-old AZ and his Floette. The player then joins the citywide Z-A Royale tournament, where participants compete to rise from the lowest Rank Z to the highest Rank A, with those reaching Rank A being granted a wish by Quasartico. At Taunie/Urbain's request, the player also joins Team MZ, a small group of trainers based out of Hotel Z.
As the player easily defeats trainers in the lower ranks, they attract the attention of Quasartico and its CEO Jett, who recruits the player to handle "Rogue Mega Evolution", a recent phenomenon in Lumiose City that causes wild Pokémon to Mega Evolve on their own. The player's rank is raised to Rank F, and they defeat multiple Rogue Mega Evolved Pokémon with Team MZ's help as they continue to progress in the Z-A Royale. In doing so, the player attracts the attention of Zygarde, a Legendary Pokémon, as well as a man known as "L" – later revealed to be former Team Flare leader Lysandre, who had survived the destruction of the ultimate weapon due to Zygarde's intervention, but lost his memory and was cursed with the same longevity afflicting AZ.
The player must make additional effort before battling certain opponents in the Z-A Royale, such as competing in a trivia competition in order to battle video game livestreamer Canari, helping the trainer Ivor find his sister who was hiding in the sewers, helping people throughout Lumiose City as payment after Taunie/Urbain goes into debt with the Rust Syndicate gang when Taunie/Urbain takes a loan from their leader, Corbeau, and being forced to participate in a Pokémon battling tournament by the socialite Jacinthe.
Prior to reaching Rank A, the player investigates Team Flare, and learns from AZ and Lysandre that a device called "Ange" within the Prism Tower building has been emitting Mega Energy, causing the Rogue Mega Evolutions. The player also learns that AZ was responsible for the construction of Ange, which was originally constructed to share the longevity he and Az's Floette received with the region in act of atonement for building the Ultimate Weapon. The device was left dormant when the region entered an era of peace, but it was activated by Team Flare's actions in Pokémon X and Y and its energy threatens to run wild and destroy the city. The only way to deactivate the device is to harness the power of AZ'S Floette Mega Form, which was why AZ and Quasartico created the Z-A Royale to determine the strongest trainer capable of commanding Floette.
Ange is activated one night, leading Team MZ to the tower. AZ's Floette and Taunie/Urbain attempt to shut off the device, but it malfunctions and transforms the tower into a gigantic monster threatening to destroy the city. With help from the trainers the player met in the Z-A Royale, the player reaches Zygarde in the debris, and they defeat the monster by Mega Evolving Zygarde and destroying the device. AZ watches from Hotel Z as Ange is destroyed, before dying shortly after from reaching the end of his extended lifespan. After Ange's destruction and AZ's burial, Taunie/Urbain and the player agree to use their wishes from the Z-A Royale to restart the competition as the Infinite Z-A Royale.
Mega Dimension With the Prism Tower crisis averted, a young girl named Ansha visits Hotel Z with her companion, the Mythical Pokémon Hoopa. Team MZ helps Ansha bake a donut that strengthens Hoopa, and she tells them that she wishes to capture a certain Legendary Pokémon for her mother. Ansha then has Hoopa open a portal to an alternate dimension called Hyperspace Lumiose, and Team MZ follows her inside. Upon their return, a distortion has appeared above Prism Tower, and Corbeau, leader of the Rust Syndicate, asks Team MZ to investigate Hyperspace Lumiose.
Later, Ansha and AZ's friend, Korrina join Team MZ. Team MZ completes research within Hyperspace Lumiose, as well as subdues many new Rouge Mega Evolved Pokemon, and they eventually learn that Hyperspace Lumiose was created by Darkrai, a Mythical Pokémon within the distortion above Prism Tower who had suffered from excess Mega Power exposure. With aid from other trainers in the Z-A Royale, the player, Korrina, and Taunie/Urbain enter the distortion. After encountering a dream-like manifestation of AZ and saying their goodbyes, they battle Darkrai, which undergoes Rogue Mega Evolution. The player captures Darkrai, stabilizing Hyperspace Lumiose.
The next day, Corbeau identifies the Legendary Pokémon Ansha has been pursuing as Rayquaza, and tasks Team MZ with capturing the Hoennian Legendary Pokémon Groudon and Kyogre. After the player does so, Team MZ learns that Hyperspace Lumiose will make Rayquaza's dimension appear if Ansha makes a strong wish. Ansha hears about Groudon and Kyogre, and she remembers the stories her mother told her about Rayquaza. Her wish resonates with Hyperspace Lumiose, allowing Team MZ to confront Rayquaza. Rayquaza undergoes Rogue Mega Evolution during the battle, but the player captures it. The player presents Rayquaza to Ansha, who declines taking it from them and decides to tell her mother about her adventures as well as staying in Lumiose with Team MZ.
Development and release On 27 February 2024, Legends Z-A was announced during a Pokémon Presents presentation with a release window of '2025'. At the end of the trailer, the Mega Evolution mechanic, which was first introduced in X and Y, was also confirmed to return. During the next Pokémon Presents, on 27 February 2025, a second video was released, giving more information on the plot and gameplay elements with an updated release window of 'late 2025'. During the Nintendo Direct on 2 April 2025, it was confirmed that Pokémon Legends: Z-A would get an upgraded version on Nintendo Switch 2 alongside many other Nintendo Switch games. The game was released on 16 October 2025 for both Switch and Switch 2. Z-A was showcased again during a September 2025 Nintendo Direct, during which Mega Evolved forms for the X and Y starters were revealed. These forms were stated to be unlocked from the game's online ranked battles, with the Mega Stones for these forms split between three seasons. Alongside the base game reveals, a paid DLC was also announced: Pokémon Legends: Z-A – Mega Dimension. The DLC is centered around the Mythical Pokémon Hoopa and features the debut of two Mega forms of Raichu, alongside other new Mega Evolutions. The DLC was released on 10 December 2025.
A demo of the game was made available for attendees of the 2025 Pokémon World Championships at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, California.
Leaks Legends: Z-A was subjected to a number of leaks related to in-game information prior to its release. A prominent leak related to a list of the game's Mega Pokémon months prior to their official reveals. In early October, certain Pokémon were leaked to be returning in Z-A. A week prior to Z-As official release, some people were able to obtain early copies of the game. The game's ROM was leaked onto illegal ROM sites, with some players streaming the game on Twitch. These copies would be datamined in order to leak information about the game online ahead of its release; these leaks primarily pertained to showcasing the designs of the new Mega Pokémon, such as Mega Starmie, as well as the game's full Pokedex and item lists.