Pokemon Winds and Waves are officially set to bring us Pokemon Gen 10 next year.
With Nintendo revealing the next mainline entries in the Pokemon series during the Pokemon Presents February 2026 showcase, which celebrated Pokemon's big 30th anniversary milestone, our very first looking at the upcoming RPGs came with exciting confirmation that the new games will be landing sometime in 2027. Set to be truly open world, the new Pokemon games will undoubtedly be making the most of the latest hardware as Switch 2 exclusives, too.
If you can hardly wait for the upcoming Pokemon games to arrive and you want to learn more, or you're looking for a refresher on what's been revealed so far, you can read our helpful breakdown of everything you need to know about Pokemon Winds and Waves below.
Pokemon Winds and Waves release date speculation
Good news, trainers! We know the release window for Pokemon Winds and Waves is set for 2027.
While we don't have a firm release date yet, we suspect that Winds and Waves will arrive in the latter half of next year, given the release pattern of previous mainline games.
The most recent entries, Pokemon Scarlet and Violet, landed in November 2022, and Pokemon Sword and Shield dropped in November back in 2019. If Winds and Waves follow this pattern, perhaps we'll also see the new games land in November 2027. It would certainly give Nintendo time next Summer to show off more in the lead up to launch. And with Pokemon Legends Z-A releasing in October, it seems like sometime late next year could be a reasonable assumption. We'll be keeping our eye out for any updates.
Is Pokemon Winds and Waves a Switch 2 exclusive?
Pokemon Winds and Waves will be a Nintendo Switch 2 exclusive. This choice does make sense and again follows past patterns in the series. I can still remember Pokemon Sun and Moon being a 3DS game while I had my regular old DS still in hand. When a new Ninty console drops, a new Pokemon exclusive tends to come with it.
If you want to know more about other upcoming Switch 2 games, we have a handy guide for you. And if you are still on the OG Switch, you still have some upcoming Switch games to watch out for.
Pokemon Winds and Waves trailer
Pokemon Winds and Waves gameplay
While a lot of gameplay details for Pokemon Winds and Waves are still under wraps, it looks like the classic Pokemon opening formula is still in place. As with previous games, you'll choose from one of three Pokemon Winds and Waves starters that are either a grass, fire, or water type. You'll then go out into the world in order to battle and catch other Pokemon for your Pokedex.
Interestingly, the official Pokemon website mentions that: "you'll be able to team up with all kinds of Pokémon to overcome both the difficult road ahead and even the forces of nature that block your path at times", which suggests we could see environmental blockades which have also popped up in past games. If they'll differ to play in the Waves and Waves respective titles remains to be seen, but it would make sense.
From what we've seen so far, it's unclear if Pokemon Winds and Waves will have real-time battles like Pokemon Legends: Z-A, or if we'll be going back to classic turn-based affairs. We do know that the next games will be open world, and will no doubt expand on Scarlet and Violet. Given the Switch 2's hardware, an open world experience is very doable, and the upgraded version of Scarlet and Violet on Switch 2 definitely ran a lot smoother than the launch version on the Switch 1.
What are the Pokemon Winds and Waves starters?
Thanks to the recent Pokemon Presents trailer, we did get to see the new starters for Pokemon Winds and Waves and they are extremely cute.
The grass type starter is a "Bean chick" bird called Browt with the Overgrowth ability, the fire type starter is a cute puppy called Pombon who has the Blaze ability, and finally, the water starter is a gecko called Gecqua with the Torrent ability.
We're still waiting to see their evolutions (which will no doubt influence who we end up picking), but we'll be keeping our eyes peeled for any more details about these new starters.
If you're curious to see what critters we know about so far, our Pokemon Winds and Waves Pokedex lists all of the confirmed Pokemon we currently know will be in the games.
Pokemon Winds and Waves leaks
There have allegedy been a lot of Pokemon Winds and Waves leaks out in the wild ever since 2024. In October 2024, well-known Pokemon leaker Riddler Khu gave us hints about the names of the upcoming games. And since then, we've had a number of other leaks that reportedly also give insights into Pokemon Winds and Waves' region, game mechanics, and more.
A big leak that we are particularly interested in was reported by Vice back in 2025, which shared rumors that the games would supposedly center around "infinity". Account CentroLeaks stated that this may refer to a new feature where the games procedurally generate the region's map.
Another rumor is that the Pokemon Winds and Waves region is located in Southeast Asia. The games are supposedly said to have a jungle section, and we'll be playing as a trainer who is said to live in a hotel (which is also believed to act as an MMO-like hub that will show us other players). From the recent trailer, it does look like the jungle leak was correct ; however, it seems like we'll be getting a more tropical island vibe.
Leaks have also reported weather effects in battle, and a potential new breeding/evolution mechanic. Finally, Vice also shared another potential leak regarding the game's plot. According to a leak found on Reddit, we may be travelling with three companions. Each companion has their own storyline that relates in some way to issues surrounding the affairs of a powerful corporation and their dealings with the region where the game is set.
As ever, it's important to keep in mind that leaks aren't confirmed. So before you get excited, it's always best to wait until we get proper confirmation from either Nintendo or Game Freak.
Pokemon Winds and Waves region speculation
While the recent trailer shown during the February 2026 Pokemon Presents showcase did give us a look at games open world, it didn't explicitly mention where the games are set, and no name was given for the new region.
But taking previous supposed leaks into account and also piecing together all the different locations we saw, all signs currently point to a region that's based on Southeast Asia.
The tropical climate seen in the trailer, paired with the mountain areas, active volcano shots, jungle areas, and architecture that's reminiscent of Singapore have us thinking this theory could be correct. We will keep you posted as we wait for firm confirmations.
But, if you want more information on whether past areas will make an appearance, or a deeper analysis on what we've seen from the trailer already, we have a Pokemon Winds and Waves region guide that dives into the nitty-gritty.
For more, check out our ranking of the best Pokemon games of all time.
