"I lost 5 hours of progress because of this": Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen Switch releases include an extremely easy way to reset your game, which is amazing or terrible news depending on who you ask

A screenshot from Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen shows a male player character on a bike in a town.
(Image credit: The Pokemon Company, Nintendo)

Since their launch on Friday, it's become clear that Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen's Nintendo Switch re-releases aren't just simple ports, with a number of changes made from their original Game Boy Advance versions. However, one alteration is either one of the best or by far the most annoying, depending on who you ask, as quickly resetting the game just became a lot easier.

Soft resetting in Pokemon is nothing new – certain button combinations in the pre-Switch games swiftly send you back to the title screen, allowing you to reload your save without having to more slowly turn your console off and back on again. This is generally a feature reserved for the shiny hunters – folks dedicated to tracking down ultra-rare, sparkly Pokemon with alternate color palettes – as for certain Pokemon like Legendaries and the starters at the beginning of the game, the only way to look for them is by re-rolling that same encounter over and over again.

"I lost 5 hours of progress because of this and rage quit, sent from lavender town back to Mt. Moon," says another.

"I found out the hard way accidentally lol I had four pokemon hadn't saved just yet accidentally hit all four at once and it took me out," another adds.

It's always good advice to save often in games that don't have an auto-save feature, but that seems more important now than ever, especially if you're someone who tends to mash buttons a lot – stay vigilant, folks.

As Pokemon Winds and Waves' Pombon quickly racks up adoring fans, everyone hopes the fiery Pomeranian can avoid a major starter curse: "Please keep Pombon on 4 legs please I'm begging."

Catherine Lewis
Deputy News Editor

I'm GamesRadar+'s Deputy News Editor, working alongside the rest of the news team to deliver cool gaming stories that we love. After spending more hours than I can count filling The University of Sheffield's student newspaper with Pokemon and indie game content, and picking up a degree in Journalism Studies, I started my career at GAMINGbible where I worked as a journalist for over a year and a half. I then became TechRadar Gaming's news writer, where I sourced stories and wrote about all sorts of intriguing topics. In my spare time, you're sure to find me on my Nintendo Switch or PS5 playing through story-driven RPGs like Xenoblade Chronicles and Persona 5 Royal, nuzlocking old Pokemon games, or going for a Victory Royale in Fortnite.

You must confirm your public display name before commenting

Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.