Pokemon Legends: Arceus' new Pokeball brought to life in photo-realistic fanart

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Pokemon Legends: Arceus
(Image credit: Arnaud Croonen)

Some stunning new Pokemon Legends: Arceus fanart has given us an up-close, photorealistic look at the new Pokeball that made its debut during the game's reveal trailer.

You can see the new, older-looking Pokeball right here at the beginning of the trailer, and in action a little bit later, but Game Freak never really spotlights the new design. Thankfully, Redditor arnaudcroonen delivered this highly detailed recreation of the newly designed classic red-and-white Pokeball, as well as the Safari and Honor Pokeballs. Expand the image below and marvel at the Pokemon graphics we might one day see on the Switch Pro 2 XL (or something).

(Image credit: Arnaud Croonen)

As the Redditor themselves mention, the fan-made Safari and Honor Pokeballs aren't based on anything official from Game Freak, as they weren't featured in the trailer, but earlier Pokemon games suggest the fanart is likely pretty accurate.

Pokemon Legends: Arceus is an upcoming open-world Pokemon game launching on Nintendo Switch sometime in 2022. The surprise reveal from February's Pokemon Direct sparked immediate comparisons to Zelda: Breath of the Wild, and it's easy to see why. The open-world map is painted with a similarly evocative cel-shaded palette, the nuanced score is made up of flittering piano and violin dances, and even the beginning of the trailer echoes the beginning of Breath of the Wild, with a young hero looking over a sprawling plateau from a clifftop.

If you like what you see, check out the creator's ArtStation profile for more.

Here's what we know about Arceus in Pokemon lore, and if you want a dig a little deeper, check out this fan theory on the Pokemon Legends: Arceus starters.

Jordan Gerblick
Jordan Gerblick
Staff Writer

After earning an English degree from ASU, I worked as a corporate copy editor while freelancing for places like SFX Magazine, Screen Rant, Game Revolution, and MMORPG on the side. I got my big break here in 2019 with a freelance news gig, and I was hired on as GamesRadar's west coast Staff Writer in 2021. That means I'm responsible for managing the site's western regional executive branch, AKA my home office, and writing about whatever horror game I'm too afraid to finish.