Skip to main content
GamesRadar+ GamesRadar+
US EditionUS CA EditionCanada UK EditionUK AU EditionAustralia
Sign in
  • View Profile
  • Sign out
  • Games
    • Game Insights
      • Games News
      • Games Features
      • Games Reviews
      • Games Guides
      • Big in 2026
      • The Big Preview
      • On The Radar
      • Indie Spotlight
      • Future Games Show
      • Golden Joystick Awards
    • Genres
      • Action Games
      • RPGs
      • Action RPGs
      • Adventure Games
      • Third Person Shooters
      • FPS Games
    • Platforms
      • PS5
      • Xbox Series X
      • PC
      • Nintendo Switch
      • Nintendo Switch 2
      • Tabletop Gaming
    • Franchises
      • Grand Theft Auto
      • Pokemon
      • Assassin's Creed
      • Monster Hunter
      • Fortnite
      • Cyberpunk
      • Red Dead
      • The Elder Scrolls
      • The Sims
  • Entertainment
    • TV Shows
      • TV News
      • TV Reviews
      • Anime Shows
      • Sci-Fi Shows
      • Superhero Shows
      • Animated Shows
      • Marvel TV Shows
      • Star Wars TV Shows
      • DC TV Shows
    • Movies
      • Movie News
      • Movie Reviews
      • Big Screen Spotlight
      • Superhero Movies
      • Action Movies
      • Anime Movies
      • Sci-Fi Movies
      • Horror Movies
      • Marvel Movies
      • DC Movies
    • Streaming
      • Apple TV Plus
      • Disney Plus
      • Netflix
      • HBO
      • Amazon Prime Video
      • Hulu
    • Comics
      • Marvel Comics
      • DC Comics
    • Toys & Collectibles
    • Lego
    • Dungeons and Dragons
    • Merch
  • Hardware
    • Insights
      • Hardware News
      • Hardware Reviews
      • Hardware Features
    • Computing
      • Desktop PCs
      • Laptops
      • Handhelds
    • Peripherals
      • Headsets & Headphones
      • TVs & Monitors
      • Gaming Mice
      • Gaming Keyboards
      • Gaming Chairs
      • Speakers & Audio
    • Accessories & Tech
      • Gaming Controllers
      • Tech
      • SSDs & Hard Drives
      • VR
      • Accessories
      • Retro
  • Deals
    • Game Deals
    • Tech Deals
    • TV Deals
    • Buying Guides
  • Video
  • Newsletters
    • Quizzes
    • About Us
    • How to pitch to us
    • How we score
    • Newsarama
    • Retro Gamer
    • Total Film
  • home
  • Games
    • View Games
      • Games News
      • Games Features
      • Games Reviews
      • Games Guides
      • Big in 2026
      • The Big Preview
      • On The Radar
      • Indie Spotlight
      • Future Games Show
      • Golden Joystick Awards
      • Action Games
      • RPGs
      • Action RPGs
      • Adventure Games
      • Third Person Shooters
      • FPS Games
    • Platforms
      • View Platforms
      • PS5
      • Xbox Series X
      • PC
      • Nintendo Switch
      • Nintendo Switch 2
      • Tabletop Gaming
      • Grand Theft Auto
      • Pokemon
      • Assassin's Creed
      • Monster Hunter
      • Fortnite
      • Cyberpunk
      • Red Dead
      • The Elder Scrolls
      • The Sims
  • Entertainment
    • View Entertainment
    • TV Shows
      • View TV Shows
      • TV News
      • TV Reviews
      • Anime Shows
      • Sci-Fi Shows
      • Superhero Shows
      • Animated Shows
      • Marvel TV Shows
      • Star Wars TV Shows
      • DC TV Shows
    • Movies
      • View Movies
      • Movie News
      • Movie Reviews
      • Big Screen Spotlight
      • Superhero Movies
      • Action Movies
      • Anime Movies
      • Sci-Fi Movies
      • Horror Movies
      • Marvel Movies
      • DC Movies
    • Streaming
      • View Streaming
      • Apple TV Plus
      • Disney Plus
      • Netflix
      • HBO
      • Amazon Prime Video
      • Hulu
    • Comics
      • View Comics
      • Marvel Comics
      • DC Comics
    • Toys & Collectibles
    • Lego
    • Dungeons and Dragons
    • Merch
  • Hardware
    • View Hardware
      • Hardware News
      • Hardware Reviews
      • Hardware Features
      • Desktop PCs
      • Laptops
      • Handhelds
    • Peripherals
      • View Peripherals
      • Headsets & Headphones
      • TVs & Monitors
      • Gaming Mice
      • Gaming Keyboards
      • Gaming Chairs
      • Speakers & Audio
      • Gaming Controllers
      • Tech
      • SSDs & Hard Drives
      • VR
      • Accessories
      • Retro
  • Deals
    • View Deals
    • Game Deals
    • Tech Deals
    • TV Deals
    • Buying Guides
  • Video
  • Newsletters
    • Quizzes
    • About Us
    • How to pitch to us
    • How we score
    • Newsarama
    • Retro Gamer
    • Total Film
Trending
  • Pokemon Winds and Waves
  • New Games for 2026
  • Submit your game clips
  • GDC
Don't miss these
Palworld
Survival Games "Palworld is going to be the survival crafting game everyone always wanted" after 1.0, says Pocketpair publishing lead
A screenshot from the Pokemon Pokopia trailer shows Ditto transformed into a human.
Pokemon 13 things I wish I knew before starting Pokemon Pokopia
A ditto who looks like a human smiles for a selfie in front of the Pokopia area map.
Pokemon How many areas there are in Pokemon Pokopia?
Pokemon Presents 2026
Pokemon All Pokemon Presents 2026 codes and rewards for Pokemon Go, Legends Z-A, TCG Pocket, and more
A trainer looking out at the ocean during the trailer for Pokemon Winds and Waves
Pokemon Pokemon Winds and Waves: Everything we know about the next Pokemon game so far
Pokemon Pokopia screenshot showing Charmander, Bulbasaur, and Squirtle all gathered around a Ditto in human form between two green trees
Pokemon The ultimate Pokemon Pokopia guide for restoring the world around you
Palworld Pal looking shocked
Survival Games Palworld 1.0 won't force you to start over, but the devs "softly recommend" that you do
A human ditto taking a picture with a Ivysaur and  Venusaur in Pokemon Pokopia.
Pokemon After 48 hours, I've realized Pokopia is my ideal Pokemon game and humans were the problem all along
Pokemon Pokopia screenshot
Pokemon Pokemon Pokopia review: "A brilliantly bizarre blend of Pokemon and Animal Crossing"
A player ponders over a crafting bench in Pokemon Pokopia, not available on the Switch 1.
Pokemon Can I play Pokemon Pokopia on Switch 1?
In Pokemon Pokopia, the transformed Ditto trainer takes a selfie looking aghast in front of a glowing piece of land where a relic is buried
Pokemon I've spent 20 hours in Pokemon Pokopia obsessing over its mysterious world and what it hides beneath the surface
Pokemon Pokopia screenshot showing Charmander, Bulbasaur, and Squirtle all gathered around a Ditto in human form between two green trees
Pokemon After 30 years, Pokemon Pokopia finally answers an important question for "the hardcore lore freaks"
Kricketune surprised in some red grass in Pokemon Pokopia
Pokemon Pokemon Pokopia Limited Events – when are they and how do you get involved?
Pokemon Winds and Waves starters
Pokemon All Gen 10 starters in Pokemon Winds and Waves
Key art for Pokemon Champions
Pokemon Pokemon Champions: Everything you need to know ahead of the Nintendo game's release
  1. Games
  2. Adventure
  3. Pokemon
  4. Pokemon Legends: Arceus

Pokemon Legends Arceus is an open-world game, Nintendo confirms

News
By Hirun Cryer published 18 August 2021

The Pokemon Company finally confirms what we'd expected

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

  • Facebook
  • X
  • Pinterest
  • Flipboard
  • Email
Share this article
Join the conversation
Follow us
Add us as a preferred source on Google
Get the GamesRadar+ Newsletter

Weekly digests, tales from the communities you love, and more


By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

You are now subscribed

Your newsletter sign-up was successful


Want to add more newsletters?

GamesRadar+

Every Friday

GamesRadar+

Your weekly update on everything you could ever want to know about the games you already love, games we know you're going to love in the near future, and tales from the communities that surround them.

GTA 6 O'clock

Every Thursday

GTA 6 O'clock

Our special GTA 6 newsletter, with breaking news, insider info, and rumor analysis from the award-winning GTA 6 O'clock experts.

Knowledge

Every Friday

Knowledge

From the creators of Edge: A weekly videogame industry newsletter with analysis from expert writers, guidance from professionals, and insight into what's on the horizon.

The Setup

Every Thursday

The Setup

Hardware nerds unite, sign up to our free tech newsletter for a weekly digest of the hottest new tech, the latest gadgets on the test bench, and much more.

Switch 2 Spotlight

Every Wednesday

Switch 2 Spotlight

Sign up to our new Switch 2 newsletter, where we bring you the latest talking points on Nintendo's new console each week, bring you up to date on the news, and recommend what games to play.

The Watchlist

Every Saturday

The Watchlist

Subscribe for a weekly digest of the movie and TV news that matters, direct to your inbox. From first-look trailers, interviews, reviews and explainers, we've got you covered.

SFX

Once a month

SFX

Get sneak previews, exclusive competitions and details of special events each month!


An account already exists for this email address, please log in.
Subscribe to our newsletter

Pokemon Legends Arceus has been confirmed as an open-world game by The Pokemon Company.

Earlier today during a Pokemon Presents livestream from The Pokemon Company, it was revealed that Pokemon Legends Arceus is an open-world game. While the game was previously teased to be taking on an open-world approach, this was never strictly confirmed by either The Pokemon Company or Nintendo, but now we know it's going open-world for sure.

New Pokemon Diamond and Pearl remake footage

Pokemon Brilliant Diamond

(Image credit: Nintendo)

Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl gets improved customisation

In the gameplay trailer just above, we got a brand new slice of action for Pokemon Legends Arceus. We could see the player character travelling over the vast new lands of the Sinnoh region, taking on various colorful creatures which we know and love in combat, as well as traversing the landscape with said creatures, like riding waves with Gyrados.

You may like
  • A trainer standing on a rock next to the ocean during Pokemon Winds and Waves Pokemon Winds and Waves confirmed to be open world, with Game Freak unphased by Scarlet and Violet's woes
  • A trainer looking out at the ocean during the trailer for Pokemon Winds and Waves Pokemon Winds and Waves: Everything we know about the next Pokemon game so far
  • The player takes a selfie - from Pokemon Scarlet and Violet's entry in The Story of Pokemon bookazine These five Pokemon Sword and Shield features helped to open up this RPG series forever, ushering in a new era

There was also brand new story-related information revealed about Pokemon Legends Arceus. The Pokemon Presents presentation revealed that you'll be embarking on a quest to complete the first ever PokeDex for a scouting regiment in Arceus, since this game is set in the past for the franchise, going in a brand new storytelling direction with a new emphasis on exploring.

We even got to see some brand new creatures that'll be debuting in Arceus. For example there's Wyrdeer, a deer-like creature whose fur is prized by human settlers for its warm qualities. There's also going to be new variations of creatures that we've previously seen, such as Growlithe and others.

There's a lot to love about Pokemon Legends Arceus, and it's not long until we'll be playing the new adventure for ourselves. Pokemon Legends Arceus will launch for the Nintendo Switch next year on January 28, exclusively for the Nintendo Switch.

Pokemon Legends: Arceus Starters | Pokemon Legends: Arceus Pokedex | Who is Arceus in Pokemon? 

Sign up to the GamesRadar+ Newsletter

Weekly digests, tales from the communities you love, and more

By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.
CATEGORIES
Nintendo Switch Platforms Nintendo
Hirun Cryer
Hirun Cryer
Social Links Navigation
Freelance Writer

Hirun Cryer is a freelance reporter and writer with Gamesradar+ based out of U.K. After earning a degree in American History specializing in journalism, cinema, literature, and history, he stepped into the games writing world, with a focus on shooters, indie games, and RPGs, and has since been the recipient of the MCV 30 Under 30 award for 2021. In his spare time he freelances with other outlets around the industry, practices Japanese, and enjoys contemporary manga and anime.

Read more
A trainer standing on a rock next to the ocean during Pokemon Winds and Waves
Pokemon Pokemon Winds and Waves confirmed to be open world, with Game Freak unphased by Scarlet and Violet's woes
 
 
A trainer looking out at the ocean during the trailer for Pokemon Winds and Waves
Pokemon Pokemon Winds and Waves: Everything we know about the next Pokemon game so far
 
 
The player takes a selfie - from Pokemon Scarlet and Violet's entry in The Story of Pokemon bookazine
Pokemon These five Pokemon Sword and Shield features helped to open up this RPG series forever, ushering in a new era
 
 
A trainer standing on a rock next to the ocean during Pokemon Winds and Waves
Pokemon Pokemon Winds and Waves region: everything we know so far about the map and setting
 
 
Pokemon
Nintendo Switch 2 Everything announced at the Pokemon Presents February showcase to celebrate Pokemon Day 2026
 
 
In Pokemon Winds and Waves, the large whale-like Pokemon Wailord shoots water up from its blow hole on the surface of the ocean
Pokemon The 5-year wait for Pokemon Winds and Waves is unprecedented, but it looks like Nintendo has learned its lesson from Scarlet and Violet
 
 
Latest in Pokemon
A player runs towards the Pokemon Pokopia release time
Pokemon Pokemon Pokopia fan creates Cloud Island you can use to get the cozy game's rarest goodies, Animal Crossing-style
 
 
Five Nights at Freddy's 2
Tabletop Gaming Mckenna Grace opens Pokemon cards at the Oscars, and it's one hell of a vibe
 
 
Pokopia
Pokemon Pokopia players say its water physics are "just as bad" as they are in Minecraft, prompting all sorts of liquid chaos
 
 
Pokemon Go
Pokemon With over 30 billion images logged, Pokemon Go is using players' activity to train its spinout AI company
 
 
A Snorlax covered in moss sits in a dark room with moonlight streaming in from above. A screenshot from Pokopia.
Pokemon Pokemon Pokopia seemingly hints at a tragic fate for a specific NPC from FireRed and LeafGreen
 
 
A broken Pokemon Center in a player's Pokopia Cloud Island.
Pokemon How to create and visit a Pokemon Pokopia Cloud Island
 
 
Latest in News
Invincible season 4
Superhero Shows Invincible creator Robert Kirkman says MCU-style superhero storytelling isn't "novel" anymore
 
 
GTA 6
Grand Theft Auto AI making something to GTA 6's scale is "laughable," Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick says
 
 
Genshin Impact character Varka on purple background
RPGs Genshin Impact maker affirms hopes to build "a virtual world for 1 billion people by 2030"
 
 
Atsu rides a horse along the coast in Ghost of Yotei
Open World Games Ghost of Yotei dev says cutting features is "really important," so "people would clap" every time something got cut
 
 
Chase Infiniti as Willa in One Battle After Another
Streaming Services Here's where you can stream One Battle After Another, Sinners, Hamnet, and more
 
 
Marathon Thief shell in dark lighting
FPS Games If you were hoping for Destiny raid loot from Marathon's Cryo Archive map, these mods ought to do it
 
 
LATEST ARTICLES
  1. Chase Infiniti as Willa in One Battle After Another
    1
    Stream all of the Oscars 2025 Best Picture nominees – and the winner
  2. 2
    How to get into Cryo Archive in Marathon
  3. 3
    This controller lets you swap between Xbox and PlayStation thumbstick layouts without a toolkit, and it only costs $50
  4. 4
    Resident Evil Requiem's Leon actor yearns for a team-up with the "underutilized" Sheva Alomar, so Ada and Claire might want to redownload Hinge: "I just love her character"
  5. 5
    If you were hoping for Destiny raid loot from Marathon's Cryo Archive map, these exclusive mods ought to do it: "This weapon deals significantly increased damage against [REDACTED]"

GamesRadar+ is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

Add as a preferred source on Google Add as a preferred source on Google
  • Terms and conditions
  • Contact Future's experts
  • Privacy policy
  • Cookies policy
  • Accessibility statement
  • Careers
  • About us
  • Advertise with us
  • Review guidelines
  • Write for us
  • Accessibility Statement

© Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036.

Please login or signup to comment

Please wait...