Much like Pokemon themselves, the world of Pokemon is one that has continued to evolve over time. From its humble beginnings in the grid-based region of Kanto, the series has gone on to take players on a wild and ever-changing journey through a series of wildly contrasting areas.
From the scenic sights of Alola to the picturesque Wild lands of Galar, each set of games provides players with a wonderfully unique world with plenty of exciting things to see and do. As is often the case though, some regions have a lot more going for them than others.
Updated December 28, 2022, by Tom Bowen: Part of what makes Game Freak's Pokemon series so enjoyable is the fantastic selection of regions in which the mainline games take place. Based loosely on real-world countries and locations, the likes of Kanto and Johto now feel like a second home to many long-time fans of the franchise. Even for those who are fairly new to the world of Pokemon though, exploring the series' many regions can be incredibly enjoyable, thanks in large to how different they all are. With the recent release of Pokemon Scarlet & Violet and the introduction of Paldea, there's now one more region for players to fall in love with.
10 Kanto
Key Landmarks: Viridian Forest, Mt. Moon & The Pokemon Tower
Due to how frequently players have been forced to return there, many feel that Kanto just isn't fun anymore. Sure, the region is well-designed, just as every other Pokemon region is, but the games have returned to Kanto so many times now that it's nowhere near as enjoyable as it once was.
As the Kanto Region was one of many designed in a very grid-like manner, it really isn't too fun to explore in 3D either, which is one of the main problems that people had with the Let's Go! games. It still has everything that one could ever want from a Pokemon region, but it doesn't go above and beyond in any meaningful way. It's not a bad region by any stretch of the imagination, but it's arguably the worst that the mainline series has to offer.
9 Johto
Key Landmarks: Ruins of Alpha, Lake of Rage & The Burned Tower
That the Johto Region is very pretty is something that most fans can agree on. Johto draws a lot from the Japanese culture that inspired it, which goes a long way toward making it a better region than Kanto on the whole.
Ecruteak City is one of the prime examples of this, as it remains one of the most beautifully designed cities in the entire franchise despite now being more than two decades old. Unfortunately, however, there can be no escaping the fact that Johto was made during the series' infancy and thus is held back quite a bit by the limitations of its era.
8 Alola
Key Landmarks: Aether Paradise, Mt. Lanakila & The Altar of the Moon/Sun
On paper, the idea of having a set of islands to explore is incredibly interesting and one that would provide players with small, yet open spaces that they could explore at their own pace. Unfortunately, though, this is not how the Alola Region turned out. It ended up being one of the most linear regions to date, and, unlike its predecessors, can't really hide behind its age.
There are barely any places that players can really go to explore off the beaten path; a real shame considering the endless possibilities that a series of tropical islands could have provided. Alola sounds great in theory, and really should have been in practice, but the design philosophy of the games that feature Alola as its setting just doesn't allow it to reach its full potential.
7 Sinnoh
Key Landmarks: Eterna Forest, Mt. Coronet & The Sendoff Spring
Sinnoh is probably the last region that feels as if it was built for grid-based games, and, as such, the formula had been perfected by the time of its release. Granted, some fans aren't keen on the idea of Mt. Coronet cutting the region in half, but it does allow for some interesting design choices.
Cities like Sunnyshore and Snowpoint really do show off the diversity of Sinnoh and ensure that there's plenty for players to explore. While it might not be the most cohesive region, it does have a lot of personality; not to mention some great Legendary Pokemon. That players can now return there in the Diamond & Pearl remakes (and in 3d, no less) is also a big plus for Sinnoh.
6 Paldea
Key Landmarks: The Great Crater of Paldea, Casseroya Lake & Glaseado Mountain
The Paldea region is a bit of an enigma. On the one hand, the structure of Pokemon Scarlet & Violet (or lack thereof) allows players to explore the region at their leisure, helping to make it feel a lot less linear than some of the previous Pokemon regions. Unfortunately, however, the lack of level scaling throws a spanner in the works, as it effectively forces players back onto a single and at times disjointed path. Granted, teaching Koraidon or Miraidon how to fly can alleviate this issue somewhat and minimize the amount of backtracking that's required, but as the games never actually explain how to do so, some players may not figure it out until the damage has already been done.
Awkward layout aside though, Paldea is a fun region to explore with plenty of varied and interesting locations. Once the player's mount is fully upgraded, exploration is both fast and simple, with plenty of hidden items just waiting to reward players who venture off the beaten track. The switch to a fully open-world design helps a lot too, particularly when it comes to hunting for shinies or a particular type of Pokemon. Performance issues do hold the games back a little, but Paldea remains one of the best Pokemon regions nonetheless.
5 Hoenn
Key Landmarks: Petalburg Woods, Meteor Falls & The Cave of Origin
Hoenn is certainly one of the more interesting regions to have featured in the mainline Pokemon games, mainly due to some of its out-there ideas when it comes to the design of the region's cities. Sootopolis and Pacifidlog are unlike anything that players had ever seen in the series up to that point.
Hoenn's great city design and various landmarks showed that Game Freak wasn't afraid to take risks when designing new regions, leading to innovation after innovation. It was actually even better in the anime, although many of the locations shown in the show never actually made it into the games.
4 Kalos
Key Landmarks: Santalune Forest, Sea Spirit's Den & The Glittering Cave
The Kalos Region is beautiful. Had X & Y been 2D games though, it probably wouldn't have been anywhere near as impressive as it ended up being. The leap to 3D had a huge impact, both on the region and the series itself. All of the cities in Kalos have their own style and feel and are all wonderfully unique as a result.
The landmarks and cities found throughout Kalos are all great, though Lumiose City is perhaps the pick of the bunch. It's absolutely massive, to the point where it even has its own taxi system to help players get around. It was revolutionary for the series and marked a confident and effective first step into the 3D era of Pokemon.
3 Hisui
Key Landmarks: Jubilife Village, Mt. Coronet & The Three Lakes
Though Hisui is technically the same region as Sinnoh, it's a lot more fun to explore due to its semi-open-world design. Sure, it would have been nice had Pokemon Legends: Arceus been able to provide a true Breath of the Wild-style open-world, but what players ultimately got was still a huge step forward for the franchise.
Each of Hisui's five main regions is full of secrets and interesting little hideaways, while the contrasting themes and colors help to keep things feeling fresh. Being able to visit some of the landmarks from the gen 4 games is also a nice touch and offers a faint air of familiarity in what is otherwise a brand-new world.
2 Unova
Key Landmarks: Pinwheel Forest, Relic Castle & The Cave of Being
While still designed on a grid, the Unova Region is absolutely stunning for a number of reasons. As the first region that wasn't based on Japan, it certainly made its mark. Castelia City is absolutely massive and bustling with people. It was one of the first of its kind for the Pokemon series and showed just how big the world really is. There are tons of small areas to explore around the city too, ensuring that it feels lived in.
Black City and White Forest are beautiful, while Nimbasa City is full of entertainment and diversions that help to make it stand out. More than most Pokemon regions, Unova is diverse and enchanting with a near-endless amount of things to see and do. Seeing this region re-imagined in 3D could push it to the top, but, until the inevitable gen 5 remakes, it will have to settle for second place.
1 Galar
Key Landmarks: Rose Tower, Crown Tundra & The Isle of Armor
The Galar Region is, without a doubt, the best of the best in the Pokemon world to date. The Galar region takes advantage of the Switch's extra power to create a stunning and magical place for players to explore. Places like Ballonlea and Glimwood Tangle look fantastic and are unlike anything else in the series, but are far from the only places worth visiting.
Hammerlocke, Motosoke, and Wyndon are absolutely huge, Circhester looks incredible, and Spikemuth will also likely live long in the memory thanks to its unique design. There's also the Wild Area: a massive, explorable zone in the center of the region that's home to diverse landscapes, weather patterns, and Pokemon. Throw in the two DLC areas, and Galar really is the best Pokemon region to date.