While the Pokemon games primarily focus on stopping the schemes of villainous teams, battling to become champion, and completing the Pokedex, they also allow players to explore each region to its full potential through minigames that show how others spend their free time.
From cooking to surfing to competing in contests, every generation of the series offers a unique minigame experience based on the region’s landscape, culture, and values, making them a valuable way to spend time between fighting gym leaders and appreciating the post-game. Throughout the main series, there have been dozens of minigames for Pokemon enthusiasts to enjoy, but few have made a lasting impression like these fan favorites.
10 Berry Blender
In Pokemon Ruby and Sapphire, trainers could connect with their friends or non-player characters at contest halls to play Berry Blender. At the start of the minigame, trainers would pool together the berries they picked and press “A” in time with the arrow at the center of the blender, hoping to make a quality Pokeblock they could use for contests later on.
Although blending the berries in time with others was a popular and enjoyable way to pass the time, a portable Berry Blender kit replaced the original minigame in Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire.
9 Mining
Using the Explorer Kit in Pokemon Diamond and Pearl gives players access to the underground world beneath the Sinnoh Region. While trainers can spend their time decorating a secret base, setting traps, or exchanging spheres for goods, the mining minigame is one of the best ways to take advantage of everything the Underground offers.
The goal of the minigame is to break rocks and find revives, fossils, and evolution stones, among other items, without collapsing the treasure-filled wall or striking iron. Mining takes luck and strategy, but its engaging gameplay and role in reviving fossil Pokemon helped it make a comeback in Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl.
8 Mantine Surf
By playing Mantine Surf, trainers can travel between Alola’s islands in Pokemon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon while performing impressive tricks, avoiding obstacles, and appreciating how beautiful water Pokemon look out on the waves. Becoming the best surfer takes dedication, but there are four courses for trainers and Mantine to experience together.
Aside from its encouraging point system and fun tricks, the minigame is also particularly compelling since Surf is an essential field move from the first few generations of Pokemon. With all its features, Mantine Surf gives trainers a new understanding of what it means to travel by water.
7 Making Poffins
At the Poffin House in Sinnoh’s Hearthome City, trainers can use their berries to make treats that boost their Pokemon’s contest stats. Although Poffins have a similar impact as the Pokeblocks made in Berry Blender, making Poffins has a more involved cooking process. Trainers must monitor their batter to ensure it doesn’t burn or overflow while stirring in different directions.
Players can make Poffins in the original Sinnoh games and their remakes, with one distinct difference. In Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl, trainers can also involve their Pokemon in the minigame by making Poffins in Amity Square, allowing their friendship to help determine the outcome.
6 Pokeathlon
In Pokemon HeartGold and SoulSilver, trainers can encourage a team of three Pokemon to become Pokeathletes by participating in a series of ten athletic games at the Pokeathlon Dome north of Goldenrod City. Each minigame in the Pokeathlon has its own mechanics, but they all test the team based on three or more of their performance stats - speed, power, stamina, jumping ability, and overall skill.
With so many games, possible teams, and additional challenges available at the Pokeathlon, it offers hours of enjoyment while being distinct from the other kinds of Pokemon contests.
5 Curry Cooking
As part of Pokemon Sword and Shield’s Pokemon Camp, trainers can prepare curry to share with their Pokemon using berries and other optional ingredients. However, unlike Poffins or Pokeblocks, eating curry together in the camp can restore a Pokemon’s HP or PP, give them experience points, or cure status conditions, among other benefits.
The curry minigame also has three stages. Trainers first fan the flame beneath their curry pot before stirring carefully to ensure it doesn’t burn or overflow. Finally, trainers show affection for their Pokemon by putting love into the dish. When it turns out well, the curry is a mouth-watering meal that both the trainer and their Pokemon partner enjoy.
4 Pokemon-Amie
Pokemon X and Y introduced a pet simulator minigame called Pokemon-Amie, where players can care for their Pokemon by petting them, giving them treats, and playing games. Together, all of Pokemon-Amie’s features help determine a Pokemon’s affection for its owner and how often it will perform better in battle to show its trainer how much it cares. For fans of Eevee’s Fairy-type evolution, Sylveon, maxing out Eevee’s affection in Pokemon-Amie is an essential and worthwhile activity.
Although Pokemon-Amie only appeared by name in the Kalos games and Hoenn remakes, following generations have often included ways for players to pet their companions and earn their affection.
3 The Game Corner
For the first four generations of Pokemon, the Game Corner offered trainers a place to play games, gamble, and earn prizes in exchange for coins. Whether players preferred to try their hands at the slot machines, the roulette wheel, or games like Dodrio Berry Picking or Voltorb Flip, the Game Corner had something for everyone.
Despite its popularity, modern remakes of the earlier generations removed the Game Corner’s casino minigames, often closing the building off from trainers to avoid promoting gambling. It’s unlikely that the Game Corner will return to new games, but it was fun while it lasted.
2 Secret Bases
Secret Bases first appeared in Pokemon Ruby and Sapphire. As players traveled through Hoenn, they could use the move “Secret Power” to create bases in trees, caves, or bushes. While players could decorate with chairs, mats, Pokedolls, and other items, one of its best features was that after players beat the elite four, they could visit their friends’ bases and have daily battles, no matter if they were connected at the moment or not.
Players can also create Secret Bases in the Hoenn remakes and the Sinnoh games. However, later versions of the minigames struggled to recreate the charm of the original Secret Bases, so the feature was dropped from other generations.
1 Pokemon Contests
In Hoenn and Sinnoh, entering Contest Halls welcomes trainers to the worlds of pageantry and Pokemon Contests. Each contest measures how cool, cute, tough, smart, or beautiful a Pokemon is and involves a multi-round judging process that always appreciates the skill with which Pokemon perform moves outside of battle.
Winning Pokemon Contests not only comes with its own rivals, challenges, and rewards but also encourages players to make Pokeblocks and Poffins, making it one of the most complex, important, and innovative minigames in the series.