The Pokemon franchise is celebrating its 30th anniversary with a massive multi-region release, officially revealing its cover art. It’s far from a common occurrence for video game franchises to survive in the long run nowadays, but older series like Pokemon with firmly planted roots still get to celebrate decades of games. Pokemon‘s 30th anniversary has already brought plenty of new games, events, and other releases, including the launch of Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen on Switch and Switch 2, the 30th Celebration set for Pokemon TCG, and even the first new movie announcement in six years.
Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen players will soon get a free Celebi with the addition of Pokemon Home support for the games,another way to celebrate the franchise’s 30th anniversary. Not only that, but there are also rumors that Pokemon Ruby, Sapphire, and Emerald will also come to Nintendo Switch and Switch 2 later this year, possibly in October 2026. Fans are waiting for Gen 10 news next, but it’s likely that the wait will extend to Pokemon Day 2027. In the meantime, a new release is planned for December 2026.
30 Years of Pokemon (December 2026 Release)
The Pokemon Company and an official partner are about to release three art books dedicated to Pokemon‘s 30 years of games, releasing in Japan on December 18, 2026, and the cover art has now been revealed. Shared on Twitter by Pokemon leak aggregator Centro Leaks, the official cover art for Book 1 is dedicated to the Gen 1-through-4 starters, with iconic moments from the respective games. Book 2’s cover art features starter sprites from Gen 5, 6, and 7, as well as various screenshots from the games forming the word “Pokémon.” Book 3 follows the same principle, with the starters from Gen 8 and 9, as well as Pokemon Legends: Arceus and Pokemon Legends: Z-A. Each book will cost around $35 (5,500 yen), for a total of around 1,500 pages across all three books, and will only be available in Japan at launch.
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Book 1
- Kanto (Pokemon Red and Green, Pokemon Red and Blue, Pokemon Yellow, Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen)
- Johto (Pokemon Gold and Silver, Pokemon Crystal, Pokemon HeartGold and SoulSilver)
- Hoenn (Pokemon Ruby and Sapphire, Pokemon Emerald)
- Sinnoh (Pokemon Diamond and Pearl, Pokemon Platinum)
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Book 2
- Unova (Pokemon Black and White, Pokemon Black 2 and White 2)
- Kalos (Pokemon X and Y)
- Hoenn (Pokemon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire)
- Alola (Pokemon Sun and Moon, Pokemon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon)
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Book 3
- Kanto (Pokemon Let’s Go)
- Galar (Pokemon Sword and Shield)
- Hisui (Pokemon Legends: Arceus)
- Paldea (Pokemon Scarlet and Violet)
- Kitakami (The Teal Mask)
- Blueberry Academy (The Indigo Disk)
- Lumiose City (Pokemon Legends: Z-A + Mega Dimension DLC)
Who’s That Character?
Identify the silhouettes before time runs out.
Rather than a collection of the best Pokemon games of all time, the books are dedicated to the series’ 30 years as a whole. Book 1 covers the early part of the series’ history, up until the Sinnoh games; then Book 2 covers the DS and 3DS era, from Unova to Alola; finally, Book 3 covers the Switch and Switch 2 era of the games up until the recent Pokemon Legends: Z-A. Each book will be printed in color at B5 size, according to the official partner’s website, and fans will likely be able to purchase the art books from third-party sellers, albeit at a higher price.
The books should be purchasable separately if fans prefer to have a specific one over the others, and they will include new insights from developers at Game Freak. This might just be the perfect Christmas gift for fans, considering it drops in December.
As for in-game events to celebrate the anniversary, Pokemon Legends: Z-A currently has a freebie giveaway of rare items, Pokemon GO is hosting multiple events, Pokemon Champions just got a big update on September 8, and more. Pokemon TCG‘s 30th Celebration set was hit with a delay recently, though, so some fans may have to wait longer to get their hands on it.
