Pokemon Legends: Z-A has been out for almost three months now, and it has had a mixed reception based on its unexpected gameplay loop that involves a completely different battle style, an open world with Wild Zones to catch Pokemon in, a rather lengthy tutorial, and characters or storylines that not everyone liked. As much as the game was divisive, it’s a great example of straying from the usual formula in order to create something new and refreshing. For this reason, Pokemon Gen 10 games are bound to draw inspiration from Pokemon Legends: Z-A, even if ever so slightly.
Pokemon Legends: Z-A Features at a Glance
Pokemon Gen 10 Leaks Box Legendary Details
Details about what Pokemon has planned for Gen 10’s box art Legendary monsters surface online as part of a large swath of leaked information.
Pokemon Gen 10 is Officially Using Some Pokemon Legends: Z-A Features
According to Pokemon Gen 10 leaks, there are already plans to use some features from Pokemon Legends: Z-A in the new games. These are subject to change, as the leaks are from early stages of development, but it’s interesting nonetheless that Gen 10 may have been developed with Z-A in mind even before it came out.
Alpha Pokemon and Rogue Mega Evolutions, or similar boss battles, seem to be very likely additions to Gen 10. Pokemon Legend: Z-A’s character customization is also miles better than that of Gen 9, so it’s plausible that Gen 10 will draw inspiration from it, for example, by not making gender-locked clothing options like in Z-A.
Real-Time Battles and Move Cooldowns
A big item on the list is the change from Pokemon‘s turn-based combat to real-time battles, as it changes how one should think strategically. This type of battle also emphasizes the importance of positioning, which has historically been a secondary consideration, and it significantly alters how Speed works. There are no longer Speed tiers and thresholds to hit in order to go first or make sure your Pokemon act before the opponent’s, but rather, Speed reduces the cooldowns on all moves based on how high it is.
There are no PPs in Pokemon Legends: Z-A, and there is no accuracy, either. Early Gen 10 leaks suggest that the games could feature both turn-based combat and this new approach, so real-time combat may return, at least in PvP, or possibly in a specific game mode. This system also makes moves like Pokemon‘s Hyper Beam and its “clones” much better and more rewarding to use, as opposed to turn-based combat.
Mega Evolutions
Another leak suggests that Pokemon Gen 10 will have Mega Evolutions, as there is a satchel pocket for Mega Stones in the early builds found in the Teraleak. This would make sense for a few reasons, as Mega Evolutions came back in Gen 7 despite being the Gen 6 gimmick, so there is a precedent, and Pokemon Legends: Z-A‘s new Mega Evolutions would only have some time to shine before they’re relegated to Pokemon Champions.
Shiny Hunting Legendary and Mythical Pokemon
Pokemon Legends: Z-A‘s DLC allows you to shiny hunt Legendaries like Latias, Latios, Cobalion, Terrakion, and Virizion. This is something Gen 9 failed to do, to the point that players flocked back to Gen 8 in order to play through Dynamax Adventures to get shiny Pokemon from the Legendary roster. Seeing how Gen 9’s Indigo Disk DLC was received poorly in terms of shiny-locked Legendaries, it only makes sense for Gen 10 to fix this.
Roguelike DLC Content and Level Cap
Pokemon Legends: Z-A‘s Mega Dimension DLC is a roguelike experience, as it features randomized Hyperspace Areas with random Pokemon inside them, and players have a timer to get through them that depends on the donuts they craft. This gameplay loop is not for everyone, but it’s refreshing, and it can be experimented with further in Gen 10 games. The same goes for the increased level cap, which also depends on the donuts you craft, allowing your Pokemon to get past level 100 for a bigger and better feeling of progression after reaching the endgame.
- Released
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October 16, 2025
- ESRB
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Everyone 10+ / Fantasy Violence, In-Game Purchases
