An official new Pokemon release has been confirmed for October 29, giving fans a new option for purchasing Pokemon Legends: Z-A. The holiday shopping season tends to be a big time for Pokemon fans, as many of the biggest games in the series have been released in either October or November. So far, 2026 seems like a relatively quiet year, despite marking the 30th anniversary of the franchise.
While 2026 started out on a high note with Pokemon: Pokopia and the re-releases of Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen, the next major Pokemon games won’t be coming out until sometime next year. Pokemon Winds and Waves arrive in 2027, and the pair of games seem more likely to be released later in the year. Thankfully, The Pokemon Company does have some smaller releases on the way to help fill the gap.
Pokemon Legends: Z-A Getting New Physical Release
Nintendo and The Pokemon Company have announced a new physical release for Pokemon Legends: Z-A, which will arrive on store shelves on October 29. This version will include both the base game and the Mega Dimension DLC all on a physical cartridge. Since its release, the Pokemon Legends: Z-A DLC has received boxed releases, but those offered the code in a box. This is a true physical version, which should be welcome news to collectors that prefer having all of a game’s content available in a physical format. Like last year’s physical version of the game, this cartridge will be playable on both Switch 2 and the original Switch. A price for the game has not been confirmed.
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For fans that already bought the base game and its DLC, this version of Pokemon Legends: Z-A might not be worth a purchase. However, this should appeal to a lot of hardcore fans. The series has increasingly leaned on DLC as a way to avoid making “third versions” of Pokemon games, but there are concerns over whether that content will be preserved. In an era where digital storefronts get shut down on older systems, and digital content is regularly lost, many fans worry about being able to revisit DLC areas in the future.
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Image via Pokemon.com -
Image via Pokemon.com -
This is not the first time Nintendo has offered a physical copy of a Pokemon game with the DLC on the cartridge. Pokemon Sword and Shield received a similar treatment several years ago, and copies that have the base game and DLC on the cartridge command much higher prices on the secondary market. It’s unclear if that same scenario will play out with Pokemon Legends: Z-A, but fans that don’t want to risk missing out might want to grab a copy when it gets released on October 29.
The 30th anniversary seems to be ending on a quiet note, but this might not be the only upcoming Pokemon game release. Pokemon Ruby, Sapphire, and Emerald are rumored for Switch and Switch 2, though nothing has been confirmed at this time. On the Game Boy Advance, those titles offered trading and connectivity with Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen. For that reason alone, fans have been hoping to see them similarly re-released. There have been hints that it’s going to happen soon, but fans will have to wait patiently to see what pans out.
- Released
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October 16, 2025
- ESRB
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Everyone 10+ / Fantasy Violence, In-Game Purchases
