With nearly 5 years in between Gen 9 and Gen 10, Pokemon Winds and Waves are set to potentially be the most impressive games the series has ever seen. The initial reveal trailer for Pokemon Winds and Waves, shown during the Pokemon Day 2026 presentation, gave fans a good look at the world they will get to explore in Gen 10, along with some of the critters they can expect to find. The island setting of the Gen 10 games naturally lends itself to an emphasis on water exploration, including the ability to dive under the waves to reach new biomes.
The trailer for Pokemon Winds and Waves showcased several environments players can explore, including lush jungles and lava-filled caverns. However, it’s the ocean environments that really stood out, with greatly improved water physics compared to Pokemon Scarlet and Violet, and the vibrant sea life that was shown to be under the waves seems like prime real estate for underwater routes to shine. As exciting as it may be to go somewhere the Pokemon series has largely underutilized, fans may want to temper their expectations, as underwater routes have the potential to get stale fast.
Pokemon Winds and Waves Have Bad News for Switch 1 Gamers
Pokemon fans that have yet to upgrade to Nintendo’s latest home console/handheld hybrid may want to do so by 2027.
Pokemon Wind and Wave Has the Chance to Improve on Previous Diving Mechanics
Water routes in the Pokemon series are infamous for slowing games down due to the potential for any surfing tile to spawn a wild encounter. Games like Pokemon Ruby, Sapphire, and Emerald are filled with water routes connecting the Hoenn Region cities like Mossdeep, Sootopolis, and Pacifidlog Town, and the Gen 3 games have been criticized for an overreliance on water environments. The Hoenn Region attempts to break up some of the water environments with underwater sections, which players can access with the Dive HM after defeating the Mossdeep City Gym.
Every Pokemon Game You Could Dive Underwater In
- Pokemon Ruby, Sapphire, and Emerald
- Pokemon Black, White, Black 2, and White 2
- Pokemon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire
Dive is only usable outside of battle in the Hoenn and Unova games, as these regions are the only ones in the series that feature spots to dive in. The Hoenn games feature some mandatory dive locations, such as the entrance to Sootopolis City and the Seafloor Cavern, where players will confront Team Aqua or Team Magma as they attempt to awaken Groudon or Kyogre. In the Unova Region, the dive locations are optional, but allow players to access the Abyssal Ruins in Undella Bay, which contain the plates for Arceus but no wild Pokemon or trainers.
Underwater Routes in Pokemon Wind and Wave Are Likely to Get Old Quick
While Pokemon Winds and Waves would be the first mainline Pokemon games to feature underwater routes for the first time since Gen 6, there is a reason the environment hasn’t been a major part of recent generations. The main problem with underwater routes in the Pokemon series is similar to the issues with water routes in general: they lack diversity of Pokemon types, which other environments don’t have to worry about. Water-type Pokemon are largely going to be the only types of critters players will be able to find underwater, given that only creatures of the sea can survive there. As a result, players will likely get tired of seeing the same types of critters quickly.
Part of the fun of exploring new routes in Pokemon games is encountering a variety of mons, each with unexpected types and abilities. However, water routes limit the types of Pokemon players can find, meaning players who already have a water type on their team, like if they chose Gecqua as their starter in Pokemon Winds and Waves, won’t find anything worth adding to their team. Plus, it also means players essentially need a party member with a Grass or Electric attack to deal super-effective damage to any wild encounters they come across, which again limits their team composition options.
Pokemon Confirmed to be Underwater in Winds and Waves
- Krabby — Water
- Corsola — Water/Rock
- Wailord — Water
- Lumineon — Water
- Frillish — Water/Ghost
- Tynamo — Electric
- Toxapex — Poison/Water
Of the Pokemon confirmed for Winds and Waves that were shown to be living underwater in the trailer, only a few have types other than pure Water. Corsola, Frillish, and Toxapex all offer a dual-type advantage to players, but still include Water as one of their types. The only completely unique underwater option is Tynamo, an Electric-type that players may want to catch for the powerful Eelektross that it evolves into. However, outside this one unique critter, underwater routes are likely going to get repetitive, especially if players already have a Water type on their team.
- Released
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2027
- Multiplayer
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Online Co-Op, Online Multiplayer
