The 7 worst Pokémon games of all time

Most Pokémon games are great, but that doesn't mean the series hasn't had its fair share of upsets.

Despite the impressive pedigree Pokémon has garnered over the years, it should come as no surprise that a franchise of this scale naturally includes its fair share of stinkers. Sure, titles like Pokémon HeartGold & SoulSilver — the best Pokémon games — are widely revered as top-tier RPGs.

That Pikachu racing game though? Definitely one of the worst Pokémon games we’ve ever been unfortunate enough to encounter. Note that we said “one of” — regrettably, it is not alone in the dregs beneath the PokéPantheon. 

It has admittedly become pretty difficult of late to say just how many Pokémon games there are. Do Red & Blue count as one or two games? And what about the Japan-exclusive Pokémon Green? Are we including spin-offs for consideration? What about the very likely possibility that by the time we’ve successfully deliberated on the exact number of Pokémon games in current circulation, another five will have launched?

What’s significantly less difficult is quantifying how many Pokémon games are objectively bad. While opinions on this may vary, our view is that there are seven Pokémon games that categorically aren’t worth playing today. That’s not to say they were always awful — it’s just that in 2022, your time is probably best invested elsewhere.

Here are the seven worst Pokémon games of all time.