Pokemon Legends: Z-A Sets a Precedent for Gen 10 to Cost You $150

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Just released a few days ago, Pokemon Legends: Z-A is facing similar criticism to Pokemon Scarlet and Violet. Many players are disappointed, describing the game as unengaging and overly simplified. Concerns about missing features, like voice acting, have also led to negative reviews. Currently, the game’s score is lower than that of another recent release, Digimon Story: Time Stranger, and players are actively leaving negative reviews.

However, Pokemon Legends: Z-A is currently facing even more criticism. While many fans are pleased with the game and believe it’s better than some reviews suggest, several issues are impacting the overall experience and could potentially have lasting effects on future games, possibly even Generation 10. For instance:

  • Pokemon Legends: Z-A timegates Mega Evolutions behind story content, with some being post-game exclusively, and others being tied to the “solo raids” that are Rogue Mega Evolutions.
  • Pokemon Legends: Z-A‘s Mega Steelix and Scizor, alongside other trade-only evolutions, are impossible to get solo and require fans to pay for Nintendo Switch Online.
  • Pokemon Legends: Z-A‘s Mega Dimension DLC was announced even before the game released, and according to leaks, there will be two DLC total for the game.

Based on the Pokémon Gen 10 leaks from last week, it looks highly probable that the new games will have at least one expansion and some way to play with others. Because of this, fans might end up spending $150 or more to experience everything Gen 10 has to offer.

Pokemon Gen 10 Will Be The End of An Era

Recent leaks about the next generation of Pokemon (Gen 10) seem trustworthy, given where they came from. It appears Pokemon developers learned from issues with Pokemon Scarlet and Violet. They had trouble adding DLC because the game wasn’t originally designed for it. Now, they’re planning to build DLC into future games from the start. Pokemon Sword and Shield and Pokemon Scarlet and Violet each received two DLC packs, and Pokemon Legends: Z-A will get at least one, possibly two. Based on this, here’s a likely idea of how much the Gen 10 games will cost when they’re released:

  • $80-90 for the base game, as Pokemon Gen 10 is reportedly a Switch 2 exclusive, and this would be in line with the MSRP for Mario Kart World. Also, Pokemon Legends: Z-A is $70 for the Switch 2.
  • $30 per DLC, with one DLC being basically confirmed, and two being very likely.
  • $19.99 for one year of Nintendo Switch Online to benefit from online-exclusive content and access to trading.

The next generation of Pokémon games (Gen 10) will likely cost players between $130 and $190 to get the full experience. This includes the base game, potentially one or two DLC expansions, and a year or two of Nintendo Switch Online (NSO) subscription. NSO is increasingly becoming essential for Pokémon fans, especially those who want to catch all the Pokémon and complete their Pokedex. Given that Pokémon games have traditionally been affordable for everyone, this price increase could mark a significant change.

As a big Nintendo fan, I’ve been looking at the costs, and it seems like getting the Expansion Pack for Nintendo Switch Online is going to add up. A year of that costs around $50, and if we’re talking about Generation 10 games being available, we’re looking at a total cost of at least $160, but it could easily go up to $250 if they release a lot of content!

Say Goodbye to Completing Pokemon Legends: Z-A’s Pokedex

Okay, so here’s the deal with Pokemon Legends: Z-A. You absolutely NEED Nintendo Switch Online to truly finish the Pokedex. And it’s not just that – if you want to battle with all the Mega Evolutions this season, like Mega Greninja, Mega Delphox, and Mega Chesnaught, you’re gonna need NSO too. The game has a ton of Pokemon that only evolve through trading, which is a pain. Even though this game doesn’t have the usual version exclusives we’re expecting in the next generation, it still kind of forces you to subscribe to NSO if you want to 100% the game, and honestly, that feels a bit rough.

Pokemon Legends: Z-A simplifies trading with its new codes, but questions still linger about the future of Pokemon games beyond this generation.

Pokemon Legends: Z-A’s Approach Spells Bad News for Gen 10

This creates a concerning pattern. The leaked Pokemon Wind and Wave games for the next generation (Gen 10) will likely rely heavily on online features. With version-exclusive Pokemon requiring trades and significant online content like Raids, Gen 10 is shaping up to be a costly experience – especially considering reports that a new Nintendo Switch 2 console will be required to play the games.

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2025-10-20 23:04