If you’re reading this, we’re guessing you’re a big fan of best fan made Pokemon games. Sadly, there are long gaps between official releases but don’t despair, as there are many fan-made Pokémon games you can play in the meantime.
The Pokémon community has generated loads of fan-made games packed with different adventures, features, and characters. Here are the top free fan-made Pokémon games you can play nowadays.
Play Pokémon Games Using an Emulator
Some of the fan-made Pokémon games on this list require you to use an emulator. An emulator is a computer program that emulates old game consoles on another device. For more context, learn what emulation is and how it goes.
Emulators can play ROMs, which are system pictures of games taken from a read-only memory chip (like a Game Boy cartridge). You can install an emulator on your system or mobile device.
For the avid gamer who enjoys classic gaming as much as modern, AAA-rated games, an emulator is required. There are a lot of various emulators available for each conceivable system.
The Best Pokemon Fan Made Games
Pokémon Creepy Black
Pokémon Creepy Black is the first entry on our list because it is the most unremarkable title on the list, but it is unique in its way and deserves mention. Pokémon Creepy Black is a fan game based on a reasonably famous Pokémon creepypasta circulating online about a cursed copy of Pokémon Red.
The game represents the events that supposedly happened in real life as told by the story. The game does an excellent job building a creepy atmosphere out of the usually cheery Pokémon world and assets.
Pokémon Ash Gray
Pokémon Ash Grey is a version of Pokémon: Firered that follows Ash’s tales instead of Red as he journeys through the Kanto region and its various gyms. The game pretty much follows the TV show’s Kanto era, with Ash starting with Pikachu and meeting up with old friends that we all know like Misty and Brock.
Ash Grey makes the original Firered game harder to present additional challenges, especially with the gym leaders, and even has a redrawn map.
Pokémon Light Platinum
Pokémon Light Platinum is one of the complete ROM-based fan games to date, at least that’s what the fanbase says. The game is based on Pokémon Ruby and pits new Pokémon generations upon older ones with updated graphics, a large variety of Pokémon, different regions, and gyms.
The game has 16 badges, and trainers can compete in two Pokémon leagues and a World Championship so that this game will last for a long time.
Pokémon Godra
Pokémon Godra is a unique take on the world of Pokémon, as the fan game places a lot more focus on the trainer rather than the Pokémon themselves. In this ROM, the player can take to become any number of professions in the Pokémon world, including a Military General, a Safari Zone Warden, and much more.
Godra also includes a broad area of Pokémon from different regions. The game’s map is divided between the east and west regions, each with its unique storylines and missions.
Pokémon 3D
As you can know from the title, a big part of this game is that it is a Pokémon game, in 3D! The game was made using the Unreal Engine, and it looks fantastic for just a simple fangame made by a small group of developers.
In this game, the player directly controls their Pokémons movement and attacks, and you can even choose to retreat whenever you want in case you feel like the fight isn’t going your way. The game’s original website may be down, but this game can still be found with a simple google search.
Pokémon Prism
We’re back to ROM hacks for this entry. Pokémon Prism is a ROM based on Pokémon Crystal from the original GameBoyColor. In this game, you get control of the Son or Daugther of the famous dragon trainer Lance, and through some misadventures involving a Minecart, you end up in a region called Naljo.
From there, you adopt a Larvitar as your first Pokémon and set off on a quest to defeat the region’s 20 gym leaders and collect all of their badges. And the over 200 Pokémon in the area.
Pixelmon
This entry on our list can be considered more of a mod than an actual fan game, but it changes the base game so much that it earns its place here. Pixelmon is a mod for Minecraft that adds Pokémon and a bunch of Pokémon-related items to the game.
This means that to catch Pokémon, you need to craft Pokéballs and build a Pokécenter to heal them. This mod combines both worlds’ best when it comes to these two games and creates something unique.
Pokémon Reborn
This fangame is a different one that isn’t made from a ROM of an official Pokémon game. Instead, this game is made using RPG Maker. The game gets a place in Reborn city, a city riddled with pollution and corruption far from its heyday.
The player is tasked with going with other trainers to help stop the criminal organization that is terrorizing the town. The game features 18 different gyms. If you need a darker take on the Pokémon world, then this game is for you.
Pokémon Dark Rising
Pokémon Dark Rising is an exciting game on this list, as it is considered the Dark Souls of Pokémon games if that was even possible. Dark Rising takes place in the Core area and follows the adventures of a young Pokémon trainer.
This game is hard, considered one of the most challenging Pokémon games ever created by the people who have played it. The game starts with a Pokémon picking you to be its trainer, and then you set off on your adventure, which includes Pokémon from the first five generations.
Pokémon Insurgence
This is another fan game made in RPG Maker and the information that went into making it insane. The game is set in a region called Torren, where cults and gangs have made their way into the area and are now fighting for its control.
The game includes features like trainer-customization, mega evolutions, secret bases, and delta species, combinations of Pokémon that create whole new species!