No new Pokemon game in 2020, history suggests

It’s looking more and more likely that there won’t be a new mainline Pokemon game in 2020, and the history of Pokemon games also backs this up.

Naturally, upcoming Pokemon games are announced months in advance of their release date. The gap between announcement and release varies, but it’s generally a minimum of six months before.

That means that were there to be a mainline game in 2020 it would be the shortest gap between announcement and release in modern Pokemon history. We’re already in August, so for a new game to stick with the traditional November release window, there would only be three months of build-up.

Alternatively, if something were to materialize soon, a release could be pushed to early 2021 but this would be strange considering previous releases. The last Pokemon game to do this was Black and White which releases in March of 2011 (released in Japan six months before).

Previous announcement dates

Since 2010, each mainline Pokemon game has been announced in the following month:

• April 2010 – Pokemon Black and White
• February 2012 – Pokemon Black 2 and White 2
• January 2013 – Pokemon X and Y
• May 2014 – Pokemon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire
• February 2016 – Pokemon Sun and Moon
• June 2017 – Pokemon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon
• May 2018 – Pokemon Let’s Go
• February 2019 – Pokemon Sword and Shield

What could be next?

A new mainline Pokemon game may not be coming in 2020, but it has to come at some point. With it looking like there will be at least two more DLCs coming to Pokemon Sword and Shield (one confirmed), it will be very interesting what comes next.

The two front-runners are seemingly a much-anticipated remake of Pokemon Diamond and Pearl and a sequel to the popular Pokemon Let’s Go. Each fan has their own opinions on which they’d prefer but overall both appear popular choices.

Barring a big surprise announcement from The Pokemon Company though, these are both still quite far away.