A 2025 Year in Review Retrospective from the World of Pokémon

As a Pokémon-filled 2025 draws to a close, we can’t help but think back to all the exciting news, games, cards, plush, and, well, everything else that occurred in the world of Pokémon during the past year. Let’s take a quick trip down memory lane to remember the fun we had…

The year got off to a terrific start as Pokémon Center declared 2025 to be the Year of Eevee, with exclusive new products based on the beloved Pokémon and its many Evolutions. Eevee and friends were also the stars of the new Pokémon TCG expansion, Scarlet & Violet—Prismatic Evolutions. Additionally, Pokémon TCG cards returned to McDonald’s Happy Meals, and fans could relive Ash and Pikachu’s classic adventures in Pokémon the Series on the Pokémon TV YouTube channel.

February was a huge month for Pokémon, starting with the release of some great new media: the first part of Pokémon Horizons: Season 2—The Search for Laqua and the first volume of the Pokémon: Scarlet & Violet manga (you can read the manga’s first chapter in that linked article!). We saw some great matches during the 2025 Pokémon Europe International Championships, and the month wrapped up with Pokémon Day. During this annual celebration, we learned lots of great Pokémon news, including the reveal of the upcoming game Pokémon Champions and that Pokémon video games would now be localized in Latin American Spanish.

Excitement began to build in March when it was revealed that Pokémon has joined forces with the LEGO Group to electrify fans’ imaginations with new experiences arriving in 2026. The Legendary Pokémon Suicune made its Pokémon UNITE debut just in time for the 2025 Pokémon UNITE Asia Champions League Finals. Speaking of Pokémon competition, you could get a deeper look into the world of competitive Pokémon players and casters by watching the three-episode Road to Worlds: Pokémon Video Game Championships series. As the month closed out, the new Pasio Academy feature was introduced in Pokémon Masters EX, and nightmares began to haunt the Pokémon of Greengrass Isle during Pokémon Sleep’s Cresselia vs. Darkrai event.

More cool Pokémon stuff to watch arrived in April! Fans caught up on Liko, Roy, and Dot’s continuing adventures in Part 2 of Pokémon Horizons: Season 2—The Search for Laqua. Then, you could become a Pokémon expert by tuning in to the second season of Beyond the Pokédex, the show where Pokémon enthusiasts Spruce and Maple share their love and knowledge of Pokémon.

Mega-Evolved Pokémon made a mega impact at Pokémon Center with a wide selection of apparel, plush, and more featuring some of these popular (and powerful) Pokémon. Maybe you’ll find something cool to wear when visiting Chicago in 2026—this month also brought the reveal of the upcoming Pokémon Fossil Museum exhibition that will arrive at the city’s Field Museum next May.

PokéMoms throughout the world of Pokémon got their due in May with a celebration that highlighted some of the wonderful, supportive mothers who have appeared in Pokémon animation, video games, manga, and the Pokémon TCG. There was even an article to commemorate springtime with a look at some of the lovely flower-filled cards that have appeared in the Pokémon TCG.

You also then test your knowledge of Team Rocket’s history in the Pokémon TCG with a challenging quiz. How many can you get correct?

June 5 saw the launch of Nintendo’s latest video game console, Nintendo Switch 2. On that same day, Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Violet received updates that let players experience improved image quality and smoother movement when the games are played on the new system. Pokémon Trading Card Game Live celebrated its second anniversary, and there were more incredible battles at the 2025 Pokémon North America International Championships. You could also grab some delicious Pokémon-themed HERSHEY’S chocolate bars and KISSES to snack on while watching Part 3 of Pokémon Horizons: Season 2—The Search for Laqua.

In a first for the Pokémon TCG, July saw the launch of a split expansion, Scarlet & Violet—Black Bolt and Scarlet & Violet—White Flare. Each of these expansions featured over 170 unique cards! Pokémon GO struck a perfect chord during its Summer Concert event, the Legendary Pokémon Latios swooped into Pokémon UNITE, and the charming new puzzle game Pokémon Friends was released. We got to see the first teaser trailer for Aardman’s upcoming animated series, Pokémon Tales: The Misadventures of Sirfetch’d & Pichu. And we learned of PokéPark KANTO, an outdoor Pokémon attraction that’s opening in Tokyo’s Yomiuriland amusement park in early 2026.

There’s no bigger Pokémon news this month than the 2025 Pokémon World Championships! The best Pokémon players in the world arrived in Anaheim, California, to put their skills to the ultimate test. Of course, that wasn’t all that happened in August. Trainers who battled at local Play! Pokémon Stores found an even easier way to stay connected with the release of the Play! Pokémon Access app. Eternamax Eternatus debuted in the Pokémon GO Fest 2025: Max Final event, and Latias joined Latios in Pokémon UNITE. For those who want to show off your love of Pokémon while also looking incredibly stylish, Pokémon Center launched two new collections: the streetwear-inspired Dark Noise line and a collaboration with King Ice, which features some dazzling pendant necklaces.

In September, the world shared its collective love of “My Friend Malamar” with the discovery of the Overturning Pokémon’s Mega Evolution. We also celebrated the recently revealed Mega Hawlucha in perhaps the most incredible way possible—a live Lucha Libre Wrestling event! Mega-Evolved Pokémon continued their dominance with the release of the Pokémon TCG: Mega Evolution expansion, which kicked off the Mega Evolution Series that brought these powerful Pokémon back into the game.

Fans looking for a chill adventure were certainly excited to learn about the upcoming life simulation game Pokémon Pokopia, which arrives March 2026. There was a lot for animation fans to get excited about with the release of Pokémon Horizons: Season 2—The Search for Laqua Part 4 and new episodes of Pokémon Concierge. If revisiting Pokémon Concierge’s Pokémon Resort put you in a tropical mood, Pokémon Sitting Cuties Plush from the Alola region arrived at Pokémon Center to spread some island vibes.

Pokémon Trainers took a trip into Lumiose City to unravel the mysteries of Mega Evolution and climb the ranks of the Z-A Royale with October’s release of Pokémon Legends: Z-A for Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch 2. Pokémon GO players gained the ability to take their game even further with a level cap increase from 50 to 80 and a new leveling system that lets Trainers level up more frequently and receive rewards as they go. Pokémon Trading Card Game Pocket celebrated its first anniversary with gifts of booster packs, special missions, and the return of classic promo cards.

We also learned that Liko, Roy, and Dot will be meeting new friends and embarking on new adventures in Pokémon Horizons: Season 3—Rising Hope, which premieres on January 6, 2026. Pokémon also bounded into grocery stores when Campbell’s and Pokémon teamed up to offer cans of delicious chicken soup with pasta shaped like Pokémon and a variety of colorful labels featuring popular Pokémon.

Sure, it was still 2025, but the first International Championships event of the 2026 season kicked off on November 21–23. The 2026 Pokémon Latin America International Championships took place in São Paulo, Brazil, and players competed in the Pokémon Video Game Championships, Pokémon TCG, Pokémon GO, and Pokémon UNITE. Pokémon UNITE even got a new playable Pokémon this month with the introduction of Vaporeon.

Pokémon Legends: Z-A may have been released a couple months ago, but there’s still plenty to do in the game. A special side mission became available via Mystery Gift that allows players to encounter the Legendary Pokémon Mewtwo. The Mystery Gift also grants Mewtwonite X and Mewtwonite Y so you can Mega Evolve your new Pokémon partner. Your Lumiose City journey continues with the release of Mega Dimension, a DLC adventure that has you investigating mysterious spatial distortions that lead to a strange realm known as Hyperspace Lumiose.

Whew! This year was absolutely jam-packed with loads of Pokémon fun, but you know there’s always more greatness to come. What does the new year have in store for Pokémon? We can’t wait to find out! Remember to keep checking back in to Pokemon.com to get the latest news and updates as we head into 2026.