Pokémon Legends: Z‑A Releases in Late 2025!​

The story is set in Lumiose City, where an urban redevelopment plan is underway to shape the city into a place that belongs to both people and Pokémon. Compared to Lumiose City as it appeared in the Pokémon X and Pokémon Y games, released in 2013, more greenery now adorns the city, alongside facilities with a cutting-edge feel.

In Lumiose City, spaces frequented by people—such as shopping arcades, cafés, and restaurants—coexist with more natural areas, such as waterfronts and verdant parks. At the center of Lumiose stands Prism Tower, the very symbol of the city.

While visiting Lumiose City during your travels, you’ll come to stay in an old hotel named Hotel Z. This hotel will serve as your base as you and the new friends you’ll meet in Lumiose tackle all sorts of incidents that will occur in the city.

As part of Lumiose’s urban redevelopment plan, driven by a large corporation called Quasartico Inc., the city has been outfitted with “wild zones” in an effort to help humans and Pokémon share the city. These areas are constructed using cutting-edge technology to give Pokémon places to live. Within wild zones, you can battle Pokémon and catch them by throwing Poké Balls.

You can catch wild Pokémon living in wild zones or out and about in Lumiose City by aiming a Poké Ball at them and letting it fly. If the Pokémon doesn’t pop back out of the ball, you’ve successfully caught it!

Some Pokémon will flee immediately if they spot you, so hide out of sight or approach from behind to make yourself harder to notice. You can also battle Pokémon to lower their HP, making them easier to catch.

In previous titles in the Pokémon video game series, Pokémon took action once per turn. In Pokémon Legends: Z‑A, Trainers and their Pokémon will move around in real time during battles, and Pokémon will unleash their moves when their Trainers command them to.

In addition to type matchups, there will be new gameplay mechanics to consider, such as the precise timing for swapping out your Pokémon or using moves, the different lengths of time moves will take to launch, and how big an area the moves will impact. This unprecedented style of Pokémon battling is one of the most thrilling parts of this title.

When night falls in Lumiose, a battle zone—an area fenced off in red with cutting-edge holographic technology—appears somewhere within the city. Every night from dusk till dawn, Trainers compete in fierce Pokémon battles within these battle zones as part of the Z-A Royale.

The Z-A Royale is a competition where Pokémon Trainers whose skills have been recognized are invited to battle to determine who is the strongest. Competing Trainers earn ranks starting from Rank Z all the way to Rank A. All participants start out at Rank Z and aim to rise through the ranks by winning Pokémon battles against other competitors. If a Trainer reaches Rank A, they won’t just earn the honor of being known as the strongest around—apparently, they may also have one wish granted. After you prove your Pokémon battle skills, you’ll be thrust into the fierce tournament alongside either Urbain or Taunie—a fellow competitor in the Z-A Royale.

The appearance you choose at the beginning of the game will determine whether Urbain or Taunie will appear.

When night falls in Lumiose, a battle zone will appear in the city. Once you set foot inside, you’ll find battle-ready Trainers and their Pokémon on the lookout for opponents to challenge.

As you draw close to a Trainer, a gauge may appear showing how aware they are of your presence. If this gauge fills up, the Trainer will spot you and challenge you to a Pokémon battle. When this happens, your Pokémon may be so caught off guard that they’ll be unable to move. On the other hand, if you hide behind objects to avoid being noticed and manage to land a surprise attack, you’ll gain the advantage. A successful surprise attack will always result in a critical hit that deals a large amount of damage, giving you the upper hand in battle. You may even be able to knock out your opponent’s first Pokémon with a surprise attack.

During a battle with a Trainer, you can escape by putting some distance between yourself and them. Remember that this option is available to you, as some Trainers you encounter may be a higher rank than you!

To raise your rank in the Z-A Royale, you must take on promotion matches and win. In promotion matches, you’ll go head-to-head against a tough Trainer who’s also looking to move up through the ranks. Be sure that you have raised your Pokémon well before taking on promotion matches!

You’ll need a Challenger’s Ticket to compete in a promotion match. To get a Challenger’s Ticket, you’ll need to gather Ticket Points, which you can earn by winning Pokémon battles in battle zones.

You can earn more Ticket Points from your battles by picking up bonus cards in the battle zone and fulfilling the conditions listed on the cards. It’s fair to say that completing bonus cards as you win Pokémon battles is the fastest way to earn a promotion match!

Managing your time well is key to progressing in the Z-A Royale each day. At night, when the battle zone is active, challenge tough Trainers in the Z-A Royale. During the day, catch Pokémon in the wild zones, train them, and prepare for the next night. It’s also a good idea to use the prize money you earn in the Z-A Royale to stock up on any necessary items for battle.

Zygarde is made up of a multitude of cell-like components, and it changes form depending on how many of these components have gathered together. Its brain is made up of the few existing Zygarde Cores, while the rest of its body is comprised of Zygarde Cells, which are far more plentiful. It seems to have taken a special interest in you... What could its connection to this story be?

In Lumiose City, you’ll sometimes see Pokémon undergo Mega Evolution—a kind of Evolution that transcends standard Evolution. Effectively using Mega Evolution will likely be your key to victory in Pokémon battles.

Mega Evolution goes beyond the limits of regular Evolution. Only certain Pokémon can Mega Evolve.​ Doing so imparts power greater than regular Evolution by temporarily unleashing the energy hidden within the Pokémon. Pokémon change their appearance when they Mega Evolve, and certain Pokémon may even change types.​

When Trainers have a strong bond with their Pokémon, a Key Stone worn by the Trainer resonates with a Mega Stone held by their Pokémon, allowing Mega Evolution to take place. Eventually, you’ll wear a Mega Ring with a Key Stone embedded in it. Other Trainers may wear their Key Stones in different ways.​

Here are more examples of Mega-Evolved Pokémon.