Pokopia has set the record as the highest-rated game ever in the Pokémon franchise, with the Nintendo Switch 2 exclusive making waves ahead of this week’s release.
Pokémon Pokopia releases March 5 on Nintendo Switch 2, marking the franchise’s first entry into the life-simulation genre in Pokémon‘s 30-year history, and critics have largely been blown away.
Pokopia Boasts All-Time Highest Pokémon Metacritic Score
The lifting of the review embargo on Pokopia on March 2, three days before release, led to a flood of praise for the title, making it the highest-rated score on Metacritic of all time for the Pokémon franchise.
Pokopia boasts a Metacritic score of 89, the highest total ever, narrowly beating 2013’s Pokémon X and the 2010 classic Pokémon Heart Gold.
It also marks the first time since a Pokémon title on Nintendo Switch platforms has earned a Metacritic score above 85, with the most recent entries in the franchise boasting a higher score coming from the 87-rated Pokémon Sun and Moon on Nintendo 3DS a decade ago.
2022’s Pokémon Legends: Arceus was previously the highest-rated Pokémon title on Nintendo Switch, with a Metacritic rating of 83, and a score of 89 for Pokopia blows away a slew of recent releases for the franchise.
The Generation 9 games, Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, were littered with performance problems upon release, which were reflected in the critic scores, while Pokémon Legends: Z-A, the most recent Pokémon title before the release of Pokopia, scored 78.
Pokopia’s scores will certainly raise excitement ahead of the full release of the game this week, and, although not guaranteed, the expectation is that user scores will be similarly high, with demo experiences of Pokopia at the likes of EUIC making a swift impression on fans.
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