Ryan’s Thoughts
The 2026 digital release of Pokémon LeafGreen on the Nintendo Switch is a fascinating time capsule. Re-released to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the franchise, this isn’t a “Let’s Go” style remake, but rather a direct, upscaled port of the 2004 Game Boy Advance classic.
Though upscaled not through graphical upgrades and higher resolution, but rather in the form of quality of life improvements. Those being the wireless connectivity and the inclusion of Pokémon Home integration at a later date.
The narrative remains the quintessential “coming of age” journey that defined the RPG genre for millions. You play as a young trainer from Pallet Town, tasked by Professor Oak to complete the Pokédex while collecting eight Gym Badges across the Kanto region. The simplicity is its strength; the plot doesn’t get bogged down in world-ending legends, instead focusing on your rivalry with Blue (or whatever you decide to name them) and your systematic dismantling of Team Rocket. The Switch version preserves the Sevii Islands post-game arc, which expands the lore of the Kanto/Johto connection and provides a much-needed narrative bridge that feels just as substantial now as it did two decades ago.
In an era of open-world Pokémon titles, the tight, grid-based design of LeafGreen feels remarkably focused. The core loop of catching, training, and battling is as addictive as ever, benefiting from the “Special/Physical split” absence that keeps the classic GBA meta intact. What makes the Switch port standout is the integrated networking system. Nintendo has replaced the old Link Cables with a seamless local wireless multiplayer battling and trading; making it easier than ever to trade version-exclusives or engage in the Union Room.
Additionally, full Pokémon HOME connectivity has been patched in, allowing you to finally bring your 20-year-old Kanto favorites into the modern generation without the hardware headache of three different handheld generations. As cool as Pokémon Home integration is, it’s only one way. You can only take Pokémon from LeafGreen or Fire Red and send them to Pokémon Home; you can’t move Pokémon from any of the newer games over to LeafGreen or Fire Red.
Visually, the game is a vibrant celebration of 32-bit pixel art. On the Switch’s OLED (or on the Switch 2) screen, the colors pop with a saturated intensity that the original GBA hardware could never achieve. While the game runs in its original 3:2 aspect ratio (with optional themed borders), the upscaling is crisp, avoiding the “shimmering” pixels often found in other platforms that can’t emulate the game well enough. Performance is, predictably, flawless; the game maintains a rock-solid frame rate, and the Switch 2’s enhanced processing even eliminates the slight “save delay” present in the original cartridge. However, some purists may find the lack of a “pixel-perfect” mode disappointing, as the default scaling slightly softens the edges of the character sprites.
The soundtrack is a nostalgic masterclass in MIDI composition. Every theme, from the upbeat Road to Viridian City to the menacing Team Rocket Hideout, has been preserved with perfect fidelity. The Switch’s speakers (or a good pair of headphones) reveal the layers of the GBA’s sound chip that were often lost to the original handheld’s tinny output. It’s worth noting that the “audio lag” that plagued many older virtual console releases is non-existent here. While it would have been nice to have an “arranged” soundtrack option similar to other modern remasters, the original soundtrack and sound effects are iconic for a reason and carry the emotional weight of the experience.
Pokémon LeafGreen on the Switch is a testament to the “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” philosophy. While it lacks the cinematic flair of Scarlet and Violet, it offers a polished, stable, and deeply rewarding RPG experience that highlights just how timeless the Kanto region is. Should this game have been given full online battle and trading support, yes it totally should have. While I understand the issues with wireless trading, the inclusion of battling through NSO should totally have been added in.
Even at an additional $10 (or regional equivalent) It would be totally more than worth the price had it been included. While there are many ways to play this game, playing on either Switch platform really is the best way to experience this classic entry in the Pokémon series.
That was my take on this iconic game, and while I had fun with LeafGreen, Jon got to review FireRed and purchased LeafGreen separately; here are his thoughts on these classic titles:
Jon’s Thoughts
To celebrate the 30th anniversary of Pokémon, Nintendo and GameFreak have re-released Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen to the Switch.These are not deluxe releases with save states and online play and that is both a good and bad thing for fans and I have to admit I was surprised by some decisions. The lack of save states is actually understandable as The Pokémon Company has been opposed to that as it would be able to be used to cheese the game and break the experience. The lack of online play on the other hand, is a bit unusual.
Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen do have access to Pokémon home ( or rather, will in the future) and local wireless play, but this feels lacking without online trading and multiplayer. Still, the overall games are great and I will be honest in that this was my first time playing Pokémon FireRed. I had played Pokémon Blue on the original Game Boy, but never played the GBA entries in the series, so this was a great chance for me to revisit the experience in a new way for the first time. This is the original Kanto story that sees you pick your starter from Professor Oak and venture out to tackle the gyms and Elite Four while thwarting the plans of Team Rocket.
Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen lack a lot of the features that later games brought in, but did have features from the games up to that point. As such, it is not just a graphical update, but there are some content and gameplay changes here, including gender options and more.
I do need to note though that the controls feel a bit awkward at times. Movement feels a bit slow and I am not sure if the game was originally this slow, but it threw me off a bit. I will also mention that the use of the shoulder buttons just feels superfluous as best, and counterintuitive at worst. I keep accidentally pressing them and opening the help menu and it keeps interrupting the experience and causing more problems than it actually helps.
All that being said, I had a blast the more I played Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen. Yes, it would have been nice to have online multiplayer and it is a mark against the re-release not to have it, but the core experience is still fun with a great look back at how Pokémon was at one point, and while there could have been more QOL updates like speeding through dialogue, I still enjoyed myself. Playing Pokémon FireRed in both handheld mode and on the TV was a great experience, and I got to play Gen 1 again in a way I never had before. The price might be a bit off-putting for some, but having the original game not tied to a subscription service is worth it.
I have to say I enjoyed the post-game content that was new to Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen. I loved Pokémon Blue, but I find this new post-game content to be much more satisfying this time around and it was a treat to experience for the first time. Also noteworthy is that content that was locked to exclusive events like the adds the MysticTicket and AuroraTicket rewards for becoming the Champion have been included in this release, which lets you find and capture Lugia, Ho-Oh, and Deoxys. In addition, a number of glitches and bugs were fixed, notably the Roar Glitch with the Legendary Beasts, while stationary legendaries will now respawn when re-entering the room.
Ultimately, I feel Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen are worth checking out and I hope to see more Pokémon games come to the Switch and Switch 2 eshop so more players can experience them again or for the first time. If you’re a Pokémon fan, you have likely already played the original ( and the Game Boy originals) several times, but this is a great chance to jump in again for so many hours. And if you have never played the games, like was the case with myself and Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen, then this is the perfect way to try it for the first time.
Disclaimer: We were provided with review keys.