Published Feb 22, 2026, 3:00 PM EST
Yuliya Geikhman has been writing professionally for over 17 years. She started out in the MMO scene with Pando Media Booster and now dives into everything gaming at Screen Rant. She's a lifelong gamer, a relentless industry sleuth, and a passionate follower of everything happening in the games industry.
Pokémon FireRed & LeafGreen is coming to the Nintendo Switch and Switch 2 on February 27 (aka Pokémon day). Sadly, the game duo is staying firmly rooted in the past, as it lacks one of the most iconic features of the modern gaming age.
According to the official Nintendo FAQ of the upcoming titles, "online play is not supported" for Pokémon FireRed & LeafGreen. The games will retain their original, local-only mode of connecting with a few other players to trade, battle, and play a minigame. However, players won't be able to connect to others through any form of online connection, much to the disappointment of many.
Pokémon FireRed & LeafGreen Are Offline
An Online Feature For Pokémon Just Makes Sense
When the original Pokémon games were released, the idea of having a connected, online world was in its infancy. Limitations of the time limited player-to-player interaction to only physical connections, and even those were severely limited. Despite this, the Pokémon gaming franchise was always built on the idea of connections and community. That was the idea of having several different versions of each generation: players who wanted to "catch 'em all" would have to trade with friends to complete their in-game Pokédexes.
Today, we're practically always connected, with online interactions just a flick of a finger away. The gaming world has grown along with this connectivity, and many games today include some online elements—a feature that's not always welcome.
Despite this, Pokémon games are lagging behind. Re-releasing Pokémon FireRed & LeafGreen could have been an opportunity for Nintendo to bring the classic Pokémon games to the modern age. Instead, the games are noticeably lacking online features, letting down the hopes and dreams of many fans.
Fans Aren't Happy About The Lack Of Online Play For FireRed & LeafGreen
Fans Have Been Begging For Online Functionality For Years
Pokémon fans have been growing increasingly disappointed in Nintendo and Game Freak for letting them down with each new Pokémon release. Of course, it can be very hard to please such a huge fanbase, and there will always be fans who are left disappointed. The real issue that many fans are taking with Nintendo and the Pokémon Company is their seeming unwillingness to hear what the community wants from new Pokémon games.
The Pokémon FireRed & LeafGreen re-release announcement has been dividing fans. While many are happy to see the iconic start of the franchise arrive on current-gen consoles, others are finding fault with the price point and lack of desired features.
Redditor JimintheN0rth puts this disappointment in words that seem to echo the general sentiment across much of the community: "I'm not a hard person to please when it comes to Pokémon, but I'm growing tired of them getting SO close to giving us what we want, but not delivering on an obvious feature."
Created by Satoshi Taijiri, Ken Sugimori, Junichi Masuda
Latest Film Pokémon the Movie: Secrets of the Jungle
First Episode Air Date April 1, 1997
Current Series Pokémon
English (US) ·