Pokémon Gen 10 Release Date Leak Leaves Gamers Torn

4 hours ago 6

Published Feb 22, 2026, 7:00 AM EST

Austin King is the Senior Editor of Gaming at ScreenRant and has been with the site since 2020 with a focus on RPGs and tabletop games. He previously managed content for Geek to Geek Media, and has served as a writer for sites like Nintendad, Geek Fitness, and more.

In addition to his work at ScreenRant, he also hosts the Dragon Quest FM podcast and is the author of several books, including co-writing Nimbus (a #1 bestseller in 2013). His latest is the nonfiction The Dragon Quest Book, available now.

He's written about pop culture, video games, and genre studies over the course of his career. You can find him on BlueSky, X, and at Dragonquestaustin.com

Pokémon is gearing up for its Gen 10 games, but almost nothing has been officially confirmed about it so far. We know it's happening, but other than that, we've had to rely on rumors and leaks. Now, a leak concerning the release date of Pokémon Gen 10 games has left fans pretty divided.

Over on X, a post of the various Pokémon Gen 10 leaks recapped some of the biggest takeaways, including info on gimmicks, the number of new Pokémon, underwater mechanics, and the games' alleged release date. The release date, naturally, had several fans up in arms and debating whether this was legit or not.

Pokémon Gen 10's Leaked Release Date Has Left Gamers Divided

If Pokémon Gen 10 games are releasing on November 20, 2026, that wouldn't be too far off from the franchise's usual schedule or releases, but it is a bit surprising, given that Game Freak and The Pokémon Company have allegedly wanted more time with the games to refine them more.

The leaked Pokédex count puts it on par with most mainline games, and the release date, which feels premature, surprisingly puts it on par with the rest of the series as well. That didn't stop fans from debating the issue, though.

"Skeptical," reads one post. "No way they are going to release a day after GTA 6," reads another. Although, if there were a series to ever take on GTA 6, it'd be Pokémon, which remains the best-selling entertainment IP globally.

"Instant fake, games release on Thursdays, so November 19th is the release date," wrote one user, with several similar comments agreeing. It's true that Switch 2 releases have come on Thursdays, so this is a valid point.

Could We Really Be Getting Gen 10 Before The End Of The Year?

However, it wouldn't be totally unreasonable to think Pokémon Gen 10 games will come out this year. November releases are traditional for the mainline series, so that part checks out, but there's typically around three years between mainline releases. If the Gen 10 games came out this year, that'd be four years since Scarlet and Violet launched in 2022.

A few games have followed this schedule. There were four years between Gen 3 and Gen 4, and then another four years before Gen 5 was released. The other mainline games have all followed a 3-year schedule. If Gen 10 doesn't come out this year, then it'd be the longest gap between generations since Pokémon debuted in 1996.

It's best to take any leak with a grain of salt, but given the past history of Pokémon, a 2026 release date doesn't feel totally preposterous. Of course, if developers are wanting more time to develop and refine the game, then a longer development time beyond this four-year timeframe also makes sense. We should find out soon, since Pokémon Day 2026 is right around the corner.