Pokémon Legends Delta Takes Players Back To Hoenn

3 hours ago 3
Pokemon FireRed Charizard on a red background on the left and LeafGreen Venusaur on a green background on the right.

Published Mar 21, 2026, 6:30 AM EDT

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Created by Delta Rangers as a ROM hack of Pokémon FireRed, Pokémon Legends Delta is a brand-new free download for fans which was launched for the first time earlier this month. Based on the Industrial Revolution era of Hoenn, Delta is set during a time when people lived in close proximity to Pokémon. However, with the vast majority of Pokémon still being wild and unpredictable, it is up to the Pokémon Rangers to protect the natural order, and its citizens.

Image shows screenshot for Pokemon Legends Delta ROM hack

Following the story of the Rangers, Pokémon Legends Delta introduces us to two characters: Nolan, the leader of the Delta division, Hoenn's strongest trainer, and an ancestor of Brendan, as well as Orerick, a prodigy of Pokémon battling and the son of Mr. Stone, the lead developer of the Hoenn expansion project.

After the Sootopolis meteor struck many years prior, the Hoenn scientists have discovered that the meteor is emitting an energy that is causing nearby Pokémon to act much more aggressively. As such, it is up to Nolan and Orerick to lead an expedition to Sootopolis itself in order to get to the root of the problem and change the course of Hoenn's future forever.

Featuring a two-character campaign, players will get to choose their protagonist, with the world reacting differently based on who you pick. You will also get to explore some iconic Hoenn locations and meet unique regional variants such as Vigorking and Skarmony. The battle system will be based on combat found in Gen 8, including planned Mega Evolutions from Pokémon Legends: Z-A, and Pokémon Legends Delta includes all the modern quality-of-life improvements, including Nature Mints and an updated Repel system.

Pokémon Fans Can Visit An Older Version Of Hoenn

Image shows Pokemon from Hoenn region

Pokémon Legends Delta is currently available to play courtesy of a public beta, but that means that limited content is available at the time of writing. This includes initial content up until the first dungeon, but active development will steadily add more, including expanding the open world and adding a mount system.

Put simply, Pokémon Legends Delta is a way for players to rediscover Hoenn but one that looks a lot different to what we are used to. Offering hours of gameplay and a story that is connected to the official Pokémon entries, Pokémon Legends Delta is the most official non-official ROM hack we have so far, and luckily, it is available to download and try out for free right now.

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Released September 7, 2004

ESRB Everyone 10+ / Mild Fantasy Violence, Simulated Gambling

Developer(s) Game Freak

Publisher(s) The Pokemon Company, Nintendo

Multiplayer Local Multiplayer, Online Multiplayer

Number of Players Single-player

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