Pokémon Radiant Takes Players Back To The Alola Region

2 hours ago 5

Published Mar 10, 2026, 4:00 PM EDT

Chris is a Gaming Editor at ScreenRant. He has been a professional writer since 2009, and has written for top TV, comics, movie, and video game outlets like Engadget, Polygon, Destructoid, and more. He brings with him an expertise in every game genre, no matter how niche or mainstream.

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If you're a Pokémon enthusiast and haven't explored the vast world of Pokémon fan games, you're missing out. More than ever, it feels like a ton of projects are coming out at a steady pace, and they're becoming increasingly ambitious.

Pokémon Radiant Is A Fan Sequel To Sun & Moon

It's A Region Worthy Of A Follow-Up

If you ever wanted to visit the Alola region again from Pokémon Sun & Moon, you can in Pokémon Radiant, an upcoming fan game that's set to launch a series of demos. Crafted in RPG Maker XP, this fan game returns to Alola, with returning characters and new storylines. This seems to be a hand-crafted fan game, which also includes art sourced from the Pokémon community.

The game's creator, M4RYN, also had a message for fans with the announcement of a new trailer: "I'm so happy to finally introduce the game's newest rival. Her story and personality will add a very special touch to the Alola adventure, and I can't wait for you to get to know her better. I also want to thank Fangames Direct for giving me the opportunity to participate and showcase the project. It means so much to me! Thank you for your support and for joining me on this adventure."

There's good news for English speakers, too. Per the creator, Pokémon Radiant demos (and eventually the full game) will be released in English as well, "a few days" after each Spanish demo. It's so impressive that it was featured in a recent Fangames Direct, organized by members of the fan game community.

Pokémon ROM Hacks And Fan Games Are On Another Level

There Are So Many Good Ones

Every single fan has a different take on what Pokémon should be. Some think that it should be a tougher, backbreaking experience, challenging your knowledge of how movesets and types work. Others prefer it to be a Monster Rancher-style raising game, where the entire focus is on training and getting to know your Pokémon.

Others see fit to craft new regions or worlds entirely, while others prefer to keep their fan games housed within official regions. There's even a community split between those who use official Pokémon and those who use fan creations. No matter what kind of Pokémon experience you want, you can find it.

Whatever camp you fall into, Pokémon as a franchise isn't going away in the near or even far future. It's an inevitability and still makes tons of cash, so expect more generations beyond 10, and more spinoffs. In that sense, fan games will also be around until the end of time.