Pokémon Sacred Gold Is The Ultimate Johto Remake

2 weeks ago 20

Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver key art featuring Ho-Oh and Lugia.

Published May 10, 2026, 8:30 AM EDT

Known as 'Cyberpunk 2077's' biggest fan, Angharad is a Welsh games writer who thrives in anything related to digital storytelling. If a video game explores the intricacies and horrors of womanhood, she is there.

Thanks to previous work at GAMINGbible, GameByte, The Loadout, Game Luster, Angharad has built a strong understanding of both the digital world and what fans want from it and is eager to share her thoughts and expertise with readers.

With 2026 celebrating the 30th anniversary of the Pokémon franchise, fans are eager to get stuck into all that the award-winning world has to offer. Despite the next official Pokémon entry, Pokémon Winds and Waves, expected to launch in 2027, there are plenty of ways to get your monster-catching groove on, and they all come courtesy of its dedicated fanbase. That is because one fan has found a way to recreate Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver like you have never seen before, offering new and exciting content to the 1999 Game Boy Color RPG.

Pokémon Heartgold and Soulsilver Lance and Male trainer

Titled Pokémon Sacred Gold, this Pokémon ROM hack has been described as "HeartGold but with lots of stuff to do" by one user over on r/PokemonROMhacks. "Sacred Gold is the perfect HeartGold ROM Hack for those who want a good challenge," they concluded, but not before offering a quick review of the ROM hack created by Drayano over on GBAtemp.

Originally uploaded way back in 2012, creator Drayano is no stranger to a Pokémon ROM hack and, as such, Sacred Gold and Storm Silver were the fourth project they undertook. "Given that it's one of my hacks, it has a pretty similar style in the sense that all Pokémon are available, there's an increased difficulty curve, there are (optional) changes to Pokémon to make some of them better," they shared. "Compared to Spirit Gold, Sacred Gold and Storm Silver are full of new scripted events and other aesthetic changes to make it both full of content and a pleasure to look at."

In Pokémon Sacred Gold, players can expect 493 Pokémon, which all come from Gen 4, a new roster for Trainers, meaning that there will be more battles than ever before, Pokémon have extra level-up moves, attack moves have been edited and improved, a wide variety of scripted events have been both added and edited, and brand-new story has even been included.

Johto Remains An Iconic Region

The player character about to battle Misty

With Johto remaining one of the most iconic regions in Pokémon history, there is no wonder why ROM hacks such as Sacred Gold return us to its familiar sights. Additionally, it is no surprise that our aforementioned Reddit user would recommend Sacred Gold to any Pokémon fan, especially with their review praising its legendary and mythical Pokémon that are all ready to catch, challenging Trainers that will truly test your battle expertise, "other stuff to do like collecting Unown at Ruins of Alph, doing stuff at the Safari Zone, or getting the best Bug-Type Pokémon in the National Park or Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday", and much more.

Put simply, it seems as though Pokémon Sacred Gold offers everything that Pokémon HeartGold did and then some, and better yet, it is completely free to download and enjoy now.