Pokémon: Let’s Go, Pikachu! and Pokémon: Let’s Go, Eevee! are the closest Nintendo Switch games to FireRed and LeafGreen because they return to Kanto, begin with Pikachu or Eevee as your partner, and present a deliberately approachable version of the classic Pokémon role-playing formula. Their catching system is modernized, however, so they do not reproduce every part of the Game Boy Advance games.
Choose Pokémon Brilliant Diamond or Pokémon Shining Pearl if what you really miss is the conventional route, town, rival, gym and turn-based progression. Choose Pokémon Legends: Arceus for exploration and experimentation, or Pokémon Sword, Pokémon Shield, Pokémon Scarlet or Pokémon Violet for newer regions and systems.
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Quick answer: which Switch Pokémon game is most like FireRed and LeafGreen?
| Game | Best for | Similarity to FireRed/LeafGreen | Main difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pokémon: Let’s Go, Pikachu! / Let’s Go, Eevee! | Kanto nostalgia, a familiar story framework and newcomers | Highest setting and theme match | The catching and partner systems are modernized |
| Pokémon Brilliant Diamond / Shining Pearl | A traditional remake with routes, towns, gyms and turn-based battles | High structural similarity | It retells the Sinnoh adventure in a 3D presentation |
| Pokémon Sword / Shield | A conventional modern mainline Pokémon game | Medium | It moves the adventure to Galar and adds newer systems |
| Pokémon Scarlet / Violet | A newer mainline experience and a more open presentation | Medium to low | The presentation and progression are more modern and open-ended |
| Pokémon Legends: Arceus | Exploration, experimentation and a change of pace | Lowest mechanically | It is officially described as an all-new action RPG |
If you want one answer, start with Let’s Go, Pikachu! or Let’s Go, Eevee!. If your priority is the classic gym-and-route rhythm rather than Kanto itself, start with Brilliant Diamond or Shining Pearl.
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1Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute2Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors3Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesWhat makes FireRed and LeafGreen distinctive?
Pokémon FireRed and Pokémon LeafGreen are remakes of the original Kanto adventure, but their appeal is broader than the map. Players usually remember a compact sequence of decisions: leave a starting town, build a team from encounters on connected routes, solve a small environmental obstacle, reach the next town, earn a badge in a gym and continue toward the Pokémon League. The games make that loop easy to understand while still allowing considerable team-building freedom.
#1 Best Overall
- Revisit the Sinnoh region from the original Pokémon Diamond Version game and set off to try and become the Champion of the Pokémon League
- The Pokémon Brilliant Diamond game brings new life to this remade classic with added features
- Explore the Grand Underground to dig up items and Pokémon Fossils, build a Secret Base, and more.
- Test your style and rhythm in a Super Contest Show
- A reimagined adventure, now for the Nintendo Switch system
That gives “similar to FireRed and LeafGreen” several possible meanings. One player may mean Kanto, familiar characters and the first-generation atmosphere. Another may mean a linear route-and-gym structure. A third may want turn-based battles with a relatively simple presentation, while someone else may simply want a new Pokémon adventure that preserves the feeling of steadily filling a regional Pokédex.
The recommendations below separate those criteria instead of treating similarity as one score. A game can be close in setting but different in its central activity, or close in structure while visiting a completely different region.
1. Pokémon: Let’s Go, Pikachu! and Let’s Go, Eevee!
Why they are the closest overall match
The two Let’s Go editions return to Kanto, the same broad region associated with FireRed and LeafGreen. Their versions differ at the start: the official product description says, “At the start of your tale, you encounter either Pikachu or Eevee, depending on which game version you choose.” That partner choice is the clearest immediate distinction between the editions.
The official Let’s Go site describes the games as bringing “the experience of a classic Pokémon RPG to Nintendo Switch, with gameplay that is easily approachable for newcomers to the series but is also deep enough to keep veteran Trainers on their toes.” That positioning explains why they work for two audiences at once: returning players recognize the region and broad adventure shape, while new players receive a more accessible introduction.
What feels familiar
- The Kanto setting provides the strongest nostalgia connection of any Switch release.
- The journey is organized around towns, routes, gyms and a regional Pokémon adventure rather than an entirely new structure.
- Pikachu or Eevee functions as a visible partner, giving the journey a stronger companion focus than the older remakes.
- The games are designed as classic role-playing adventures, not as a separate spin-off format.
What is different from FireRed and LeafGreen
The catching loop is modernized. That matters because catching Pokémon is not a side activity in these games; it is one of the actions you perform repeatedly while building a team. Someone looking for an exact mechanical recreation of the Game Boy Advance remakes should therefore lower their expectations. Let’s Go is a Kanto reinterpretation with a more approachable interface and partner presentation, not a direct replacement for every older system.
The partner system also changes the tone. Instead of treating the lead Pokémon as an invisible party slot, the games make Pikachu or Eevee central to the adventure. That is ideal if you want a friendly, character-led version of Kanto, but less ideal if you prefer the more austere presentation of FireRed and LeafGreen.
Which edition should you choose?
Choose Let’s Go, Pikachu! if Pikachu is the partner you want to travel with, or Let’s Go, Eevee! if Eevee is the better fit. The regional premise and broad recommendation are the same. Unless you are choosing to complete a particular collection or trade with someone who owns the other edition, the partner preference is the practical deciding factor.
Rank #2
- Journey to the Sinnoh region in Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Pokémon Shining Pearl!
- Embark on an adventure through the Sinnoh region with Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Pokémon Shining Pearl on Nintendo Switch, coming on 19th November, 2021!
- Adventures in Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Pokémon Shining Pearl will take place in the Sinnoh region. Rich in nature and with towering Mount Coronet at its heart, Sinnoh is a land of many myths passed down through the ages. You’ll visit many different locations in the Sinnoh region, while striving to become the Champion of the Pokémon League.
- The original story has been faithfully reproduced, and the sense of scale in the originals’ towns and routes has been carefully preserved. People who played Pokémon Diamond and Pokémon Pearl can revisit familiar places and relive familiar scenes once more. For those setting out through Sinnoh for the first time, plenty of new encounters and surprises await.
- These remakes include easy-to-understand, player-friendly conveniences of the modern Pokémon series, plus up-close-and-personal Pokémon battle scenes.
2. Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl
The best choice for the classic gym-and-route feel
Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Pokémon Shining Pearl are the strongest alternatives when “like FireRed and LeafGreen” means a traditional Pokémon progression rather than a return to Kanto. The official site presents them as an adventure “reborn on Nintendo Switch” with the nostalgia of the Pokémon Diamond and Pokémon Pearl games, while the Pokémon product description identifies them as updates of the Nintendo DS role-playing games.
That remake structure is important. You travel through the Sinnoh region, move between routes and towns, assemble a party, challenge gyms and advance through a conventional Pokémon campaign. The region and visual presentation are different from Kanto, but the underlying rhythm is much closer to the older remakes than the action-focused Legends: Arceus format.
Why choose Brilliant Diamond or Shining Pearl after FireRed?
- You want turn-based battles to remain the center of the adventure.
- You prefer a guided route network over a primarily open exploration structure.
- You want another remake rather than a wholly new regional setting.
- You are comfortable exchanging Kanto nostalgia for a Sinnoh story and Pokémon roster.
What you should not expect
These games do not recreate Kanto, the original map or the specific FireRed/LeafGreen cast. Their value is structural: they preserve the idea of revisiting a classic Pokémon adventure with a modern Switch presentation. If the region is the part you miss most, Let’s Go remains the better choice.
The two editions are paired versions of the same Sinnoh remake project. Select the title that matches your preferred version or the one that complements friends’ collections if trading is part of your plan. The important buying decision is choosing the remake format, not expecting one edition to be a fundamentally different style of game.
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A conventional modern mainline option
Pokémon Sword and Pokémon Shield are suitable when you want the familiar mainline formula with a newer region and newer systems. Nintendo lists them among the Switch Pokémon games supported by Pokémon HOME, alongside other current Switch titles. That makes them a practical option for players who care about maintaining a collection across compatible games, subject to the current HOME rules for each title.
Compared with FireRed and LeafGreen, the key continuity is not the setting but the role-playing framework: travel through a regional adventure, catch and train a team, battle other Trainers and progress through major challenges. The main difference is that the game belongs to a later generation and therefore presents a broader set of systems than the compact Kanto remakes.
Who should choose Sword or Shield?
- Choose this pair if you want a clearly conventional Pokémon campaign but do not require a remake.
- Choose it if the idea of a new region is more appealing than revisiting Kanto or Sinnoh.
- Choose it if Pokémon HOME compatibility is part of your collection plan.
It is not the closest visual or nostalgic match, so it should not displace Let’s Go for a Kanto-focused request. Its strength is offering a modern mainline route for someone who still wants the recognizable Pokémon adventure pattern.
Rank #3
![Pokémon Brilliant Diamond: Standard - Nintendo Switch [Digital Code]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/41rWkUhlsaL._SL160_.jpg)
- Revisit the Sinnoh region from the original Pokémon Diamond Version game and set off to try and become the Champion of the Pokémon League
- The Pokémon Brilliant Diamond game brings new life to this remade classic with added features
- Explore the Grand Underground to dig up items and Pokémon Fossils, build a Secret Base, and more!
- Test your style and rhythm in a Super Contest Show
- A reimagined adventure, now for the Nintendo Switch system
4. Pokémon Scarlet and Violet
For players ready for a newer, more open presentation
Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Violet are the forward-looking choice in this group. Nintendo’s catalog lists both as Switch products, and Nintendo’s compatibility information includes them among the Pokémon games that work with Pokémon HOME. They are therefore relevant to players who want a current mainline experience and a collection that can interact with Nintendo’s supported storage service.
The trade-off is distance from the FireRed/LeafGreen structure. Their presentation is more modern and open than the compact, strongly sequenced Kanto journey. That can be liberating if you want to decide where to explore and which objectives to pursue, but it can feel less like the carefully staged progression that defines many players’ memories of the older remakes.
When Scarlet or Violet is the right recommendation
- You want a newer generation rather than another remake.
- You value a more open-world presentation over a tightly ordered route sequence.
- You want a current Switch mainline title that appears in Nintendo’s HOME compatibility information.
Choose Scarlet or Violet according to the version, Pokémon and story differences that matter to you. For the narrow question “what is most like FireRed and LeafGreen?”, place this pair below Let’s Go and Brilliant Diamond/Shining Pearl; for “what should I play next for a newer Pokémon experience?”, it becomes much more compelling.
5. Pokémon Legends: Arceus
The exploration-first alternative
The official site calls Pokémon Legends: Arceus “an all-new action RPG Sinnoh adventure.” That description is the essential warning and the essential recommendation. It uses the Sinnoh region, but it is deliberately not another conventional gym-and-route remake. Its appeal comes from exploring, observing Pokémon and experimenting with a different style of progression.
If you have just finished FireRed or LeafGreen and want the same rhythm again, Legends: Arceus may feel like the wrong immediate follow-up. If you want to understand how the series can change while retaining Pokémon collection and exploration as its foundation, it is the most useful contrast on Switch.
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Choose Legends: Arceus when you want
- A deliberate change of pace from conventional route-and-gym progression.
- An action-RPG structure rather than a straightforward remake format.
- More emphasis on exploration and experimentation than on reproducing a classic campaign.
- A Sinnoh setting approached from a different design direction than Brilliant Diamond or Shining Pearl.
Its low similarity score is not a criticism. It simply answers a different question. Buy it for a fresh Pokémon experience, not because it is the closest substitute for the Game Boy Advance remakes.
How to choose in under a minute
- You want Kanto and the strongest nostalgia match: choose Let’s Go, Pikachu! or Let’s Go, Eevee!.
- You want the classic route, town, gym and turn-based structure: choose Brilliant Diamond or Shining Pearl.
- You want a conventional modern mainline game in a different region: choose Sword or Shield.
- You want a newer, more open presentation: choose Scarlet or Violet.
- You want exploration and a major mechanical change: choose Legends: Arceus.
How the games compare by the features players usually mean
| Feature you care about | Best match | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Kanto setting and nostalgia | Let’s Go, Pikachu! / Let’s Go, Eevee! | They return to Kanto and make Pikachu or Eevee the partner at the start. |
| Classic remake identity | Brilliant Diamond / Shining Pearl | They update a prior Nintendo DS adventure for Switch. |
| Traditional mainline progression | Brilliant Diamond / Shining Pearl, then Sword / Shield | Both preserve a conventional role-playing campaign; the former is the more explicitly remake-focused pair. |
| Newest mainline direction | Scarlet / Violet | They provide a current-generation regional adventure with a more open presentation. |
| Exploration and experimentation | Legends: Arceus | It is an all-new action RPG rather than a standard remake. |
| Partner-focused introduction | Let’s Go, Pikachu! / Let’s Go, Eevee! | The version determines whether Pikachu or Eevee is encountered as the starting partner. |
Using Pokémon HOME with a Switch collection
Pokémon HOME is a storage service intended to hold Pokémon from multiple compatible games. Nintendo’s official compatibility list includes Let’s Go, Brilliant Diamond, Shining Pearl, Sword, Shield, Scarlet and Violet among supported Switch Pokémon software. Compatibility is not the same as unrestricted movement: the permitted direction of transfer depends on the game and the Pokémon, so check the current HOME guidance before planning a specific move.
Rank #4
- Revisit the Sinnoh region and the story of the Pokémon Brilliant Diamond version game.
- Adventures in the Pokémon Brilliant Diamond game will take place in the familiar Sinnoh region.
- Rich in nature and with mighty mount coronet at its heart, Sinnoh is a land of many myths passed down through the ages.
- Experience the nostalgic story from the Pokémon pearl version game in a reimagined adventure, Pokémon shining pearl, now on the Nintendo Switch system.
- You’ll choose either Turtwig, Chimchar, or Piplup to be your first partner Pokémon and then set off on your journey to become the champion of the Pokémon League.
For a player choosing a follow-up to FireRed or LeafGreen, HOME is most useful as a collection-planning factor. It can help you organize Pokémon across compatible Switch games, but it does not make the games interchangeable. A Kanto setting, a remake structure and an action-RPG system remain different experiences even when they appear in the same storage ecosystem.
What the 2026 Switch release changes about this question
Nintendo investor material states that FireRed and LeafGreen released for Nintendo Switch on February 27, 2026 and exceeded four million units in global cumulative sell-through during their first six weeks. That figure is a publisher-issued result for that release window, not a measure of how similar another game is to the remakes.
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Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →The release gives returning players a direct way to revisit the original pair on current hardware. The recommendations in this guide answer a different need: what to play when you want another Switch Pokémon game with some of the same appeal. If you simply want FireRed or LeafGreen themselves, the Switch release is the most direct answer; if you want a related adventure, use the decision points above.
Buying and version considerations
Physical editions and stock
Physical availability, regional editions, prices and retailer stock change over time. Check the listing for your country and the exact edition before purchasing. A product page can identify the game, but it does not guarantee that a particular cartridge, bundle or price will remain available.
Choosing between paired versions
For Let’s Go, the central choice is Pikachu or Eevee as the partner. For Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl, and for the paired modern mainline games, choose according to the version-specific Pokémon and story details that matter to your collection or trading plans. The broad style of play does not change enough between each pair to alter the rankings above.
Playing order
There is no required order. A practical sequence for a returning Kanto player is Let’s Go first for the setting, Brilliant Diamond or Shining Pearl second for another conventional remake, then Legends: Arceus when you want a deliberate structural change. Substitute Sword/Shield or Scarlet/Violet whenever a newer region is more important than nostalgia.
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Let’s Go, Pikachu! and Let’s Go, Eevee! are the best Pokémon games like FireRed and LeafGreen on Nintendo Switch because they combine the Kanto setting with an approachable classic-RPG framework. Their modernized catching and partner systems mean they are inspired by the older remakes rather than identical to them. For the most faithful classic gym-and-route feel outside Kanto, choose Brilliant Diamond or Shining Pearl. Treat Legends: Arceus as an exploration-focused experiment, and choose Sword, Shield, Scarlet or Violet when a newer mainline region is your priority.
Quick Recap
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