Pokémon Winds and Waves has been announced at the Pokémon Day 2026 Pokémon Presents livestream. To conclude the Pokémon 30th Anniversary celebration, Game Freak revealed the Pokémon Gen 10 Starters and Release Date.

Pokémon Winds and Waves Release Date Delayed to 2027

After months of leaks and rumors, Game Freak has finally revealed Pokémon Winds and Waves. The new RPG is the tenth generation for the long-running Nintendo franchise, and the first mainline title since Pokémon Scarlet and Violet launched in 2022. However, the more surprising news here is that Pokémon Gen 10 has been delayed until 2027.

According to the official trailer, Pokémon Winds and Waves has a release date of 2027. Outside of that, we don’t have any additional information. So it’s unclear if Pokémon Gen 10 will launch in the first half of next-year, or if we’ll be waiting all the way until November. Given that previous Pokémon games release in the Fall, we could be waiting another 21 months for the new generation titles. Yeah, that would be brutal.

Here is when previous mainline Pokémon Games have released to give us an idea when Gen 10 could launch:

• Pokémon Sun & Pokémon Moon – November 18, 2016
• Pokémon Ultra Sun & Pokémon Ultra Moon – November 17, 2017
• Pokémon Sword & Pokémon Shield – November 15, 2019
• Pokémon Scarlet & Pokémon Violet – November 18, 2022
• Pokémon Wind & Waves – November, 2027 ???

However, it is still possible that Pokémon Winds and Waves pulls a Legends Arceus and release in January 2027. If that’s the case, then the wait wouldn’t be as harsh as it would only be a two-month delay.

Pokémon Gen 10 Starters Revealed

The other major news here is that the Pokémon Gen 10 Starters have been revealed. The adorable Pokémon Winds and Waves Starters are a little Fire-type dog, a Water-type gecko and Grass-type bird. Honestly, I think these are some of Game Freak’s best Starter designs in years.

For your convenience, here are some up-close screenshots of the Pokémon Gen 10 Starters in-game:

Gen 10 Fire-Type Starter: Pombon

Gen 10 Grass-Type Starter: Browt

Gen 10 Water-Type Starter: Gecqua

Pokemon Gen 10 Leaks were real after all

In the Pokémon Winds and Waves trailer, we also got our first look at the new Pokémon Gen 10 region and map. Interestingly, this clip seems to confirm previous leaks in 2025, that claimed Gen 10 would be an open-world map based on Southeast Asia archipelago islands.

In the clip, we see the new protagonist traveling through various tropical climates, that include beaches and lava caverns. However it also confirmed the major Pokémon Winds and Waves leak that Gen 10 would feature an under water map to explore.

According to leaks, players will use a Rotom Scooter in Pokémon Winds and Waves to travel around the map. Yes, that also includes swimming under water. In the leak, it’s explained the Rotom Scooter will attach to your Pokémon and then transform into a new mode of transportation based on a characters moveset.

So for example if your scooter is attached to a Squirtle that knows Surf, you the Rotom will then turn into a vehicle that can dive under water. It’s unclear if this leak is accurate, but it has a good chance of being legitimate given all the other leaks were confirmed in the Pokémon Winds and Waves trailer.

Finally, Pokémon Winds and Waves will release exclusively on the Nintendo Switch 2. This means that it’s not a cross-gen game.