Are you ready to catch them, then Mega Evolve them, again? Pokémon Legends: ZA is finally almost here, with its launch scheduled for October 16, priced at $59.99 for Nintendo Switch or $69.99 for Switch 2.
If you don’t have a Switch 2 yet but think you might upgrade in the future (maybe you’re waiting for the holidays for a new console?), you can pick up the Switch 1 version of Pokémon Legends ZA now, then grab the game’s $9.99 Switch 2 Upgrade Pack when you’re ready.
Finally, you can already purchase Pokémon Legends: ZA: Mega Dimension, a paid DLC that will add two new Mega Evolutions for Raichu and new story content. Most of that won’t arrive until after the game launches, although buying it now will immediately unlock additional costume items.
You can already preload Pokémon Legends: ZA via the Nintendo eShop, including the game’s day one update. You will need 4.1 GB of free space on Nintendo Switch or 7.7 GB of free space on Switch 2.
As the game’s launch approaches, it’s worth being wary of spoilers: datamining work has already begun on the game after physical copies were spotted in the wild. Indeed, IGN has heard about some of the brand new Mega Pokémon included in the game – although we won’t spoil them here.
Set in Kalos, home of the Mega Pokémon mechanic, Pokémon Legends: ZA adds the first new batch of super-powered creatures to the franchise’s Mega Pokédex in over a decade, although no new Pokémon species are expected. To date, The Pokémon Company has only revealed a handful of new Mega Pokémon that should make up the final list of new Mega species in the game. How many will be in the final game? You just have to play and find out.
As with other Nintendo game launches, digital copies of Pokémon Legends: ZA should be unlocked in your region as soon as it is midnight (midnight) on Thursday, October 16.
But in the US, previous Nintendo game launches have treated the entire country as a single region, meaning those in time zones behind the East (i.e. Central, Mountain, and Pacific) can all play late on Wednesday, October 15.
Pokémon Legends: ZA Worldwide Release Times:
Wednesday October 15, 2025
PDT (San Francisco):
CST (Mexico):
Thursday October 16, 2025
EDT (New York):
BRT (São Paulo):
BST (London):
CEST (Paris, Rome, Berlin):
For (Türkiye):
UTC (New Delhi):
ICT (Hanoi):
HKT (Hong Kong):
CST (Beijing):
JST (Tokyo):
AEST (Sydney):
Ready to get started? IGN has guides to Pokémon Legends: ZA’s characters and starter Pokémon, its Mega Dimension DLC, all the new mega Pokémon in Legends ZA, and also a full Pokedex (list of Pokémon) so you can plan which creatures to catch first.
Tom Phillips is IGN’s senior news editor. You can reach Tom at tom_phillips@ign.com or find him on Bluesky @tomphilipseg.bsky.social
