10 Harsh Realities Of Playing Pokémon FireRed & LeafGreen On Switch

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2023 has been a huge year for Pokémon! Lots of popular game series are celebrating milestones, but the celebrations for the classic Pokémon franchise are bigger and more exciting than most.

There’s a lot to explore, including new and updated games, plus plenty of merchandise. A highlight is the return of Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen, but keep in mind a few things. It’s been quite a while since those games were originally updated, and many of the features from that time haven’t been carried over to modern versions.

No Online Play

Let’s address the biggest issue right away: you can’t play with others online. Unlike some other games, FireRed and LeafGreen don’t have any way to connect to the internet for trading or battling.

As a Pokémon fan, I was a little disappointed to find that trading and battling with others isn’t fully set up yet. You can trade between your own Switch consoles if you have multiple copies of the game, which is a workaround, but it’s not the same. The biggest bummer is that Pokémon HOME isn’t available at launch, and that really limits how easily you can connect with other players. It feels like a core part of the experience is missing right now.

No Home Support At Launch

The biggest disappointment is that the games don’t work with Pokémon HOME yet. Considering these are older games being re-released, it’s frustrating that they didn’t include HOME support from the start.

Because FireRed and LeafGreen feature so many well-known Pokémon from the first generation, players won’t be able to move those Pokémon to other games, even after the Pokémon HOME update. And even with HOME support, there will still be limitations.

When Home Does Come, It’s One-Way

When support for transferring Pokémon from FireRed and LeafGreen to Pokémon HOME is released later this year, it will only work in one direction. This means you’ll be able to move Pokémon from those older games into Pokémon HOME, and then transfer them to games like Scarlet and Violet, Pokémon Legends: Z-A, and Pokémon Champions, but not the other way around.

Once you move Pokémon from FireRed and LeafGreen, you can’t get them back. These updated games don’t allow Pokémon to be transferred back, and you can’t send new Pokémon into them either. This kind of limitation isn’t unusual – even future games like Pokémon Z-A (coming out in October 2025) won’t immediately support the Pokémon HOME service – but it’s still not ideal for players in the long run.

High Price Tags

A major complaint about Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen is the cost. Each version on Switch is $19.99, meaning both games together cost $40. That’s quite expensive for simple ports of the original Game Boy Advance titles, especially since they don’t include significant new features.

Many fans have noticed that Nintendo previously sold classic games for between $7 and $10 on systems like the Wii U and 3DS. While things aren’t exactly the same now, a price of $20 or less for both versions of these retro games would have likely been more appealing to players.

Also, each language version of the game (English, French, and Spanish) is sold as a separate product on the eShop. Double-check you’re purchasing the version in your preferred language.

Lack of Nintendo Classics Support

Unfortunately, FireRed and LeafGreen aren’t included with the Game Boy Advance games available through the Switch Online app. Because you can buy these games separately on the Nintendo Switch eShop, a Switch Online subscription won’t give you access to them.

There’s a reason for this decision: getting HOME to function correctly on the eShop probably required it to be a standalone release, separate from the Nintendo Classics collection. Still, Nintendo could have offered Switch Online members a version of the game without the HOME menu integration, or simply included it as part of their subscription service.

Old EXP Share Mechanics

Experienced Pokémon players will easily remember how EXP sharing used to work. However, newer players might be surprised to learn they need to find and equip a special item to share experience points, as this hasn’t been necessary in recent games.

Recent Pokémon games give experience points to all party members automatically. In older games, you had to find and equip a special item to share experience, and even then, it didn’t work as broadly.

I wouldn’t necessarily fix this – players were able to understand things in the older Pokémon games, like those from Generation 1 and 3. However, it’s good to keep in mind if you’re used to the more recent versions of the game, as things work differently.

No Big Quality Of Life Changes

Unfortunately, beyond everything already mentioned, there isn’t much to encourage people who already own FireRed and LeafGreen to upgrade, particularly if they don’t plan to use the HOME connection. Only two key changes were made to FireRed and LeafGreen:

  • After becoming the league champion, you’ll get access to the Mystery Gift Pokémon by default.
  • The “roar” glitch has been fixed for the Gen 2 Legendaries in the Sevii Islands endgame.

Beyond that, there aren’t any significant improvements to make the game more enjoyable. Considering it also doesn’t support the HOME menu at launch and lacks online multiplayer, it’s a pretty limited offering. If you already have the physical copies of these games, you’re not really losing out on much by skipping this version.

Most Other Remakes Aren’t On Switch

For years, Pokémon fans have been requesting that classic games be released on the Nintendo Switch, but so far, The Pokémon Company hasn’t made it happen. If you’re new to the series and want to play the original games and then continue with later versions, it can be difficult to do so without access to older gaming systems.

The 3DS allowed players to download the original Generation 1 and 2 games from the eShop, and it also had the updated versions of Generation 3, Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire. This meant you could play three full generations of Pokémon games on one system, which was fantastic for anyone new to the series.

It’s a lot of fun to replay the first three generations of Pokémon games on their original Game Boy systems, but that experience isn’t available on the Nintendo Switch right now. The only Pokémon remake currently on Switch is the fourth generation, Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl (BDSP).

Eventually, it could be possible to play almost every Pokémon game on one system. But for now, you’ll need to use older consoles to do that.

No Physical Cart Option

A major disappointment for collectors is that the Switch versions of Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen won’t have physical game cartridges.

Pokémon fans, including me, love physical game cartridges because they last for years. However, the new Switch versions of FireRed and LeafGreen might not have that same staying power. When the eShop closes, these digital versions could become inaccessible, just like older digital releases on the 3DS.

The problem is made worse by Nintendo Switch 2’s use of Game Key Cards, which means many older and newer games aren’t available as physical copies. Even the highly anticipated Pokémon Pokopia is only being released as a Game Key card.

Considering Pokémon games have traditionally been released physically and remain popular for years, releasing new titles only digitally feels like an odd choice. Pokémon usually maintains long-term sales, and this digital-only approach doesn’t align with Game Freak’s past practices – they even released downloadable content for Sword & Shield and Scarlet & Violet as physical game cartridges.

One Physical SKU Is Japan-Only

Even dedicated collectors are facing difficulties getting their hands on special Pokémon items outside of Japan. Following the announcement of the Gen 1 remakes for Nintendo Switch, Nintendo of Japan released a bundle exclusive to that region. This bundle includes a digital download code for either FireRed or LeafGreen, packaging designed to look like the original Game Boy Advance, and a collectible Poke Ball containing three glass balls laser-etched with the first generation starter Pokémon.

At $128, this collectible isn’t cheap, but it’s still a good choice for Pokémon fans. It quickly sold out in Japan – within about 30 minutes – proving it’s very popular.

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2026-03-04 04:14