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If you want to explore and catch Pokémon, start with Pokémon Legends: Arceus. Choose Pokémon Scarlet or Pokémon Violet if you want a broad world with the familiar mainline loop of catching, battling, and training. If you are open to leaving Pokémon behind, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom offer exploration built around traversal, discovery, and puzzles.
Which open-world Switch game fits the way you want to play?
| Your preference | Best fit | What exploration involves |
|---|---|---|
| Survey Pokémon in the field and build a Pokédex | Pokémon Legends: Arceus | Observe, sneak up on, and catch Pokémon across survey areas; field research helps progress and unlock more areas. Official game description. |
| Explore a broad world while keeping mainline Pokémon battles | Pokémon Scarlet or Pokémon Violet | Explore Paldea while catching, battling, and training Pokémon, and travel by Koraidon or Miraidon. Official game description. |
| Explore a world outside Pokémon, with traversal and puzzles | The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild | Survey Hyrule, climb to new vantage points, and solve shrine puzzles. Nintendo’s game page. |
| Explore Hyrule with sky islands and self-directed routes | The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom | Travel through sprawling landscapes and floating sky islands, choosing your own path. Nintendo’s game page. |
Pokémon Legends: Arceus is the best fit for field exploration
Pokémon Legends: Arceus makes exploring, observing, and catching Pokémon the center of the experience. Its official description frames your task around exploring Hisui and completing the Pokédex through field research. It suits fans who want discovery to happen in the world itself—not only between battles or in menus.
| # | Preview | Product | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
|
Pokemon Shining Pearl - Nintendo Switch Shining Pearl Edition | $52.49 | Buy on Amazon |
| 2 |
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Pokémon Violet - US Version | $51.99 | Buy on Amazon |
| 3 |
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Pokémon Legends: Arceus - US Version | $54.25 | Buy on Amazon |
Field research also contributes to progression and opens access to more survey areas. That gives exploration a clear purpose: look for Pokémon, learn about them, and make progress on the Pokédex. The game is the most direct pick here if the appeal of Pokémon is collecting and studying creatures as much as battling them.
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Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Violet take a different approach. Their Paldea setting is presented as a wide-open world, but the core premise remains familiar: catch Pokémon, battle, and train. Play Nintendo describes exploring at your own pace and traveling across land, water, and air by riding the game’s Legendary Pokémon—Koraidon in Scarlet and Miraidon in Violet. That is official promotional copy describing the stated premise, not an independent assessment.
#1 Best Overall
- Revisit the Sinnoh region from the original Pokémon Pearl Version game and set off to try and become the Champion of the Pokémon League
- The Pokémon Shining Pearl 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
Pick one of these if you want the open-world setting to support a recognizable mainline Pokémon adventure. Choose between the two versions based on which edition you want; the exploration-focused distinction in this guide is the same for both.
Try Breath of the Wild if you want exploration without Pokémon
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is a strong alternative if what you enjoy is the feeling of setting out to see what is beyond the next ridge. Nintendo highlights surveying Hyrule, climbing, and shrine puzzles. Rather than making creature catching the main activity, the game centers on moving through the environment and uncovering things to do along the way.
Rank #2
- Embark on a new Pokémon adventure
- Catch, battle, and train Pokémon in the Paldea Region, a vast land filled with lakes, towering peaks, wastelands, small towns, and sprawling cities.
- Choose either Sprigatito, Fuecoco, or Quaxly, to be your first partner Pokémon before setting off on your journey through Paldea.
- Embark on an independent study called the Treasure Hunt to gain new experiences, meet new people, and find your very own treasure.
Choose it when you want a change from Pokémon battles and collection, but still want a large adventure shaped by curiosity and discovery.
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The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom offers a different Hyrule journey, with sprawling landscapes and floating sky islands. Nintendo describes an adventure in which you choose your own path. It is a fit if you want exploration to extend across varied spaces and routes rather than focus on finding and catching Pokémon.
Rank #3
- Action meets RPG in this new take on the Pokémon series
- Study Pokémon behaviors, sneak up on them, and toss a well-aimed Poké Ball to catch them
- Unleash moves in the speedy agile style or the powerful strong style in battles
- Travel to the Hisui region—the Sinnoh of old—and build the region’s first Pokédex
- Learn about the Mythical Pokémon Arceus, the key to this mysterious tale
How to make the choice
- Creature observation and Pokédex progress: Choose Pokémon Legends: Arceus.
- Open-world travel with familiar Pokémon catching and battles: Choose Pokémon Scarlet or Pokémon Violet.
- Environmental traversal and shrine puzzles: Choose Breath of the Wild.
- Hyrule exploration that includes floating sky islands: Choose Tears of the Kingdom.
“Open world” does not mean the same play style in each game. The useful distinction is whether you want catching to be central or incidental, whether you prefer survey areas or a broad connected setting, and whether you want Pokémon battles, environmental puzzles, or simply the freedom to discover at your own pace.
Quick Recap
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