Pokémon Winds and Waves release date might have just been confirmed with the announcement of the new Pokémon Horizons Wonder Voyage anime. If true, players could be waiting a lot longer for the Pokémon Gen 10 games than some may have expected.
Did the New Pokémon Anime Just Tease Winds and Waves Release Date?
When Pokémon Winds and Waves was first revealed in February, many players were surprised after Game Freak announced it was delayed to 2027. Outside of a vague “coming next year” teaser, we’ve had no concrete information on an exact date when the Pokémon Gen 10 games will be launching on the Switch 2.
However, the reveal of the new Pokémon Horizons: Wonder Voyage anime season launching in May 2026 has led some players to speculate that it may have confirmed a late 2027 release date for Pokémon Winds and Waves. Here are the main reasons behind that speculation:
Why Fans Think Pokémon Winds and Waves Is Releasing in Late 2027
- Pokémon Horizons current season will wrap up Gen 9’s story arc this year.
- The new Wonder Voyage season takes place after the Scarlet and Violet era, and will feature filler episodes that focus on Pokémon GO, Pokémon Unite and Pokémon Sleep.
- The Pokémon Anime usually lines up new seasons after the launch of a Pokémon generation game to feature new characters from it.
- With Pokémon Horizons Wonder Voyage ending in April 2027, this means it can’t line up with the release of Pokémon Winds and Waves unless it launches in November.
- The Pokémon anime hasn’t had a break since 1997. So if the anime were to launch a new season themed around Gen 10, it would likely need to happen in April 2028. This of course would mean a November launch window for Winds and Waves.
For context, when Pokémon Horizons launched in 2023, it featured characters from the Pokémon Scarlet and Violet games which were released a few months earlier. This is the biggest reason some fans believe that Pokémon Gen 10 could be launching in late 2027.
Is the Pokémon Winds and Waves Release Date Actually Confirmed?
To get this out of the way: no, the Pokémon Winds and Waves release date has not been confirmed yet, outside of it “coming in 2027.” However, today’s announcement of Pokémon Horizons Wonder Voyage is definitely interesting when considering a potential release window for Pokémon Gen 10.
As I mentioned above, the Pokémon anime hasn’t missed a single year going back to its launch in 1997. No, seriously, it’s true. Literally every year has had a new season of Pokémon anime. So, if the Pokémon animated series wants to feature Winds and Waves characters at the start of a new season, they would likely need to do it in April 2028.
Pokémon Anime Timeline Could Reveal Gen 10 Release Window
All this said, I thought it would be interesting to take a look at the timeline of previous anime and game releases as it could give us a hint at when Gen 10 could launch:
- Pokémon Sun and Moon
- Games: November 18, 2016
- Anime: November 17, 2016
- Pokémon Sword and Shield
- Games: November 15, 2019
- Journeys Anime: November 17, 2019
- Pokémon Scarlet and Violet
- Games: November, 2022
- Horizons Anime: April, 2023
- Pokémon Horizons Wonder Voyage (Anime)
- End Date: (April 2027)
- Pokémon Winds and Waves
- Release Date: 2027 ???
As you can see, the problem is that a new Pokémon anime series would have to launch in May 2027, or it would be the first time in decades that the animated series would have a break or go months without any new episodes. This doesn’t seem likely to happen. And it also seems unlikely that Gen 10 would release in in April 2027. Then again, never say never?
Why November 2027 Makes the Most Sense for Pokémon Gen 10
However, a Pokémon Winds and Waves release date of November 2027 makes a lot of sense. For starters, almost every mainline Pokémon gen game has launched in October or November going back a decade now. Plus, if Pokémon Gen 10 launches in the Fall, it means that the Pokémon anime could start a new season themed around it a few months later.
This would also fit into the release pattern they’ve used when bridging the anime and new generation games previously. That said, this is all speculation at this point. If Pokémon Winds and Waves does in fact launch in November 2027, that means the game is still around 18 months away, which would make it one of the longest waits between generations in the series’ entire history. Ouch.
The post Pokémon Winds and Waves Release Date Possibly Teased by New Pokémon Anime appeared first on VICE.
