The Pokémon Company has released some of the most popular titles to ever grace the gaming customs. These epic games engagement back to 1996 and take shaped many of our childhoods. Simply you don't take to stop playing Pokémon simply considering y'all don't ain a Game Boy anymore.

In fact, there are plenty of means to play Pokémon on your iPhone, whether you're looking for the latest iOS games or classic adventures similar Pokémon Ruby-red and Pokémon Blue.

Nosotros'll explain all your options below—emulators, browser apps, and App Store games—so you lot'll be able to grab 'em all in no time.

Emulate Classic Pokémon Games on Your iPhone

The best mode to play classic Pokémon games on your iPhone is to download and install an emulator. This is a type of app that mimics a computer organisation, like an old video game console.

With the right emulator, you can play Game Boy, Game Male child Color, Game Boy Advance, and Nintendo DS games on your iPhone. Newer consoles, similar the Nintendo Switch, aren't ordinarily bachelor to emulate because your iPhone doesn't have enough processing power.

But that doesn't matter; the older Pokémon games are all the same worth playing.

How to Install an Emulator on Your iPhone

Unfortunately, Apple doesn't let emulators on the App Store. But there are plenty of alternative methods you can use to install an emulator on your iPhone instead. And none of them require you to jailbreak your device first.

Nearly emulators are open up source, which ways they're free and legal to use, even if Apple tree doesn't like it. That means yous tin can install them outside of the App Store by taking advantage of enterprise certificates or compiling them as your own apps.

Don't worry—it'south simpler than information technology sounds. In fact, nosotros have another post explaining exactly how to install emulators on your iPhone.

For Pokémon on iOS, the best emulators are Delta, iNDS, and Eclipse. All of these are free, and together they allow you play Pokémon games from all the post-obit consoles:

  • Game Boy / Game Boy Color
  • Game Male child Advance
  • Nintendo 64
  • Nintendo DS

Where to Get Pokémon ROMs for Your iPhone

Later on you install an emulator on your iPhone, you however need a software version of the game you want to play. These are chosen ROMs. While emulators are free and legal to use, ROMs aren't so straightforward.

If you already own a game legally, in some cases you're allowed to create your own ROM version of it for fill-in purposes. Still, an erstwhile version of Nintendo's legal FAQ stated that even this archival use is illegal. That said, this bulletin no longer appears on Nintendo'south website, which is promising.

No matter how y'all obtained them, since video games are copyrighted, it's a crime for y'all to share ROMs with anyone else.

Withal, all it takes is a Google search to find whatever ROMs y'all're looking for, shared by other people. If you aren't certain which ones to play, take a look at our ranking of all the mainline Pokémon games.

Play Pokémon in Safari With Game Play Color

If installing an emulator on your iPhone sounds too complicated, yous might prefer to utilise a web-based emulator instead. Game Play Color is the best selection for this.

You still need to download ROMs for the Pokémon games you want to play. Just you don't need to leap through equally many hoops to get that emulator working on your iPhone.

Game Play Color home page

Game Play Color is the quickest way to start playing Pokémon on your iPhone, but information technology comes with a few restrictions:

  • The emulator might reset when you alter apps.
  • You can merely play Game Boy or Game Boy Color games.
  • Game Play Color doesn't support salve states, and so you need to save your games to the ROM file, like you'd save to the cartridge with a physical game.

If none of those drawbacks sound like a deal-breaker, here's how to get set:

  1. Download any ROMs you want to play and save them to Google Drive.
  2. Open Safari on your iPhone and load the Game Play Color website.
  3. Tap Play Now, then tap the Share button and choose to Add to Home Screen.
  4. You should see a Game Play app icon announced on your Home Screen.
  5. Launch the Game Play app, then sign in to your Google Drive account. You'll need to re-create the access code it gives you lot to sync your account.
  6. Game Play searches your Google Drive for compatible ROMs and shows them on the screen. Tap the game you lot desire to play to kicking information technology up.

Pokémon Games on the App Store

Most of you are probably looking to revisit the classic Pokémon games above. Only nosotros also wanted to take a moment to acknowledge some of the other Pokémon games y'all tin can download directly from the iOS App Store.

Pokémon GO

Pokémon GO exploded onto the scene in 2016, snatching news headlines and reigniting a worldwide dear for the Pokémon franchise.

It's an augmented reality game that uses the camera on your iPhone to let you find Pokémon in the real globe. You can collect over 700 Pokémon, compete in gym battles, and go head-to-head against Team Rocket grunts.

And best of all, Pokémon GO incentivizes you to become outside and explore your local surroundings in search of the all-time Pokémon.

Download: Pokémon Become (Free, in-app purchases available)

Pokémon Masters EX

This game takes a fresh approach to the Pokémon feel by having you collect diverse Pokémon trainers, rather than the Pokémon themselves. Considering each trainer is paired with a detail Pokémon already, yous become a bit of both.

Pokémon Masters is more episodic than the classic games, with a series of chapters to complete and occasional game-wide events. This makes it easy to pick up and put down, but it certainly lacks the sense of hazard you probably expect from Pokémon games.

Download: Pokémon Masters EX (Costless, in-app purchases available)

Pokémon Quest

Pokemon Quest Home Screen

This cube-fashion Pokémon game encourages you lot to build the perfect team, carefully choosing the best moves and abilities to round out your squad. It'south a dissimilar kind of game than what you lot're probably used to with Pokémon, just that doesn't make information technology whatsoever less addictive.

Collect a variety of items, decorate your base of operations military camp, and endeavour to take hold of all 150 original Pokémon. Information technology isn't difficult to sink a lot of hours into this game.

Download: Pokémon Quest (Gratuitous, in-app purchases available)

Mix Upward Your Gaming With Some Pokémon Challenges

At present y'all know how to savour Pokémon on your iPhone. Whether you install an emulator or savor a modern Pokémon title, in that location's lots of fun to have on your iOS device.

Equally you probably know, the Pokémon titles aren't particularly difficult games to trounce. Most of the joy comes from exploring the globe and discovering new creatures to add together to your team. Only if that doesn't sound like enough, y'all could add a challenge to spice up the game.

Of course, nosotros all know the greatest challenge is to catch every Pokémon. Only did you know about the Nuzlocke challenge or the Monotype challenge? There are loads of exciting Pokémon challenges you can impose on yourself to bear witness your mastery over the classic games. Each challenge promises to change the way you play and injects a whole new level of fun.