Gen 6 Pokemon are coming to the world of Pokemon Go soon, so let’s take a look at when trainers can expect the first set of ‘mons from the Kalos region to arrive.
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Barring one or two exceptions, Niantic release the next generation of Pokemon when they have finished rolling out species from the previous generation. There are just 23 Pokemon left to release from the Unova region, which means Gen 6 is just around the corner.
Earlier estimates had the Gen 6 rollout beginning in late 2020. However, with less than two months to go before the year ends, it seems unlikely Niantic will release enough of those species to begin generation 6. Therefore, we could be looking at anytime during the first few months of 2021.
The exact date of their release will depend on how quickly Niantic usher out those remaining ‘mons. Given the first Gen 5 species were released in September 2019, it is already the longest rollout of any generation.
That is mainly due to two reasons, though. Firstly, more Pokemon were introduced (156) in Gen 5 than any other generation. Secondly, the Unova rollout was interrupted by the global health crisis (you may have heard about it).
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Which Kalos Pokemon will release first?
If we look at other generation’s rollouts then the Kalos starter Pokemon will be most likely. That means trainers can look forward to Chespin, Fennekin and Froakie relatively soon.
To begin with, starter Pokemon do tend to be fairly rare, so don’t expect to see them frequently. Their release is usually mixed in with more commonly spawning Pokemon from towards the beginning of the region’s Pokedex.
The first batch of the last two generations – Sinnoh and Unova – released 26 and 46 species, respectively. The shockingly high 46 was probably due to the size of the Unova Pokedex, so we’d expect the 72 ‘mons from the Kalos Pokedex to result in a much smaller initial rollout.
In addition to the starters, we’d expect the first batch to include Pokemon such as the Bunnelby and Fletchling lines. Due to the smaller number of Pokemon, Niantic may well leave the likes of Scatterbug, Litleo and Flabebe lines until later.
In short, we don’t expect to see Gen 6 Pokemon in the mobile game until 2021. That’s unless the rollout really gathers pace or Niantic decide to start Gen 6 before completing Gen 5.