Copies of Pokémon Legends: Z-A are already in the wild ahead of launch, with spoilers around Mega Evolutions circulating online.
Pokémon Legends: Z-A looks set to be the Nintendo Switch 2’s big Christmas title, but some people have managed to secure a copy early.
The follow-up to Pokémon Legends: Arceus is set to launch for Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch 2 on Thursday, October 16, 2025. However, copies of the game have already made their way into the hands of the public and that’s creating a real headache for those trying to avoid spoilers.
What was at first just a handful of leaked copies has now become a tsunami, with leaks being circulated online relating to yet-to-be-confirmed Mega Evolutions and the entire Pokédex. Obviously, we won’t post any details here, but this is your warning to be on your guard while browsing.
While it’s unclear where the initial leak stemmed from, it was probably a retailer warehouse or similar, as is common in these cases. From there, pirated copies made their way online, after the game was cracked by hackers.
Just this morning, we saw a handful of people streaming the game on Twitch, although it’s unclear if they’re pirated copies or not, with one person claiming to have received a copy early from ‘my friend at GameStop’.
Pokémon games are often leaked early, with Pokémon Sword and Shield, Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, and Pokémon Legends: Arceus all getting into people’s hands prior to their launch date.
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Pokémon Legends: Z-A takes place in the Kalos region’s Lumiose City, a Paris-inspired setting from 2013’s Pokémon X and Y. We’ve played the game several times and found it to be a promising improvement on the previous game.
Mega Evolutions return in the sequel, and The Pokémon Company has already announced a bunch of new ones ahead of launch, namely for Dragonite, Victreebel, Hawlucha, Malamar, Chesnaught, Delphox, and Greninja.
An upcoming DLC expansion, named Mega Dimension, will debut two Mega Evolutions for Raichu as well, named Mega Raichu X and Mega Raichu Y. The DLC doesn’t have a specific release date, but it’s set to launch before February 28, 2026.
Pokémon Legends: Z-A might be the Switch 2’s biggest Christmas game, but it isn’t the only one, with Hyrule Warriors: Age Of Imprisonment, Kirby Air Riders, and Metroid Prime 4: Beyond, all set to come out before the end of the year.
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