As an old gen 3 fan, I recently played Black/White 1 for the first time and I see why multiple friends of mine called it peak Pokémon. It’s the latest game that retains the same ‘feel’ in my experience. I bounced off of Sw/Sh and the Sun/Moons. Something just didn’t hit right as a fan of the older games. My only complaint with B/W1 is that I’m not a huge fan of the starters, but there were a lot of mon in that game (the whole region is 100% new Pokémon BTW. No carryover from other regions/gens) that felt like they fit.

Legends arceus is the best pokemon experience in my opinion as someone who’s played all games and most spinoffs. However, the other switch games don’t stand out as much (Let’s go is fun for gen 1 nostalgia but the diamond/pearl remake is very basic) so a 3DS is better “value”. That being said, only get a 3DS if you wanna mod it to pirate the games because used pokemon prices are completely insane these days and its nintendo so ¯\(ツ)/¯

You can also play legends arceus and the other Switch games on PC via emulator. Same with 3DS but the actual hardware is a much nicer experience for obvious reasons. If you go with Switch then I suggest Arceus and Let’s Go and if you go with 3DS I would suggest Black/White (and BW2 if you enjoy the first game) and, Omega Ruby/Alpha Sapphire and Ultra Sun/Moon (they also all have ROM hacks for difficulty/extra mons).

If Platinum was the last game you’ve played, and you are willing to pick up a Switch, Legends Arceus is a great choice. It’s set in the past of the Sinnoh region, features a somewhat decent amount of newer Pokémon, has a good story overall, and is generally agreed upon to be the best Pokémon game of generation 8. The semi-open world and ability to catch Pokemon without battling them (featuring stealth mechanics) make for unique and fun gameplay for the series. You can even complete the pokedex all on one cart without needing to trade.

If you want to pick up a “mainline” non-spinoff game, no better place to jump in than the current generation, in this case Scarlet/Violet. It’s the game with the most current stuff going on and with the most active community. Most of the complaints about it are about the graphics and framerate/performance on the Switch hardware, but many also say that despite the performance issues these are the best mainline games in the series from story and gameplay standpoints. There’s a lot of online bickering among fans who are both positive and negative on the gen 9 games, but I would say watch some YouTube or Twitch videos of gameplay preferably without commentary to see what the games are like and make up your own mind on it before paying for a Switch and the game.

If you don’t have a Switch OR 3DS and are only going to choose based on the Pokemon games, it’s a bit tricky because there’s tons of good options.

Switch is a current and active console getting ports and games and content so if you get it, you’ll be able to keep up with any new Pokemon games and see where you want to go from there.

3DS has support for any pre-Switch game thanks to emulation, backwards compatability, and the 3DS library and you can do whatever you like there.

As for strictly games, it’s really a toss up between what you like. The 3DS era and Switch era both have a lot going for them as well as flaws.

XY are a bit mediocre because they were the jump to 3D and had to make some compromises to even get the game out, so while they were hugely ambitious, they are also very lacking in content and never got a third version but still fairly solid games. I wouldn’t say they are the best for getting into newer titles though since they still are a decade old and flawed and there are better places to begin.

ORAS are hailed as some of the best remakes since aside from a few things missing from the original games, they add so much extra and new content and fun that they’re pretty beloved. If you like Emerald and want to now just do the same region in 3D, it’s not a bad choice.

Sun/Moon/Ultra Sun/Ultra Moon are… odd. I personally love them, but they were a little controversial at release because they are more linear than other games in the series, but they do a lot of really great things and popular additions like regional variants of Pokemon. It’s the ultimate 3DS Pokemon in that it has all Mega Evolutions, Z Moves, Gen 1-7 Pokemon, and a lot of fun content to play. The real downside is just that it’s linear, and Ultra versus regular is confusing. The Ultra versions add more content and are overall better but change the plot of the game for the worse in kind of ruining the story at the end for the sake of justifying being a revision. I’d keep that in mind when making a choice, though you could just play Ultra and watch the original game cutscenes later. They’re overall though very solid!

SWSH is probably the most controversial game here and the first of the Switch entries. It isn’t an awful game and it is very easy to get into as a beginner but it’s more linear than SUMO and USUM, it introduced “Dexit” (no longer having every Pokemon ingame), and it is pretty mediocre in many areas. It’s more disappointing than horrible, so if you’re new you probably will enjoy it, but it essentially feels like a 3DS era game lacking features of the 3DS but playable on the Switch with a few bonuses that are cool. The DLC did, however, get really good reviews because it was fun but it’ll cost more to get.

BDSP is also controversial because it’s… a faithful remake? Okay, full disclaimer that I greatly dislike Diamond and Pearl, but these games are very similar to the originals so if you just want to play the DS games with a fresh coat of paint, this works fine. Most people are upset it wasn’t more than just a remake, but it being just a 1x1 remake made Arceus possible, so it’s a compromise. I’d recommend it if you want to play DP but more modern or a DS-era feeling game with modern mechanics. Otherwise, you may not enjoy it.

Legends Arceus is the least controversial Switch title; it only got flack for looking kind of ugly. It’s a greatly fun and fresh experience with open zones you can go through (like Monster Hunter) and it’s a very fun standalone title and all Pokemon can be caught. It has unique gameplay for battles and catching that no other game has, so it’s absolutely a good option if you either like Sinnoh, want something new but still Pokemon, or just want a good Switch game that most people enjoy a lot.

And finally, SV. This is also controversial because it not only looks ugly but runs horribly, but honestly, I’d say it’s one of the funnest titles in the entire franchise. It makes it very open for you to do whatever you want and has some really cool things it does that no other game has done and the multiplayer, while limited, is hilarious and made the experience a blast when playing with friends for the entire campaign. I’d suggest this if you like the idea of a game more like Arceus but also more classic in its structure because it is the best and worst of both worlds. Just note that it still runs poorly, though I would say the only real bugs I had were mostly visual (still ran terrible though).

Those are my thoughts; you have tons of options and honestly can just start anywhere, the nice thing is because of the variety you can just pick whatever you feel is funnest to you and most like what you want to play rather than what the internet thinks since the recent games have had a lot of frustration (not without reason though). Hope this writeup helps!

You have to play pokemon unbound!