Pokémon Pokémon Versions - What determines which one you get?

[Croconaw]

Pokémon games tend to have different versions:

• Violet or Scarlet
• Fire Red or Leaf Green
• Ruby or Sapphire
• Moon or Sun

You get it. What determines which version you are more drawn to? I know it can be a combination of these things for some people, but I didn’t list that as an option because I’d like to know what is the biggest thing that draws you to a specific version over the other. Otherwise, I think I covered all of the reasons in the poll.

For me, I’ll go with the character design. With trainer customization being a thing now it’s really not too important, but trainers still look slightly different in each version and that’s an important factor for me.

 

[Snek]

I used to get both versions so it never really mattered. But...now thats not the case. From my pattern of buying Pokemon games I always buy the version with my favourite exclusives. The version I buy first is usually the "blue" version but thats really just a coincidence. Violet had the best exclusives that I liked (Dragapult, Ceruledge, future paradoxes and Miraidon) so I ended up only getting it. Trade with other versions is so common that it doesnt really bother me too much if I don't get the other version.

 

[Venn]

Of all the copies I have owned, it was always based on the legendary I'm more drawn to. I feel like I want to work towards something I want, rather that something that I don't want. It makes it worth it at least.

 

[LuchaSloth]

Initially I choose based on which exclusives there are. But, I always get both anyway...for the sake of my collection. Sometimes it isn't for a year or more...but it eventually happens.

 

[Midoriya]

I usually just get both. Makes it easier to trade with myself, especially thanks to Pokemon Home.

 

[-Mars-]

It's always been it matters which one has the exclusives I like more. I picked out X instead of Y and Sun instead of Moon.

 

[Snap Crackle Pop]

So back in the day I would get both versions mostly because my dad would buy me one version and my mom would buy the other and as time went on the trend continued. Once Sword/Shield came out I only got one of the games and it was due to version exclusives, same with Scarlet/Violet, I don't really feel the need to have both now that I am able to trade with friends easily. The only good thing about having both versions of old games is that they are pretty expensive to buy now if I ever wanted the other version. I didn't realize how expensive old Pokemon games were until I was looking.

 

[LuchaSloth]

Yeah...I really regret selling all my classic Pokemon games. Did it when I was a kid and "needed" money for new games (looking back now, I don't know what game or games I purchased using the money I got...but I doubt it was worth it, since I don't even remember). - Just a stupid kid who fell into the web of Gamestop and sold them Red, Blue, Yellow, Gold, Silver, Crystal, etc. I even had the boxes for some of those. Of course, it would be nice now to be able to say that I have every version of the mainline Pokemon games...but I don't. I only have the ones from GBA onward.

 

[Flicky]

Like some others, I used to buy both versions. I stopped doing that after Sun/Moon when I felt the games were starting to dip in quality.

These days, I usually go by legendary, which in itself is usually based on my colour preference. I think Scarlet is the first time I've preferred the legendary of my less preferred colour.

 

[Halloqueen]

For the most part, there aren't any determining factors because I simply purchase both versions of Pokémon games. I prefer to be able to acquire all of the Pokémon myself, so having both versions limits how much trading I need to do with others. Back in the DS and 3DS days I could trade with myself for trade evolutions, though unfortunately the Switch is more expensive and I haven't justified purchasing a second one thus far (and I refuse to get a Switch Lite, despite being less expensive, because of Joy-Con drift), so that has cut off some of those things, but Pokémon Home is still there to enable transfer between games at least.

That said, I did pick up Let's Go, Eevee! last year for the sole purpose of being able to get Mews from Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl since an NPC in BDSP gives you a Mew for having a Let's Go game save file. I only wanted to get one Let's Go game since the Let's Go games themselves have never really appealed to me. I wound up choosing Let's Go, Eevee! over Let's Go, Pikachu! because of the different clothes you could get. I preferred Let's Go, Pikachu!'s selection of version exclusive Pokémon, but it felt like a bit of a moot point since, if I really wanted to, I could just transfer those version exclusive Pokémon into Let's Go, Eevee! via Pokémon Home.

In that above instance it was for character customization, but yeah, otherwise I always just get both versions.

 

[Coach]

Mainly version exclusives! Or if I just like the legendary alone more honestly. For Violet I also considered the professor and the uniform.

 

[deana]

I'm always late to the purchasing of these games, I never buy them right at release and so for that reason I always get sucked in to buying the opposite version from friends. Even back in the gameboy days the games I got were always coordinated with a friend, because if I'm the last one to buy it just makes sense to get the other one than what my friends bought.

 

[Firesquids]

My sister and I almost always get one each I usually get the one listed first in promos.

I got Red, she got Blue.
I got Gold, she got Silver.
(we skipped gen 3 on release but I later got super lucky and got them all from Goodwill).
I got Diamond, she got Platinum (>> This one still doesn't seem fair to me lol).
I got HeartGold she got SoulSilver.
We switched it up for Gen 5 for some reason, I got White, and She got Black & Black 2.
I got X, she got Y.
I got Omega Ruby she got Alpha Sapphire.
I got Sun & Ultra Moon, she got Moon & Ultra Sun.
I got Let's Go, Eevee!, she didn't get either.
I got Shield she didn't get either.
I got Brilliant Diamond she got Shining Pearl
We both got Legends: Arceus.
And lastly, I got Scarlet she got Violet.

 

[Olimar]

I always love the minor storyline changes. It feels more personalized that way, especially for a game like Scarlet/Violet where there is the past & future theme. I really liked getting to play in a game that leaned more into the past aesthetic. Ironically, I tend to get the "first" version in the pair (Ruby, Diamond, X, Sun, Sword, and Scarlet). Ironically, the only one that really breaks this is White, which I also chose for the past aesthetic.

 

[Elissarosalee]

i dont know usually all pokemon games are the same storyline just different pokemon for each game i always went by which aesthetic i liked most which is why i chose diamond, x, alpha sapphire , moon, ultramoon, sword and lastly violet

 

[Captain Jigglypuff]

I’ve gotten both versions of the games and typically make one my main game if there are online competitions that are giving out something worth getting as a participation prize.

 

[LittleMissPanda]

It used to be the box art of whichever version that caught my attention first and the design of the main Legendary that impressed me the most, such as Groudon during the release of Ruby/Sapphire. Man I still remember how wacky the US commercial was lol but nowadays I do a little more research on version exclusives to make sure I'm not stuck with mons I'm not interested in using on my party. Fortunately, the version I end up choosing has 1) the cooler-looking box Legendary imo and 2) the mons I prefer to catch and raise, such as Tyranitar over Salamence, Ludicolo over Shiftry and Arcanine over Ninetales. So in the end, it all works out.

Owning both version A and version B has its practicality, yes, because you can just catch 'em all yourself (as long as you also happen to own two separate consoles, or go out of your way to buy another) but now I really see no point in buying literally the same game, only difference being that one comes with ketchup and the other with mayo. Here's a list of which version of which Generation I chose:

• R/B/Y - mmm I was like 10 or something but I definitely remember having Yellow.
• GSC - I got Silver version because I thought Lugia looked cooler than Ho-oh, if I could travel back in time I would smack kid me lol
• RSE - Ruby because Groudon looked infinitely more appealing than Kyogre. Still does imo
• FRLG- honestly, looking back, I would have gotten LeafGreen had I paid attention to version exclusives, because now when I go back to FireRed I find myself wanting to use a Slowbro or even a Starmie just for the variety, but I really don't know why I chose FireRed. After all, I prefer Venusaur over Charizard. Maybe it was the only one available at the game store?
• DP - Diamond because again, box Legendary Dialga looked way cooler than Palkia. It was around this time, thanks to the far superior Platinum which improved the Gen 4 experience overall, I learned that waiting for the 3rd installment is the better, money-saving option.
• HGSS- easily HeartGold because by then I knew better lol
• BW/BW2 - White and White 2, for Zekrom and the music/traditional aesthetic of Opelucid City.
• XY - I bought X version because again, cooler box art Legendary, but had I known how boring and easy Gen 6 would be I would have honestly skipped this Gen. Another life lesson learned.
• ORAS - same reason as the original Ruby. Simply put, monsters like Groudon are just my style.
• SM/USUM - Sun and only Sun. USUM were easily a skip.
• LGPE - neither
• SwSh - neither
• SV - Scarlet, just for Koraidon and story's theme on the past. It helps that this version's Paradox Pokémon are far more interesting imo

 

[Hat']

Legendaries, if they're ugly like in SV I go with version exclusive

 

[FrostyAlmonds]

Fun question! I think the tl:dr answer would be I decide based on the version exclusives because a lot of my favourites in a gen keep ending up as version exclusives and I want to use them on my first playthrough, but how I picked each game was more in depth and didn't have a same answer? Here are my very tl:dr thoughts on why I picked each game per gen.

R/B/Y- technically my brother got this one but yellow because it came with the pokemon edition GBC
G/S/C- crystal because it was the third game??? Could be female trainer? I was a kid and at the mercy of my parents so I couldn't just go out and buy one whenever I wanted? Can't remember. Though I vaguely remember kid me wanting the third version before Crystal was announced because I expected you would be able to get an exclusive starter and then all three starters like in yellow, clearly my kid logic was not right.
R/S/E- emerald. I initially was not fond of Hoenn because it felt like a downgrade, they took out day and night visuals/weekly events, no Pokemon animations when you enter battle (I was a petty kid lol) and on top of that we couldn't transfer our old Pokemon over?! The reason I decided to pick up Emerald was no joke because they animated the Pokemon again.
FR/LG- originally skipped because I was done with new Pokemon games (came out before Emerald and all). If I recall I actually bought this after gen 4, needless to say I didn't get to choose because they only had LG in stock (and thinking back, I was pretty lucky they had a GBA Pokemon game at all). If I picked myself I would have gone for FR though since growlithe is one of my gen1 favourites.
D/P/P- first time I picked up a game before the third one launched, amazing! I picked Diamond because I liked the version exclusives better.
HG/SS- heart gold, I can finally catch my own growlithe in a game! Also while legendaries almost never sway my opinion (I don't use legends on my team) Ho-Oh is the cooler Johto bird.
B/W/2- white, preferred the exclusives (braviary <3), and also white forest interested me more for end game since I prefer collecting/pokedex completion over (competitive) battling. Black 2, so I can have the other exclusives (and no Reshiram whoops)
X/Y- X. exclusives again, specifically swirlix.
OR/AS- (I completely forgot these games existed for a hot minute and almost skipped them in this list). Went with OR for exclusives probably? I was going to originally skip this but ended up buying it on sale because I figured it would be more convenient to replay Hoenn on a 3DS vs GBA. Which...was still a waste because I don't even think I got to the third gym. (I swear I don't hate Hoenn but I guess I have little attachment to it considering my childhood impressions)
Sun/Moon/Ultra- sun, I wanna say for the exclusives but I for the life of me can't even remember what they were (I'm almost positive I bought it myself and it wasn't gifted though)??? Ultra Moon for the opposite exclusives. (never even finished this one whoops, I was pretty disappointed it was just a third game but they cash grab released two versions? I was expecting a sequel like BW2. Regret buy u_u)
Let's Go Pika/Vee- skip. I hate go and don't want it in my Pokemon games, plus I don't really need to play yet another Kanto remake.
Sw/Sh- I was going to skip this gen because I was adamantly against the no national dex. But my brother got me Sword as a Christmas gift (I did enjoy it for what it was at least, plenty of new Pokemon I do love a lot, but still hate I can't have an Oshawott in this game). For what it's worth I didn't bother getting the DLC nor plan to.
BD/SP- skip. I was planning on getting one and just never did whoops. Don't really feel like I'm missing out on much though, maybe if I find a used copy for really cheap.
S/V- I was still debating on which version, first time that I didn't feel any strong opinions for either version exclusive lineup, I liked Koraidon more than Miraidon, and the past theme over future, but liked the violet uniform way more (why are we stuck with four outfits and they aren't even neutral colours, nothing goes with these ugly bright orange striped shorts/pants u_u). All debating cut short because again, I was gifted Scarlet for Christmas haha.

 

[Belle T]

It's usually solely a matter of which Pokémon on the box I prefer. I don't really go for full dex completion anymore--and rarely did even when I wanted to--so I can't even really be bothered to search up the different version exclusives and potential plot differences between the different versions. Suffice it to say, I probably wouldn't be weeping if Pokémon finally did away with the different versions entirely. Even as a child, I found it to be a bit of a cynical marketing practice, though perhaps not quite in those words.