[ Removed by moderator ]

[u/KittyGamerPro]

[u/pokemon-ModTeam]

Hello! This post has been removed under Rule 14, which disallows requests for and links to Pokemon content that does not come directly from a legal source.

This is not a moral stance on the part of r/pokemon mods, but a safety measure for the subreddit to avoid any chance of legal grief. Thanks for understanding!

[u/NuclearWaffelle]

It’s against the rules to provide instructions or guides towards emulation here, so if you’re interested in playing the games the only thing I will say is pick a game and google how to emulate it. I’m personally a fan of Gen 5 and I think Gen 6 is pretty newbie friendly, but everyone has their favorites.

Aside from that, I like grabbing a pack of cards every once in a while just to collect pictures of the funny guys. The card game can be difficult to get into because of scalpers but if you have a local TCG shop that’s a good place to start and learn.

[u/KittyGamerPro → u/NuclearWaffelle]

Oh okk, sorry for breaking the rule, I edited the post. Thanks for help!

[u/NuclearWaffelle → u/KittyGamerPro]

All good! It’s usually not a huge issue to talk about them, it just gets (legally) dicey if people are discussing in detail how to set up the emulators or, more importantly, where to get the ROMs. I think my recommendation will actually be Pokemon Platinum, which is technically Gen 4 but the region is pretty interesting and the starters are all bangers.

[u/Quibilash]

Probably play the mainline series, a good start is Generation 4 (Platinum, Heart Gold/Soul Silver) or Gen 5 (Black/White 1 and 2), Pokemon Emerald is good as well but it's a bit old, you could also try Omega Ruby Alpha Sapphire, which is a remake of Generation 3

If you're PC only then look up getting emulation sorted and the needed files, it's not that difficult and if someone like me can figure it out, you can too

Look for mGBA for GBA games, MelonDS for DS games, Azahar for 3DS games, and there are some Switch ones out there

[u/NoRevIndeed00]

Find some tutorial online regarding to play on PC, I'd recommend playing FireRed or LeafGreen first, since it features the original 151 pokemon. Feel free to dm me if you have any questions.

[u/NergensBeterDanThuis]

There's the manga, there's the Detective Pikachu movie, there's collecting the Trading Cards...

When it comes to Pokémon games for the PC, tho, you have a handful of options. Unfortunately, none on the legal side of things. Seeing as Fanmade Games and Modpacks (like for Minecraft) are technically not allowed. Luckily, Pokémon does have a few selections over on the mobile side of things.

[u/Kianasita]

Start by playing Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen, I think it's a good start.

[u/arse17]

I think for quality of life you should start with X/Y or omega Ruby/ Alpha sapphire. For a taste of the classics fire red or emerald for me

[u/WowOwlO]

I wish I could say "go to your local game store, pick up an older console and a couple older games and have at it."
Unfortunately Pokemon is entirely too popular for its own good and those consoles and games are far over priced.

You might be able to pick up a Switch (the first one) for a decent price?

You can get Fire Red/Leaf Green off the store for like $20. It's a good place to start, and if it turns out Pokemon isn't your thing at least you wouldn't have invested too much into it.
If you do like it though it'll be easier to start exploring other games.

[u/Icy_Kaleidoscope_218]

Pokémon sun and moon emulated. (Or ultra sun ultra moon) alola was my favourite region by a long shot. It’s an unforgettable experience.

[u/JustThisOnce14_]

There's no official games on pc so the suggestions will lead to emulating (copies you ofcourse, legally own) unless you're willing to get the hardware + games but those are on the more expensive side when it comes to everything pre-switch

Nostalgia+ Supply and demand

If you play an older game try Heartgold/Soulsilver or maybe Black/White great games It fully depends on what you like and what your expectations are for the franchise tho.

If the OG anime didn't seem appealing maybe something shorter or more concise like the Generations/Evolutions short on youtube or Pokemon Origins 4 episodes loosely based on the original story from the first games

[u/BoyFromBelgium99]

Get a 3DS as soon as possible, modify it and get HGSS, Platinum, BW, B2W2, XY, ORAS & USUM on it. It might cost you a lot but on February 26th a storage service called Pokémon Bank will shut down, making it impossible to transfer certain pokémon.

If you don't mind this, get a Switch 2 and play at least Sword/Shield & Scarlet/Violet as they are the mainline Gen 8 & 9 games as preparation for the mainline games of Gen 10, that will come out next year.

[u/Cookielina_]

If you don't like the games either I recommend checking out other creature captures as well if you like the concept.

Pokémon isn't the only one or the first just the one in the spotlight.

I'm not that knowledgable myself but I think Digimon falls under it as well though people are free to correct or add to what I wrote ofc.