Pokémon Emerald fans celebrate anniversary with stunning remaster you can play now

Pokémon is easily one of the most beloved video games of all time and it would be difficult for many fans to pick out a single best game but perhaps high on that list would be Pokémon Emerald.

Originally released in 2005 (2004 in Japan) for the Nintendo Game Boy Advance, Pokémon Emerald received a very respectable user review score of 8.8 on the aggregate website, Metacritic on the popular handheld console.

Check out the Pokémon Legends: Z-A trailer below!

“Pokémon Emerald is storming onto the Gameboy Advance with a vengeance. The third adventure to take place in the Hoenn region, Pokémon Emerald features all-new areas and exciting new plot twists,” reads the description of the game.

At least in the land of the rising sun, this year marks the 20th anniversary of Pokémon Emerald and what better way to celebrate than a glorious remaster? Unfortunately, it doesn't seem like Nintendo will be releasing an official remaster or remake anything soon but thankfully, talented indie developers have us covered.

As reported by Nintendo Life (via GamesRadar), YouTuber and indie dev The Ultra Nerd shared an awesome trailer for ‘Pokémon Emerald ReSprited’ and it’s pretty much everything that old-school fans of the series could ever want.

‘Pokémon Emerald ReSprited’ has been created by over 130 artists and features a whopping 386 Pokémon and it’s available to download for free via this Google Doc. Hopefully, the ruthless Nintendo lawyers won't be taking this fan project down.

I like to think that Nintendo will soon give fans what they want and include all classic Pokémon games in the Nintendo Switch Online subscription service. We’ll let you know straight away if that glorious day is to happen.

As for what’s next in this popular series, Pokémon Legends: Z-A is set to be released on Nintendo Switch sometime in 2025.