Pokémon Royal Sapphire getting surprise August release

Despite the Nintendo Switch 2 coming out in June, we unfortunately won’t have a new Pokémon game to play until fall of this year.

I suppose we’ll be able to play a “new” version of Pokémon Scarlet & Violet, as the Nintendo Switch 2 will provide a boost to its framerate and resolution that’ll hopefully make it more playable than it was on the bog-standard Switch.

What we really want though is Pokémon Legends: Z-A, which looks ace so far.

While you’re waiting for Legends Z-A though, there is a new Pokémon game coming out before then, a fan-made one called Pokémon Royal Sapphire.

Pokémon Royal Sapphire is a complete rework of the original Pokémon Sapphire, with an updated story, different starter Pokémon and more.

I’ve always been a fan of Pokémon Emerald myself, but I can’t deny that this title has caught my attention.

The game’s creator, ShckglyGongas on Twitter, shared a trailer for the project and its new features, as well as confirming the release date will be sometime in August.

Now if you’re wondering if Nintendo is going to shoot this project down like a duck in a Duck-Hunt, worry not, as technically this isn’t a breach of the company’s terms of service.

While Pokémon Royal Sapphire is in many ways a new game, it’s not a standalone release; it’s more like an add-on to existing copies of Pokémon Sapphire, which is totally legal.

If it was released as its own title, especially at a price, it likely wouldn’t see the light of day, so as long as you legally own a copy of Pokémon Sapphire, you’re good to go in terms of legality.

The work that's gone into the project is incredible so it’s well-worth checking out when it’s available for free this August.

If anything, it’ll at least kill some time while we wait for more information on Pokémon Legends: Z-A.