Pokémon Emerald becomes online multiplayer as Green Trainers Online overhauls the franchise favourite

It's amazing to see how far Pokémon has come in the past 30 years, with that agonising decision on whether to pick Bulbasaur, Charmander, or Squirtle feeling like an eon ago.

Still, the Pokéverse has continued to evolve far more than just expanding beyond the original 151 Pokémon, as the gaming series has gone bigger (but not always better).

As we ready ourselves to enter a whole new era with Pokémon Winds and Waves, some players are destined to keep looking back as they try to improve on older entries.

Even though we'd argue you can't always improve on perfection, the ambitious Green Trainers Online project is bringing the beloved Pokémon Emerald to a whole new generation as an online multiplayer.

Green Trainers Online gives Pokémon Emerald the MMO treatment

While every Pokéfan will have their own opinions on which is the 'best' game in the series, expect Pokémon Emerald to top many lists. Released on the Game Boy Advance in Japan in late 2004, before arriving in Europe and the USA in 2005, the 'definitive' third-gen game proudly displays Rayquaza as its mascot, combines the plots of Ruby and Sapphire, and takes things up a notch with the beloved Battle Frontier.

It's true that Emerald had some multiplayer elements, but whereas that's reduced to the standard trading, chatting in the Union Room, and duking it out in the Battle Tower, Green Trainers Online is a full-blown MMO experience.

Being able to stroll through the Hoenn region with others, Green Trainers Online loads directly into a web browser without the need for a standalone emulator or ROM download. Even though you need to bear in mind that you'll need your own Pokémon Emerald ROM to steer clear of Nintendo's legal eagles, most of us already knew that.

Alongside custom mobile and desktop controls, you can see others move around the region and keep tabs on your friends to see where they're up to.

The project boasts fully operational player-to-player trading that also includes trade-based evolutions, as well as bug-free PvP battles so you can flex your muscles.

Green Trainers Online recently transferred into its open Beta phase after load testing and server stability kinks were ironed out during its Alpha launch, and if you want to keep up to date with what's going on, the devs regularly discuss what's new and talk about community feedback on the r/PokemonEmerald subreddit.

To access the game, get your legal Pokémon Emerald (.gba) ROM file and ensure it's stored locally on your device, open your web browser and navigate to Green Trainers Online servers, upload your game file, and you're good to go.

READ MORE: Pokémon Red and Blue finally get a 3D rerelease after 30 years of waiting

What's the latest with Green Trainers Online?

We've previously covered fan-made Pokémon MMOs that have had mixed success, and as it doesn't look like an official one is on the way anytime soon, something like Green Trainers Online can give that rumoured Palworld MMO a run for its money.

Pokémon players old and new are already destined to sink hours into Green Trainers Online, but that's not all. A recent update on Reddit revealed where things are up to, with the beloved project's Beta phase adding Guilds.

The team says it's been awesome to see players form their own teams, with some already putting their efforts into building a Living Dex where everyone can catch 'em all.

There's also the addition of a custom quest system, with promises of custom events offering rare/non-catchable Pokémon further down the line.

As with any good MMO, you can now customise your character sprite so it's not just a mass of Brendan and May running around Hoenn.

Finally, they thanked people from all over the world coming together to play and said it's been amazing to watch people playing 24/7.

Pokémon Emerald was always a jewel in the crown, but let’s be honest, everything is better with friends.