Pokémon Ruby, Sapphire and even Emerald may come to Switch this year

Nintendo may be preparing to bring more classic Pokémon games to the Switch and Switch 2 later this year. A new rumour claims that the original versions of Pokémon Ruby, Sapphire and Emerald could be next in line for re‑release.

The rumour originates from leaker Shpeshal_Nick, who has been accurate with some Nintendo leaks in the past, including early details on the Ocarina of Time remake. Nintendo typically hosts a major Nintendo Direct around September each year, so if this rumour is accurate, Pokémon Ruby, Sapphire and Emerald could be announced during that showcase and released immediately, or soon afterwards, as was the case with Fire Red and Leaf Green earlier this year.

If true, then it would seem that the strong sales of Fire Red and Leaf Green on the Switch has encouraged Nintendo to finally bring more of its classic Pokémon games to modern platforms. By doing this, Nintendo could also combat the prevalence of ROMs and unofficial emulators, which many long‑time fans now rely on to revisit these older adventures.

What makes this rumour particularly interesting is the inclusion of Pokémon Emerald. Emerald combines content from both Ruby and Sapphire into one expanded adventure, and many fans may choose to buy Emerald alone rather than picking up both Ruby and Sapphire individually. While Ruby and Sapphire did receive 3DS‑era remakes, these new releases, if real, are expected to be simple ports of the original GBA versions, with no updated assets or gameplay changes.

KitGuru Says: Fire Red and Leaf Green returning earlier this year was a pleasant surprise, and it seems Nintendo may now be ready to bring more of its classic Pokémon catalogue forward. Emerald in particular would be a standout addition. Would you pick up the originals again if they arrived on Switch?

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