Pokemon Games With The Best Cover Art

If there’s one popular video game series that perfectly exemplifies the importance of real, human-made art, it’s definitely Pokemon. Since 1996, the wonderful artists at Game Freak and The Pokemon Company have gone out of their way to utilize their skills to bring these unique and fascinating creatures, characters, and worlds to life.

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The Pokemon franchise has an undeniably charming and iconic art direction, which is especially evident in the beautiful cover art of its mainline games. Many talented artists have managed to make some of the best covers in the gaming industry, which are always full of color and feature Legendary Pokemon with impeccable designs that make them instantly recognizable. Naturally, this franchise has had multiple titles with incredible art on its covers, but the following eight are the absolute best ones so far.

1

Pokemon FireRed And LeafGreen

A Refreshing New Twist On An Old Classic

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Released

September 7, 2004

As the first-ever remakes in the franchise, the covers of Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen had one important goal: to completely overhaul and revitalize the cover art of the Generation One games, Pokemon Red and Blue (Red and Green in Japan). Their original covers, featuring the Kanto starters, look great and are extremely iconic, but by 2004, they looked quite boring in comparison to other modern Pokemon titles.

Needless to say, FireRed and LeafGreen succeeded in their mission, as this high-quality art of Charizard and Venusaur looks amazing thanks to their dynamic poses and colorful backgrounds that better represent their respective types. This cover art is still highly regarded as one of the best in the series, even more than twenty years after the game’s release.

2

Pokemon Platinum

Features The Creepy New Form Of A Beloved Legendary Pokemon

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The covers of third-version Pokemon games (like Crystal or Emerald) are quite interesting because they usually give the spotlight to just one prominent Legendary Pokemon, instead of having two of them sharing a space at the same time. Furthermore, the third version from Generation Four, Pokemon Platinum, is a perfect example of this practice.

Giratina is the mascot of this game, which also introduced its brand-new Origin Form. So the cover perfectly reflects the role that Renegade Pokemon has in its plot, with a highly detailed illustration that makes it look quite intimidating, while also trying to grab the attention of potential buyers by putting this intriguing new form at the forefront. Additionally, the black, red, and platinum background really helps Giratina pop out more.

3

Pokemon HeartGold And SoulSilver

Perfectly Displays The Beautiful Designs Of Its Box Art Legendaries

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Ho-oh and Lugia were the first ever Box Art Legendary Pokemon in the franchise, which was a brilliant idea from Game Freak, seeing they both have excellent and recognizable designs. However, their original appearance in the cover art of Pokemon Gold and Silver, while undeniably quite solid, left a lot to be desired.

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That’s exactly why the covers for their remakes, Pokemon HeartGold and SoulSilver, are so satisfying in comparison, since they feel like they’re finally taking advantage of Ho-oh and Lugia’s incredible designs, by giving them better poses, better proportions, and more colorful gold and silver backgrounds that contrast better with their respective Legendary Pokemon.

4

Pokemon Black And White

Reflects The Theme Of The Game In A Clever Way

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Pokemon Black and White are often considered two of the best Pokemon games ever made, for a multitude of different reasons, one of them being their impeccable Pokemon designs and their surprisingly deep narrative. Curiously enough, these two qualities are flawlessly represented in the game’s official cover art.

As expected, the cover of Pokemon Black and White features detailed illustrations of its iconic Legendary Pokemon, Zekrom and Reshiram. But this is especially interesting because Reshiram is the mascot of the Black Version, while Zekrom is the mascot of the White Version, which works as a brilliant reference to the Yin and Yang themes and symbolism of the game. Sadly, its sequel completely ditched this concept by putting Black Kyurem on the cover of Pokemon Black 2 and White Kyurem on the cover of Pokemon White 2.

5

Pokemon Omega Ruby And Alpha Sapphire

Primal Reversion Makes The Box Art More Eye-Catching And Interesting

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Released

November 21, 2014

Similarly to other remakes before it, Pokemon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire tried to catch the attention of longtime Pokemon fans by prominently featuring the new forms of its two Box Art Legendaries, Groudon and Kyogre, on the cover. This tactic ended up working quite well, considering that the beloved mechanic known as Primal Reversion made its debut in this game, and these new forms look amazing on the box art.

Of course, the original cover art of Pokemon Ruby and Sapphire that first introduced Groudon and Kyogre still looks great, but the remake is on a whole different level. Primal Groudon and Primal Kyogre have superior designs, thanks to the patterns in their bodies and their diverse color palettes, and the detailed backgrounds do a better job of representing their respective elements.

6

Pokemon Ultra Sun And Ultra Moon

An Excellent Third Version Cover With A Fascinating Hidden Detail

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Released

November 17, 2017

The cover art of Pokemon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon is ingenious in all areas because it features high-quality illustrations of Necrozma’s two new forms, Dusk Mane and Dawn Wings, that reference the appearance of Solgaleo and Lunala in the cover art of the previous game, Sun and Moon. Furthermore, the black stripes in the orange and purple backgrounds are another excellent detail that represents how prominent Necrozma is in this game’s story.

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But the best part about Pokemon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon’s box art is that it actually hides quite a brilliant detail. When both versions’ covers are put side to side, it is revealed that the star-shaped lights in the middle form the head of Ultra Necrozma, the Legendary Pokemon’s powerful final form. This clever easter egg makes the cover art of Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon stand out from all the other ones in the series.

7

Pokemon: Let’s Go, Pikachu! And Let’s Go, Eevee!

The Most Adorable Cover Art In The Entire Series

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Released

November 16, 2018

There’s no denying that Pokemon: Let’s Go, Pikachu! and Let’s Go, Eevee! are some of the most distinct mainline entries in the series and, as a result, their cover art is quite different from their predecessors. Instead of featuring images of Legendary Pokemon in front of a colorful background, Let’s Go has adorable illustrations of Partner Pikachu and Partner Eevee standing in a beautiful grassy field.

It’s a small change, albeit a very important one, because this cover art perfectly represents the laid-back nature of the game. It’s a very fun game worth picking up, for both seasoned gamers and more casual ones.

8

Pokemon Legends: Arceus

A Beautiful Work Of Art Brimming With A Sense Of Adventure

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Released

January 28, 2022

At the end of the day, Pokemon Legends: Arceus is even more distinct and beloved than Let’s Go, Pikachu! and Let’s Go, Eevee!, and many fans still regard it as the best modern Pokemon game. This is a title that broke a lot of pre-established formulas and shook things up in interesting ways, something that is perfectly represented in its beautiful cover art.

Instead of featuring a Legendary Pokemon in front of a colored background, the box art of Pokemon Legends: Arceus is a painting that reflects the game’s wonderful sense of adventure, since it features the two protagonists, alongside the three starter Pokemon and other prominent Pokemon from Hisui, looking together at Coronet Highlands, which is one of the most important areas in the game’s narrative. This cover art is simply incredible, and the box art of future Pokemon games should be made in a similar style, so they can stand out more and grab the attention of even more potential buyers.

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