Pokémon Rubin-Edition und Pokémon Saphir-Edition

Pokémon Rubin Edition and Pokémon Saphir Edition are the first main games in the series for the Game Boy Advance. The adventure leads to the Hoenn region and once again follows the classic goal of building a Pokémon team, defeating Gym Leaders and ultimately challenging the Pokémon League.

The two versions essentially tell the same adventure but differ in certain Pokémon and the opposing organization: in Rubin, Team Magma is the focus; in Saphir, Team Aqua.

Pokémon Rubin and Saphir were released in Japan on Nov 21, 2002 and in Europe on Jul 25, 2003 for the Game Boy Advance. A release for Nintendo Switch or Nintendo Switch 2 is not announced as of now.

The original versions were developed for the Game Boy Advance. Link cables let you trade Pokémon and battle other players; with multiple systems, double battles with four trainers are also possible. Official modern console versions have not been confirmed so far.

Rubin and Saphir introduced several systems that became a permanent part of the Pokémon series. These include double battles, individual Abilities and Natures, which affect the stats and behavior of Pokémon. Trainers explore Hoenn, catch new Pokémon, train their teams and face Gym Leaders and other trainers.

Alongside classic battles, the games introduced Pokémon contests. There, Pokémon compete in categories such as Coolness, Beauty or Smartness. Poké Blocks made from berries let you precisely influence the contest stats of your own Pokémon.

The Hoenn region consists of cities, caves, islands and large bodies of water. In Rubin, Team Magma tries to expand the landmass; in Saphir, Team Aqua pursues the opposite goal and wants to expand the seas. Groudon and Kyogre accordingly sit at the center of the two versions.