How to Excel at Pokémon: A Guide for iOS Gamers

Quick Links

• Emulate Classic Pokémon Games on Your iPhone
• Pokémon Games on the App Store

Key Takeaways

• You can emulate tons of classic Pokémon games on your iPhone using Delta.
• Downloading ROMs for games you don’t own is illegal and considered as piracy.
• The App Store also offers many Pokémon games such as Pokémon GO, Pokémon UNITE, and more.

Whether you’re a Pokémon enthusiast or you just want to revisit your childhood memories, immersing yourself in the franchise’s games is a fantastic way to unwind and have fun. Read along to find all the different kinds of Pokémon games you can play on your iPhone.

Emulate Classic Pokémon Games on Your iPhone

Raghav Sethi/MakeUseOf

Emulation is the way to go if you’re eager to revisit your cherished childhood Pokémon games. Emulators let you enjoy games from various consoles, such as the Game Boy Advance, Nintendo DS, and Nintendo 64.

Among the several emulators available for iPhones , Delta stands out as an excellent choice because it supports emulation for all the Nintendo consoles we just talked about and is also readily available on the App Store. You can easily install and play games using Delta by following these steps:

Download: Delta (Free)

1. Firstly, save the ROM file for a game you own in a directory using the Files app. You can extract your ROM files using a cartridge dumper like Epilogue’s GB Operator .
2. Go to Delta’s App Store page and tapGet to install it on your iPhone.
3. Open the app and tap theplus (+) icon in the top-right corner.
4. TapFiles , and locate the folder where you stored your ROM file. Tap the file to import it into Delta.
5. Now, you should see the game being displayed along with its cover art in the app. Simply tap on it to launch the game.

Close

While you can use touch controls to play,connecting a controller to your iPhone should provide you with a vastly superior experience.

Using emulators to play games is within legal bounds; however, it’s crucial to note that downloading and installing ROMs for games you don’t own is strictly illegal.

Unfortunately, if you want to play Nintendo DS games, you’ll also have to provide your own BIOS files and import them into Delta. Follow these steps to do that:

1. Open Delta and tap thegear icon in the top-left corner.
2. Scroll down and selectNintendo DS underCore Settings .
3. Delta will ask you for three separate BIOS files. Tap their corresponding buttons and select the correct file from the Files app.

Close

Downloading and importing BIOS files for a console you don’t own is illegal and constitutes piracy.

After importing the BIOS files, you just need to add the ROM file for the game you want to emulate, and then you can also play all your favorite Nintendo DS Pokémon games.

Pokémon Games on the App Store

Most of you are probably looking to revisit the classic Pokémon games above. But we also wanted to take a moment to acknowledge some of the other Pokémon games you can download directly from the iOS App Store.

Pokémon GO

Raghav Sethi/MakeUseOf

Pokémon GO exploded onto the scene in 2016, snatching news headlines and reigniting a worldwide love for the Pokémon franchise. It’s an augmented reality game that uses the camera on your iPhone to let you find Pokémon in the real world.

You can collect over 900 Pokémon, compete in gym battles, and go head-to-head against Team Rocket grunts. Best of all, Pokémon GO incentivizes you to get outside, stay fit, and explore your local surroundings in search of the best Pokémon.

Download: Pokémon GO (Free, in-app purchases available)

Pokémon Masters EX

Raghav Sethi/MakeUseOf

This game takes a fresh approach to the Pokémon experience by having you collect various Pokémon trainers rather than the Pokémon themselves. Because each trainer is paired with a particular Pokémon already, you get a bit of both.

Pokémon Masters is more episodic than the classic games, with a series of chapters to complete and occasional game-wide events. This makes it easy to pick up and put down, but it certainly lacks the sense of adventure you probably expect from Pokémon games.

Download: Pokémon Masters EX (Free, in-app purchases available)

Pokémon Quest

This cube-style Pokémon game encourages you to build the perfect team, carefully choosing the best moves and abilities to round out your squad. It’s a different kind of game than what you’re probably used to with Pokémon, but that doesn’t make it any less addictive.

Collect a variety of items, decorate your base camp, and try to catch all 150 original Pokémon. It isn’t difficult to sink a lot of hours into this game.

Download: Pokémon Quest (Free, in-app purchases available)

Pokémon UNITE

Raghav Sethi/MakeUseOf

Pokémon UNITE is all about multiplayer battles, allowing you to take part in team arena battles with four other trainers. You can battle wild Pokémon or opposing teams in a quest to level up, evolve, and score points.

Each match runs on a 10-minute timer, during which time you need to gather energy by defeating Pokémon, which you then bank by taking them to an enemy base.

Download: Pokémon UNITE (Free, in-app purchases available)

Whether you’re reliving the nostalgic charm of classic Pokémon games through emulation on your iPhone or exploring newer titles directly from the App Store, there’s a plethora of options to dive into the world of Pokémon, so go ahead and catch ‘em all!