The Pokémon Company and Game Freak have officially announced Pokémon Winds and Waves, the next mainline Pokémon title, with a 2027 release window. The announcement came with a debut trailer showcasing the game’s open-world setting and new features.
The trailer reveals a sprawling environment with distinct biomes including jungle areas, volcanic caverns, and expansive ocean zones. Most notably, the footage shows players exploring underwater environments, marking a return of a feature last prominently featured in earlier generations of the franchise.
Three new starter Pokémon appear in the trailer. Players will choose between what appears to be a grass-type bird Browt, a water-type lizard or gecko Gecqua, and a fire-type dog resembling a Pomeranian named Pombon.
The footage demonstrates improved visuals compared to Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, with enhanced lighting and environmental detail. The presentation appears smoother and more polished than the previous mainline entries, which faced criticism for performance issues at launch.
Interestingly, the trailer doesn’t show any battle sequences, leaving questions about whether the game will use traditional turn-based combat or adopt the real-time approach seen in Pokémon Legends: Arceus.
The 2027 release window represents an unusually long development cycle for a mainline Pokémon game. The franchise typically maintains a faster release cadence, but this extended timeline suggests Game Freak is prioritizing polish and stability.
