If your child rattles off "that's a Gen 4 Pokémon" like it explains everything, this article is the missing context. It does explain everything, once you know what a generation is.
A generation is a set of core video games, released together, that adds a new batch of Pokémon to the National Pokédex. Nine generations have shipped since 1996, and between them they have introduced 1,025 Pokémon. This is the story of when each batch arrived, in order.
The card game your child plays draws its cast from this same well. A card featuring a Pokémon from the newest region usually means the video game came first and the trading card followed within a year or so.
Generation I, the original 151 (1996)
Pokémon Red and Green launched in Japan on 27 February 1996, for the Game Boy. Red and Blue reached Australia and New Zealand in 1999, a year behind the United States. This is where it all starts, in the Kanto region.
Generation I introduced 151 Pokémon, numbered 1 to 151 in the National Pokédex, from Bulbasaur through to Mew. Mew was famously a secret. It was not obtainable through normal play at launch and only became public knowledge through official events and word of mouth, which is part of why it became so well known.
Every Pokémon your child owns, trades or battles with traces its numbering back to this original list.
Generation II, the Johto 100 (1999 to 2000)
Gold and Silver arrived in Japan in November 1999 and reached Australia and New Zealand in 2001. They introduced the Johto region, sitting next to Kanto on the same map, and were the first games to let a child revisit the original region after finishing the new one.
Generation II added 100 Pokémon, numbered 152 to 251, from Chikorita to Celebi. It also introduced two new types, Dark and Steel, and the idea of Pokémon breeding.
Generation III, the Hoenn 135 (2002 to 2003)
Ruby and Sapphire launched in Japan in November 2002 and reached Australia in 2003, set in the tropical Hoenn region. This generation added 135 Pokémon, numbered 252 to 386, from Treecko to Deoxys.
It also introduced Pokémon Contests, double battles, and abilities, the passive traits that now sit on every Pokémon card and every Pokémon in the games.
Generation IV, the Sinnoh 107 (2006 to 2007)
Diamond and Pearl launched in Japan in September 2006 and reached Australia in 2007, set in the mountainous Sinnoh region. This generation added 107 Pokémon, numbered 387 to 493, from Turtwig to Arceus.
Generation IV split the old single Special stat into separate Special Attack and Special Defence stats retroactively across every earlier Pokémon, and added online trading over the internet for the first time.
Generation V, the Unova 156 (2010 to 2011)
Black and White launched in Japan in September 2010 and reached Australia in 2011, set in Unova, a region modelled on New York. This was the biggest single jump in the Pokédex's history, adding 156 new Pokémon, numbered 494 to 649, from Victini to Genesect.
It was also the only generation to start a child's journey with nothing but brand new Pokémon. Every earlier Pokémon was locked out of the story until after the first playthrough was complete, a deliberate choice to let the new region stand on its own.
Generation VI, the Kalos 72 (2013)
X and Y were the first Pokémon games released worldwide on the same day, in October 2013, including Australia and New Zealand. Set in Kalos, modelled on France, this generation added 72 Pokémon, numbered 650 to 721, from Chespin to Volcanion.
Generation VI introduced the Fairy type and Mega Evolution, a temporary in-battle transformation for certain Pokémon that is still a talking point among older players today.
Generation VII, the Alola 88 (2016 to 2018)
Sun and Moon launched worldwide in November 2016, set in Alola, modelled on Hawaii. This generation added 88 Pokémon, numbered 722 to 809, from Rowlet to Melmetal, and dropped the traditional Gym Leader structure in favour of island trials.
The last two of the 88, Meltan and its evolution Melmetal, are a good story for a child who plays Pokémon GO. They debuted there in September 2018 as a mystery nobody could explain, and were only confirmed as new species once Let's Go, Pikachu and Let's Go, Eevee launched two months later.
Generation VIII, the Galar 96 (2019 to 2021)
Sword and Shield launched worldwide in November 2019, set in Galar, modelled on Great Britain. The base games added 89 new Pokémon, and two expansions released in 2020 and 2021, the Isle of Armor and the Crown Tundra, added a further seven, bringing the generation's total to 96, numbered 810 to 905.
This was the generation that replaced Mega Evolution with Dynamax and Gigantamax, and the first to leave some older Pokémon out of a given game's regional Pokédex entirely, so it is worth checking a specific title supports a specific Pokémon before promising your child they can catch it.
Generation IX, the Paldea 120, and the dex reaches 1,025 (2022 to 2023)
Scarlet and Violet launched worldwide in November 2022, set in Paldea, modelled on the Iberian Peninsula, and were the first mainline games to let a child roam the whole region freely from the start rather than following a set path.
The base games added 103 new Pokémon. Two expansions in 2023, the Teal Mask and the Indigo Disk, added a further 17, closing out the generation at 120 new Pokémon, numbered 906 to 1,025. The very last entry, Pecharunt at number 1,025, is a Mythical Pokémon and the newest card in our own deck and card guides.
That brings the National Pokédex to 1,025 Pokémon across nine generations and just short of thirty years. It is the number your child is quietly building a map of in their head every time they trade or battle.
What this means for a parent
Two things are worth remembering when a generation number comes up. First, an older Pokémon is not a weaker one. Many of the strongest cards and decks in the current competitive game feature Pokémon from Generation I, because a good design ages well.
Second, a new region in the video games usually means new cards within a year, so a generation number is a rough guide to how recently your child's newest favourite arrived. Our card guide covers every Pokémon in the current Standard format, whichever generation it came from, with what it does and why it matters.