Which Pokemon game is the hardest?

I’m curious, and I want to start a nuzlocke on the hardest main series Pokemon game (in general).Which game has the hardest gyms, elite 4, and Pokemon to capture/obtain OVERALL

Pleaselog inorregisterto add a comment.

Every Pokemon game is very easy if you just choose either the fire or water starter, make it use its strongest move during every turn, and catch a new HM slave whenever you need it. Because of how experience works, a Pokemon game is difficult only if you want to train more Pokemon, so you can make any game as difficult as you want by changing the size of your team. I think a good way to compare different games' difficulties is comparing how difficult they still are when players are using only one battler (and otherwise trying to make the game easier), and this is basically a speedrun.

I’d have to go withPokemon Diamond and Pearl

Diamond and Pearl is really the only main series Pokemon game I’ve played where I had to actually train to be on par with the normal NPC trainers throughout the game. And as for the Elite Four and Champion, pretty much all of the elite four’s levels are in the high 50s and low 60s, when the rest of the games have their elite four’s levels barely approaching 50. Kanto, Unova, and Kalos' elite four are an exception to this.

However in Kanto, your levels seem to be a lot higher when challenging the elite four. In Unova, you have access to insanely powerful Pokemon such as Coballion and Volcarona that can completely sweep every member by themselves. And in Kalos/Alola, the new exp share made it ridiculously easy to gain exp for your Pokemon, making your Pokemon completely overleveled.

And now meet Cynthia, the single most powerful and unfair champion in Pokemon. She has six actually competitively viable Pokemon with movesets and typings that compliment each other well, and covering up their own weaknesses (aside from mirror coat on Milotic). Her team’s levels are already in the 60s when your team’s levels are somewhere around 50-55. And her Garchomp? Level 66. To beat that thing I was forced to be cheap and use my Palkia and give it a few extra levels with all the rare candies I had. Her Garchomp also holds a Sitrus Berry so if you think you’ve got it down low, it chomps down that berry and restores it back. Yes, ice moves are super effective on Garchomp. But you’re not outspeeding that monster is the problem, it’ll hit you first. And make no mistake, it’ll definitely kill you with the STAB dragon rush and earthquake it has. And if you even dare bring out an ice type, it’s got brick break for that. I lost to the elite four several times and lost to Cynthia more than can be counted. God I hated her.

I personally had the most trouble with Diamond and Pearl because of the overleveling issues with trainers and the elite four, as well as the mediocre exp share. The Pokemon you can get were pretty limited with no really powerful ones available before challenging the elite four and to top it off Cynthia made it near impossible to finish the game with her overpowered Garchomp.

HeartGold/SoulSilver is probably the hardest, but only if you play through the entire game. The Gym Leaders/Elite Four/Lance are pretty easy, but when you fight Red at the very end, you have to deal with a level 88 Pokemon. Diamond/Pearl is also pretty hard, since everything is high level.