Pokémon Winds & Waves Delay Leaves Gamers Frustrated

Pokémon Winds and Waves has an awful lot riding on it. The expectations for the Gen 10 Pokémon games are astronomically high, both as a consequence of it being the very first next-gen exclusive title in the series, and because it is making up for the previous generation’s numerous failures. The likes of Scarlet and Violet and even its earlier Switch predecessors failed to resonate with gamers much in the same way the DS Pokémon games had, and, consequently, Game Freak’s shepherding of the series has been brought under intense scrutiny.

While we’ve seen very little about the game and received even less information beyond a handful of crucial Pokémon Winds & Waves leaks, fans are already a tad dubious about whether it can succeed where the likes of Scarlet and Violet failed. Indeed, a recent delay announcement has sent the Pokémon fandom down a rather dark spiral, frustrated with the result and questioning whether Winds and Wave’s new release date will even be met.

According to Pokémon anime leaker Moot, Game Freak had originally intended to release Pokémon Winds & Waves in November 2026. However, the company decided back in January 2026 to delay the game from its original November 2026 release date by a whole year, with it now planning on launching the game in November 2027. This decision, according to Moot, who posted this leaked information via their official X account, was made because the game was “not ready” and likely wouldn’t be by November of this year.

Of course, this information should be taken with a grain of salt, as Moot offers no evidence to back up these claims beyond their own alleged knowledge. However, it wouldn’t be terribly surprising to learn that this is all true. Game Freak’s tight development timelines have resulted in broken and buggy releases before, the best example of which being Scarlet and Violet. Were Winds and Waves to succumb to a similar fate as a consequence of a rushed development, it would likely look rather bad for Game Freak and its ability to create Pokémon games.

Over on Reddit, fans have been discussing the alleged delay and debating whether it bodes well for the upcoming Pokémon game or not. The original poster, user Reasonable-Plum160, wrote, “If they were not ready, I wonder if a year will be enough, and seeing how most of the Switch games turned out, it makes me a bit anxious.” It’s an understandable position, although one that the user seems to want to move away from, writing at the end, “I will probably stay optimistic for now.“

Most users in the thread seem to believe that the delay will ultimately be for the best, with user SkinniestPhallus writing, “Any time a game delays because it’s not ready is a good thing.” User 96363a, among many others, shared the same sentiment, posting, “It’s always good for a game to be delayed IMO. Means they are working on it and care what the final product looks like.” While the feeling is that getting Winds & Waves in 2026 would have been a better result, a well-crafted and bug-free experience that improves upon the other Switch titles is a preferred outcome.

Delays are, ultimately, always for the best, so long as they’re affordable for the studio. In Pokémon’s case, while it may have, according to Moot, affected the upcoming Pokémon anime, ultimately, the delay will result in a better product, one that Game Freak can hopefully be proud of. Pokémon is in dire need of a win right now, at least within the world of video games, and Winds & Waves can provide that win, so long as Game Freak does everything it can to ensure that happens, including delaying it by a year.

Released

2027

Developer(s)

Game Freak

Publisher(s)

The Pokemon Company, Nintendo

Multiplayer

Online Co-Op, Online Multiplayer

Number of Players

Single-player