Round Up: The First “Hands On” Impressions Of The Pokémon Legends: Z-A Demo Are In

Pokémon Legends: Z-A has an October street date, yet attendees of the 2025 Pokémon World Championships can sample a Switch 2 demo this very weekend.

First-hand accounts are beginning to surface, so we’ve collected the highlights so far — kicking off with our senior video producer Zion Grassl’s ‘hands-on’. While the changes won’t suit every palate, the core faithful may find plenty to love about what they’ll encounter.

Nintendo Life:

“I’m still trying to keep my hype in check when it comes to exploring the city at large, yet I’m comforted by the fact that the combat, from the slice I’ve tried, feels like exactly what the franchise needs to push forward into the next era.”

How did the broader press corps react to the demo? We’ve rounded up their most quotable moments below:

The Verge:

“My session—played in Anaheim ahead of the 2025 Pokémon World Championships—was split into two ten-minute chunks, both seemingly early sections laser-focused on the newly minted combat loop… It’s a dramatic break from nearly three decades of Pokémon tradition. Instead of treating encounters like slow-burn chess, Z-A forces on-the-fly decisions while still leaning on type matchups, stats, and the usual min-maxing. Re-wiring my brain took a little while.”

IGN:

“I can spot the promise here, yet twenty minutes of early-game sampling is simply too shallow to judge whether this real-time approach will hit the same strategic sweet spot I expect from Pokémon.”

Polygon:

“The fights feel invigoratingly new, and all I played was the tutorial. I finished the demo desperate for another showdown. If the mere appetizer can spark that urge, envision the main course with a kitted-out party crashing into a fearsome boss — it sounds electric.”

VGC:

“Arceus wooed lapsed fans precisely because it veered away from the classic formula. Z-A doubles down on that divergence. Mastering trainer takedowns will require more hands-on time, yet we’re already sold on the Rogue Mega Pokémon throw-downs.”

Serebii.net

Lastly, Serebii.net webmaster Joe Merrick sums up his thoughts (see the Serebii YouTube clip):

“It’s early days and impossible to predict how these systems mesh in the full adventure, but my brief taste suggests a neat progression of the Pokémon Legends template that left me itching for another round — a promising sign as far as I’m concerned.”

The public can also test-drive this demo at the tournament venue over the weekend, though you’ll need to have pre-registered interest via Nintendo’s site using your Nintendo Account, and spots are “first come, first served.” Find additional details in our hands-on post:

We’ll have additional coverage of the demo, alongside news on upcoming Switch and Switch 2 titles, very shortly. Are you eager to dive into this next Pokémon chapter? Sound off below.