For those who want to take their Pokémon journeys to the next level, the Nuzlocke challenge is a permadeath playthrough wherein a Pokémon that faints is considered "dead" and must be released. This can make the series' challenges even more difficult, though not every Pokémon game is equally difficult to complete.

Those looking to try a Nuzlocke challenge for the first time may not know where to start. While some may want to start with an easier game, others may want to jump right into the hardest Pokémon game. Pokémon Legends: Arceus isn't included because of its vastly different world and gameplay mechanics, where players are required to capture more than one Pokémon per area. Additionally, the lack of gyms and notably changed open-world encounters render the original format void, but there are plenty of opportunities in other mainline games.

Updated on February 7, 2024, by Guillermo Kurten: Nuzlocking is one of the most popular meta challenge runs in the Pokémon fan base. They offer clever ways of imposing strict new rules on gameplay for players wanting to make these mainline titles more tense experiences. This list is being updated to add information on the release periods and critical receptions of these games, as well as expand on what makes these Pokémon games so challenging for Nuzlocke playthroughs.

13 Pokémon X/Y & Omega Ruby/Alpha Sapphire Are Smooth Experiences

Most Nuzlockers agree Pokémon X and Y and Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire are among the easiest Pokémon games to beat. The easier difficulty of Generation VI is less about the actual trainer fights.

A Nuzlocke playstyle makes these games incredibly simple, even if the EXP Share is turned off. This is because the level curve of the wild Pokémon and trainer battles assumes the player will use the EXP Share rather than grind levels.

This is, ironically, one of the criticisms of playing through these games as intended, as it could become extremely easy to be over-leveled to the point of trivializing the story. Still, X and Y are far from the worst offenders when it comes to making an already easy franchise easier to the point of feeling bland.

12 Pokémon Red/Blue/Green/Yellow Are Artificially Tougher, But Still Doable

The original three Pokémon games have simple mechanics that can easily be exploited by an experienced player. Plus, the trainer AI and the non-linear story make them easy Pokémon games to Nuzlocke. That said, they still have difficult trainer battles, including the final Giovani battle and the champion fight against the player's rival.

Taking both the game's relatively unbalanced and technically unrefined nature along with some admittedly respectable boss fights, the Gen I titles are still solid choices for first-time Nuzlockers. There are plenty of ways to make the glitches work in the player's favor.

11 Pokémon Scarlet/Violet Are Among The Easier Home Console Games

Despite the open-world setting and significant updates to the in-game mechanics, Pokémon Scarlet and Violet are some of the easier games to complete on a Nuzlocke run. Of course, these are not Nuzlocke runs as they used to be, but they are the best approximation for the new format of releases.

Randomized encounters in each zone or clever use of the game's raid dens make the concept possible. The difficulty comes from the sheer number of fights the player has to go through, with Penny being the most challenging. This makes the pair of games one of the more moderately challenging installments to Nuzlocke for the uninitiated player. Still, the creative ways the fanbase managed to make these challenge runs possible in Gen IX could make for an exciting introduction to the concept for aspiring players.

10 Pokémon Gold/Silver/Crystal Raise The Stakes From Their Predecessors

Gold and Silver stand above the originals. With fewer exploits and double the number of Pokémon in the Pokédex, this opens up a whole new level of strategy to Nuzlockes. However, wild and trainer Pokémon remain at a shockingly low level throughout most of the games. This makes grinding more difficult, but it also means players won't face as many tough challenges in encounters.

This makes Gen II Nuzlockes something of a double-edged sword when it comes to difficulty. The infamously low-level curve isn't a criticism unique to the Nuzlocking community, as long-time fans frequently cite the consistently low levels of wild Pokemon and trainer battles making the games' pacing feel sluggish in spots. Gold, Silver, and Crystal earn their acclaim overall, but this issue becomes especially apparent in the Kanto post-game story.

9 Pokémon FireRed/LeafGreen Improves Upon The Gen I Kanto Games

The Generation III remakes of Red and Blue crank up the difficulty due to improved trainer AI and new mechanics that increase the complexity of battles. However, including the VS Seeker — which lets the player re-battle trainers — makes grinding pretty easy. More experienced Nuzlockers have also pointed out that FireRed and LeafGreen aren't as linear as other Pokémon games, providing more options for catching and leveling Pokémon.

Similarly, players Nuzlocking these games can't rely on exploiting Gen I-era bugs to their advantage through their adventures in Kanto. Especially for the early '00s on the Game Boy Advanced, these are some of the most polished mainline games without drastically lowering the difficulty.

8 Pokémon Sword/Shield Are Among The Most Difficult Home Console Games For Nuzlockes

The biggest challenge with Sword and Shield comes from a few select gym leaders, as well as changes to the Nuzlocke rules. Introducing the Wild Area meant players had to rework the "one catch per area" rule at the core of a Nuzlocke run. The Wild Area and Max Raids can also result in players running into higher-level Pokémon than theirs can fight.

Overall, when it comes to the 3D mainline games and home console games, Sword and Shield are ironically one of the tougher pairs. Normally, the games' aggressively linear story and intrusive tutorial elements make these some of the easiest games to play in normal settings.

7 Pokémon Sapphire/Ruby Are Ideal For Long-Time Fans Who Are First-Time Nuzlockers

Ruby and Sapphire make for great entry-level Nuzlocke titles for long-time Pokémon fans familiar with the older mechanics. Ruby was the first game to be Nuzlocked. These titles aren't too difficult, but they still feature a lot of the core gameplay challenges that make Nuzlocks hard but fun. Knowing what Pokémon trainers have and planning around them is fairly important.

For first-time Nuzlockers coming into the game with a decent understanding of Pokémon's mechanics, these Generation III offer a low-stress experience while still offering a healthy challenge. In the Elite Four, the Steel-Type champion Steven Stone should prove to be a climactic endgame boss fight. Even under normal circumstances, his powerful Metagross is well-known as a worthy opponent.

6 Pokémon Diamond/Pearl Has One Of The Toughest Elite Four Champions

Generation IV's base games are more difficult because of a hard champion fight against Cynthia, as well as a limited Pokémon pool for team-building. Team Galactic is also important to take note of since some of its admins are known for being run-killers. Diamond and Pearl's Nuzlocke is slightly more difficult than Ruby and Sapphire's because players have fewer team options.

For players wanting a solid Fire-Type Pokémon, they'll be hard-pressed to find anything outside of the fully-evolved starter -- Infernape. As for the Elite Four Champion, Cynthia's Garchomp and Spiritomb are particularly menacing, especially since the latter had no weaknesses at the time. It wasn't until the Gen VI titles — X and Y — introduced the Fairy-Type that the Ghost/Dark-Type Spiritomb was finally given a counter.

5 Pokémon Emerald Is Noticeably Harder Than The First Pair Of Hoenn Games

Emerald is more difficult than Ruby and Sapphire, mainly due to some rebalanced teams. Gym Leader team Tate and Liza are notorious for being one of the most difficult gym battles in the Pokémon series, and even early gyms like Brawly's can give players a hard time. Emerald's level curve is also noted as being steeper, further cementing the need to grind levels in Nuzlockes.

That expectedly makes the endgame Elite Four tougher in some ways than the initial Hoenn pair of games, including the new Champion Wallace. With bulky and powerful Pokémon like Wailord and Milotic, Wallace makes the most out of the Water-Type's assets in battle.

4 Pokémon Platinum Is The Definitive Gen IV Challenge Run

Platinum is miles above the difficulty of Diamond and Pearl when it comes to Nuzlockes. Even though there are more Pokémon for players to use on their teams, this same fact makes trainer fights more difficult. Cynthia remains challenging, and Cyrus' Distortion World fight is infamous for its difficulty.

Overall, Pokémon Platinum showcases how difficult a Nuzlocke can be. The smarter A.I. of the opponent turns what would normally be boons that give the player the edge into weapons against them, making fights that were easy in Diamond and Pearl tough, and fights that were already difficult even more so.

3 Pokémon Sun/Moon & Ultra Sun/Ultra Moon Are Markedly More Difficult Than X & Y

Without a doubt, Generation VII's games, particularly Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon, are the hardest modern Pokémon games — Nuzlocke or not. The Island Challenges can easily end runs, and the change to the gym battle formula throws a lot of classic Nuzlocke strategies out the window.

Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon offer unique, refreshing experiences overall, and those translate into their Nuzlocke difficulty. In general, one of this pair's standout battles is the boss fight against the flagship Legendary Pokémon Necrozma. Its Ultra form was enough to pose a challenge to players even in normal playthroughs.

2 Pokémon HeartGold/SoulSilver Are the Toughest Gen II Experiences

Everything that makes Gold and Silver difficult applies to their Generation IV remakes. However, a much harder post-game Kanto region and Red battle catapult these games ahead in terms of difficulty. One key aspect of the difficulty for Nuzlocke runs is the fact that not much was done to improve the level curve from the original Game Boy Color games.

There's very little opportunity to grind without risking a Pokémon fainting, and grinding is almost necessary for high-level Kanto fights. Even experienced Nuzlockers have trouble with post-game Kanto.

1 Pokémon Black/White & Black 2/White Are Expert-Level Games To Nuzlocke

Pokémon's Generation V games are the hardest of them all to Nuzlocke. From grueling rival battles, Gym Leaders, and the introduction of Challenge Mode in Black 2 and White 2, these are some of the hardest games in the entire Pokémon series.

Black 2 and White 2, in particular, open notably strong with the first Gym Leader — the Normal-Type leader and former rival in Black and White, Cheren. It immediately sets the tone for how unforgiving Nuzlocke runs in these games can be. Those fans who dare to take on these games with Nuzlocke rules — and win — will have truly proven themselves to be Pokémon Masters.