Skip to main content

Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire remakes coming to 3DS

pokemon ruby and sapphire 3ds remakes
Image used with permission by copyright holder

In a surprise announcement this morning Nintendo revealed that fan favorites Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire, originally released in 2003 for the Game Boy Advance, will be remade for the 3DS as Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire. The originals were collectively the best-selling game for the platform, selling roughly four times as many copies as the next non-Pokémon game on the list (Super Mario Advance 2). No details — like the extent of the overhaul or the addition of content — are yet known, as the teaser only features box art.

The announcement comes hot on the tail of Nintendo’s other, grimmer news, perhaps hoping to temper any cynicism by cashing in on the recent success of the franchise. The games will be available in November 2014.

Editors' Recommendations

Will Fulton
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Will Fulton is a New York-based writer and theater-maker. In 2011 he co-founded mythic theater company AntiMatter Collective…
Nintendo is shutting down online services for 3DS and Wii U next April
Mega Man and Mario fight in Super Smash Bros. for 3DS and Wii U,

Nintendo confirmed it will widely shut down online services for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U games in April 2024, which will be just over a year after it discontinued the Nintendo eShop on those systems.
This deactivation of most of the online services for those platforms was revealed on X (formerly Twitter) and Nintendo's support site early Wednesday. "In early April 2024, online play and other functionality that uses online communication will end for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U software. This also includes online co-operative play, internet rankings, and data distribution," the message says. "We will announce a specific end date and time at a later date. Please note that if an event occurs that would make it difficult to continue online services for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U software, we may have to discontinue services earlier than planned. We sincerely thank players for using the online services of Nintendo 3DS and Wii U software over a long period of time and apologize for any inconvenience."
Essentially, this means that after April 2024, you won't be able to use any online features in things like 3DS Pokémon games or Super Smash Bros. for 3DS and Wii U anymore. Nintendo does say in the Q&A section of its support article that people will still be able to play games offline and redownload updates and games from the Nintendo eShop for the foreseeable future. Pokémon Bank will remain unaffected, so it'll still be possible to transfer Pokémon from Ruby and Sapphire all of the way to Pokémon Home. However, SpotPass support and other online-focused applications like Nintendo Badge Arcade will stop working entirely.

Just like the Wii U and 3DS eShop closure that caused a ruckus earlier this year, this move is a blow to game preservation and will forever harm some games not available anywhere else. While it's understandable that Nintendo might want to move on from these systems' dated online infrastructure, it's still a disappointing move for those of us who spent a lot of time playing games offline and online on these systems.

Read more
Pokémon Stadium 2 and Trading Card Game are now on Switch with online play
Ash holds a Pokeball while a lot of iconic Pokemon stand behind him.

Nintendo Switch Online just added two retro classics, as Pokémon Stadium 2 and Pokémon Trading Card Game are now available on the service. Both games have been updated to feature online multiplayer.

Both announcements come from today's Pokémon Presents stream, which primarily focused on updates to mobile games and Pokémon Scarlet and Violet. Nintendo Switch Online got a small block during the presentation, when it was revealed that the two games were dropping on Switch shortly after the stream.

Read more
Pokémon Sleep shows the power and pitfalls of a gamified health app
A Pikachu sleeps on a bed.

Pokémon Sleep launched on my birthday. I’ll probably never forget that fact due to the embarrassing text message I had to send upon learning the sleep-tracking app was suddenly available on iOS and Android devices. Knowing I had a journalistic duty to fulfill, I sent a message to my girlfriend -- who had planned out a lovely night out for us -- to let her know that I’d have to leave my phone on my bed when we slept that night so Snorlax could gobble up my data.

“Lmao okay,” she replied.

Read more