Rumors are circulating that Nintendo may be preparing to release Pokémon Ruby, Emerald, and Sapphire for the Nintendo Switch. The leak, attributed to online personality Shpeshal_Nick, who has a track record of accurate Nintendo predictions, suggests a release window of September or October 2026. This potential port would mark the first time these Game Boy Advance titles are playable on a modern Nintendo console in their original form.
The timing for such a re-release could align with upcoming Pokémon TCG events. A Rayquaza-themed set, "Delta Reigns," is slated for release in November, and making the games that introduced the iconic dragon Pokémon available would likely build anticipation.
Further evidence lending credence to the leak comes from recent discoveries related to Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen. A dataminer found that these Game Boy Advance remakes, which were released on the Nintendo eShop, are programmed to check for the presence of Pokémon Ruby, Sapphire, and Emerald. While these titles received remakes in 2014 as Pokémon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire, there is currently no way to play the original Game Boy Advance versions on contemporary hardware.
If released, the new ports could potentially fill a content gap between now and the eventual release of the tenth generation of Pokémon games. The previous release of Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen on the eShop was priced at $19.99, suggesting that a similar price point could be expected for Ruby, Sapphire, and Emerald. However, it is unlikely that these new ports would be part of the Nintendo Classics program, which typically includes added features like online multiplayer or new mechanics. Introducing such changes to the original Pokémon experience could potentially disrupt the existing ecosystem of the games.
Given that Fall 2026 is approaching, more definitive information regarding these rumored ports is expected to emerge in the coming months.