Pokémon Winds & Waves Opening Leaks, Reveals New Region Map Size

Published Oct 3, 2026, 2:44 PM EDT Ben Brosofsky has been writing for Screen Rant since 2022 and editing since 2024. He graduated from Vanderbilt University with a Bachelor's in Cinema & Media Arts. Writing serves as a much-needed distraction from tackling a backlog of Steam games that will never be surmounted. Sign in to your ScreenRant account Nintendo might not show much of Pokémon Winds & Waves until 2027, but the next generation of Pokémon games has been subject to plenty of leaks in the meantime. Recently, for example, one fan composited multiple map leaks to form a suggestion of what the full game's map could look like, but the question of scale still hadn't been answered definitively. The latest leak provides another clue to just how big the region is, and it suggests there might be way more to it than we've seen so far. While it remains to be seen just how much will actually be included in the games, the leak implies that the new region's full scope will be enormous. On X, well-known Pokémon leaker Centro Leaks shared a look at the alleged introductory dialogue from the beta for Pokémon Winds & Waves. The dialogue contains several interesting tidbits, but the most exciting might be the line "A region made up of around 100 islands...," suggesting that there could be even more to the new region than fans have previously suspected. That doesn't necessarily confirm that every island will be explorable in-game, and previous map leaks didn't indicate that players would actually be able to visit that full quantity of locations. Directly mentioning such a vast sum at the start of the game would imply a general breadth to the game's scope of exploration, though, as well as potentially confirming how large the region as a whole is in-canon. Scale is one thing, but it might be more important for Pokémon Winds & Waves to focus on making the map feel meaningful, regardless of size. While there's been plenty to see in recent entries, the most recent mainline games took some steps backward, featuring plenty of buildings that were simply facades rather than allowing players to check out as many interiors as they could in earlier entries. Either way, the focus this time seems to be more on wilderness exploration, with the new region offering up untamed wilds rather than lands subjugated by the march of progress. Along with exploring the densely vegetated lands seen in the reveal trailer, there should be plenty of opportunities to chase the titular winds and waves, and the trailer even dives into the water at the end to reveal a rich world of undersea life. Hopefully, we'll end up getting a clear look at the game's actual map sometime in the near future. Nintendo's focus for the rest of the year will likely be on games like The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time remake and the January release of Metroid Ravenous, but it will eventually be time for Pokémon Winds & Waves to take over the spotlight. Released 2027 Developer(s) Game Freak Publisher(s) The Pokemon Company, Nintendo Multiplayer Online Co-Op, Online Multiplayer Prequel(s) Pokemon Scarlet and Violet Franchise Pokemon Number of Players Single-player