Pokémon Winds & Waves Starter Evolutions Leaked

Published Sep 2, 2026, 6:47 AM EDT James is a gaming writer from London who has spent thousands of hours exploring titles from every genre. Though he has a particular affinity for multiplayer titles like World of Warcraft, Destiny 2 and League of Legends, he has also put thousands of hours into single-player experiences, from deep RPGs to epic PC strategies. When he's not playing or writing, he can usually be found supporting his beloved Brentford FC. Sign in to your ScreenRant account The next big step in the Pokémon franchise comes next year, once we have all the celebrating around its 30th anniversary over and done with. Revealed as Pokémon Winds and Waves, those next releases are set to serve as the first games of the tenth generation, and as part of that, the community is expecting some significant leaps forward. The official reveal from Game Freak gave us a decent look at what's to come, including the heavy focus on water thanks to the game world's archipelago setup. We also got our first look at the three starters in Browt, Gecqua, and Pombon, all of whom look like solid additions to the historic rosters of opening 'mons. Now, in true, time-honored Pokémon style, leaks have started to emerge once again, and it could be the signpost we need to know what the starters are going to evolve into next. As first reported by Polygon, an image was posted on 4chan that purports to act as a riddle to the second and third forms of the starter Pokémon. It normally wouldn't be worth giving something like that any credence, but the image comes from the same person who leaked an image of the game's UI, showing they have at least had some access to confidential files in the past. The images created to hint at their evolutions really are quite out there, but we'll have to wait for an official reveal to see if there's misdirection of if Game Freak really has pushed the boat out on their designs for the release. That earlier UI leak also came with some very interesting tidbits that could hint at what we could be getting in the final game. The biggest was a Pokémon listed as Gokurakucho, which roughly translates to "bird of paradise". This was accompanied by placeholder art of Moltres, and there are several numbered entries under the same name, which could be a full evolutionary line, or a sign that the game has several birds of this type. Given that the game is set to release in 2027, we really should see more of Pokémon Winds and Waves before too long. This will almost certainly come in the form of a dedicated presentation though, given that it's such an important title, so don't expect it to crop up at tertiary shows or conventions in the first instance. 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