A Pokemon Legends: Z-A gameplay demo event was held at the Pokemon World Championships 2025, giving players the opportunity to get hands-on with the game for roughly 20 minutes. The demo revealed new gameplay features, core mechanics, and more details regarding Mega Evolutions, letting the player base know what to expect when Pokemon Legends: Z-A finally launches on October 16.
As its release date approaches, Game Freak and Nintendo have steadily been lifting the curtain on Pokemon Legends: Z-A. With the reveal of Dragonite’s new Mega Evolution, excitement has steadily been building, and this gameplay demo further amplifies it. Following the position reception for Pokemon Legends: Arceus, expectations are high for the next foray into the past, and from the looks of it, Z-A is ready to deliver.
Event-goers, including Game Rant’s Editor-in-Chief Anthony Taormina, were allowed to record and upload their experience of the Pokemon Legends: Z-A live demo. In it, it was revealed that Lumiose City’s map is split into 10 different sections, with at least 6 Wild Areas, and 9 Pokemon Centers, though the number and nature of Wild Areas could change during the course of the story. Pokemon that are caught in a Wild Area are displayed on the map screen when hovering over that area.
In-game menu scrolling seems to suggest that Pokemon will not have abilities, though Natures and Held Items remain. It was also shown that TM Moves and relearned moves can be managed from the same menu screen, confirming the recent Pokemon Legends: Z-A leak. Certain areas appeared to be blocked by rock mounds, likely requiring something like “Rock Smash” to get through. Mega Stones seem to be available either by collecting Mega Shards or by defeating bosses.
In combat, it looks like moves are on individual cooldown timers, with longer times for more powerful Pokemon moves in Z-A, with switching mid-battle being instant. Bag items can be used mid-battle by pausing the game, but doing so initiates a roughly 10-second cooldown timer. If a Pokemon undergoes a stat change, it is displayed underneath the health gauge, with arrows indicating whether a stat is lowered or raised. Experience is shared between party members, with the Pokemon that dealt the final blow receiving roughly double the XP. Additionally, sneak attacking triggers the “First Strike” bonus, increasing damage.
The second part of the demo displayed how Rogue Mega-Evolved Pokemon will work in Pokemon Legends: Z-A. Notably, it looks like only Mega-Evolved Pokemon can deal appreciable damage to Rogues. Additionally, Mega-Evolving in Z-A seems to require filling a meter by collecting orbs dropped by Rogues when they receive damage. Trainer Pokemon Mega Evolutions are on a one-minute timer when triggered, but this can be extended by picking up more orbs. It was also confirmed that players can initiate Mega Evolution multiple times in a single battle. Finally, defeating a Rogue rewards players with a Mega Stone of the corresponding type.
October 16, 2025
Pokemon
October 16, 2025
October 16, 2025
