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Gen III

Pokémon Ruby, Sapphire & Emerald

Land against sea — stop an eco-extremist plot before a super-ancient Pokémon drowns or scorches Hoenn.

The Path

The intended order — follow this and you'll stay at the right level all game.

  1. 1

    Littleroot Town send-off

    Story

    Choose Treecko, Torchic, or Mudkip from Professor Birch · recommended Lv. 5

  2. 2

    Rustboro Gym

    Gym

    Rock · Roxanne · recommended Lv. 12–15

  3. 3

    Dewford Gym

    Gym

    Fighting · Brawly · recommended Lv. 14–18

  4. 4

    Slateport & the villains

    Story

    First run-in with Team Aqua/Magma at the museum · recommended Lv. 16–20

  5. 5

    Mauville Gym

    Gym

    Electric · Wattson · recommended Lv. 20–24

  6. 6

    Mt. Chimney standoff

    Story

    Stop the villains from hijacking the volcano's power · recommended Lv. 24–28

  7. 7

    Lavaridge Gym

    Gym

    Fire · Flannery · recommended Lv. 24–29

  8. 8

    Petalburg Gym

    Gym

    Normal · Norman, your own father · recommended Lv. 27–31

  9. 9

    Fortree Gym

    Gym

    Flying · Winona · recommended Lv. 29–33

  10. 10

    Weather crisis

    Story

    Groudon and Kyogre awaken — the region itself starts to break · recommended Lv. 35–40

  11. 11

    Mossdeep Gym

    Gym

    Psychic · Tate & Liza in a double battle · recommended Lv. 40–43

  12. 12

    Sootopolis showdown

    Story

    Quell the super-ancient Pokémon (Rayquaza intervenes in Emerald) · recommended Lv. 40–44

  13. 13

    Sootopolis Gym

    Gym

    Water · Wallace in Ruby/Sapphire, Juan in Emerald · recommended Lv. 40–46

  14. 14

    Elite Four

    Elite Four

    Sidney (Dark), Phoebe (Ghost), Glacia (Ice), Drake (Dragon) · recommended Lv. 45–52

  15. 15

    Champion battle

    Champion

    Steven and his Metagross in Ruby/Sapphire · Wallace in Emerald · recommended Lv. 55–58

The Story

You move to Littleroot Town in Hoenn and rescue Professor Birch from a wild Pokémon, earning your choice of Treecko, Torchic, or Mudkip. Your neighbor Brendan/May becomes your friendly rival as you set out for eight badges.

Hoenn is torn between two extremist factions: Team Magma, who want to expand the landmass by awakening Groudon, and Team Aqua, who want to flood the world by awakening Kyogre. Ruby spotlights Magma, Sapphire spotlights Aqua, and Emerald pits you against both.

The plot escalates from museum thefts and volcano schemes to the unthinkable — both super-ancient Pokémon awakened at once, plunging Hoenn into simultaneous drought and deluge. Only the sky guardian Rayquaza can end their cataclysmic duel.

With the region saved, the Pokémon League awaits on Ever Grande City's doorstep, where an Elite Four of type specialists and a Champion with a silver-steel ace stand between you and the title.

Good to Know

  • Version matters: Ruby's story centers Team Magma and Groudon, Sapphire's centers Team Aqua and Kyogre, and Emerald weaves both together with a Rayquaza climax.
  • Keep a Water-type that can learn Dive — the late game is full of deep-water routes you can't cross without it.
  • Sootopolis Gym is a notorious difficulty spike; bring strong Grass and Electric answers for Wallace's or Juan's Water team.
  • Abilities are new in this generation — check what yours do, since some (like Intimidate or Levitate) change battles entirely.
  • Save before the box legendaries; Groudon, Kyogre, and Rayquaza are one-time encounters.
  • The double battle against Tate & Liza punishes single-target strategies — bring spread moves like Surf or Earthquake.

After the Credits

  • Conquer the Battle Frontier (Emerald) — seven facilities with unique rules, the ultimate post-game challenge.
  • Climb the Sky Pillar to catch Rayquaza in Ruby and Sapphire if you missed it during the story.
  • Hunt the roaming Latios or Latias, which flees across Hoenn after you become Champion.
  • Dive into Contests, Secret Bases, and berry blending — Hoenn's side content is the richest of its era.

My caught checklist

Sign in to track what you've caught — your list syncs across devices.

Want the full step-by-step walkthrough? This page is the roadmap — for turn-by-turn directions, Bulbapedia and Serebii both have detailed per-route guides.